#6520. Sapphire bracelet (sold).
Antique and Vintage sapphire jewelry - see part 1 about September's birthstone.
Antique and Vintage sapphire jewelry - see part 2 origins, colors, qualities.
Antique and Vintage sapphire jewelry - see part 3 cuts, settings, frauds and prices.
Sapphires, are cut in every way known to Man. Domed, smoothe and round cabochons and faceted stones simply stepped or brilliant cut. As mentioned, sapphires might have stars and are then cut en cabochon. These are highly sought after by star enthusiasts.
Sapphires are set in different ways. A beautiful gem might be the star of the show or, a number of less significant stones might provide the background of a complex design. Today, many women prefer a sapphire to a diamond engagement ring with either a solitaire sapphire or a stone set off by a chorus of surrounding diamonds or other stones.
Sapphires may be pave or invisibly set, like a continuous sheet of blue, when we can't see where one sapphire ends and the other begins.
#5478 Nouveau ring.
Then there is the question of simulated sapphires. For hundreds of years, we have been trying to imitate nature. Prior to the 2nd half of the 20th century, it was so difficult and expensive to produce these stones, that they were often regarded as valuable and as expensive as the real thing. We can find magnificent French jewelry set in 18k gold, with beautiful workmanship, set with paste, the jewelry-world word for imitation gemstones. During the Deco-Retro era, 1920-40's, a significant amount of very fine diamond jewelry was made with synthetic sapphire detail. No one thought any the less of these gorgeous pieces for that. However, today, mention the word 'synthetic' and it's like using an obscenity. People are automatically prejudiced against that word. Has the piece suddenly become less gorgeous? the work less fine? the other materials less valuable? Go figure!! Gorgeous jewelry is available at much reduced cost when the sapphires just happen to be synthetic. Chose the jewel on its merits and not necessarily on one small detail.
#4203
Magnificent antique sapphire necklaceWhile there are a number of blue gems, the only one that is easily confused with sapphire by lay people like us, is Tanzanite. Tanzanite is a beautiful blue color, but it is not sapphire and most importantly of all, it is a lot softer and more fragile than sapphire.
# 5498 tanzanite ring
Genuine sapphires may be treated or 'enhanced' to improve their appearance and thus drive up their price. It is one thing to improve the appearance of a stone, but it is vital that sellers divulge any form of treatment performed on their merchandise. Does the treatment last or fade with time; does the treatment destabilise the stone; how does the treatment affect the value?
The most common form of treatment is heat treatment. Heating improves the color of sapphires, but often results in dulling or less inner gleam and shine. Heating in sapphires is so 'normal' that it should be assumed that a stone has been thus treated and it will not affect the value of the gem. In fact, the contrary pushes the price up: when a reliable laboratory report tells you that the sapphire shows no signs of heat treatment, expect to pay a premium. This can be close on double the price of a sapphire without such a lab report.
Other forms of treatment involve fillers and they impact both the stability of the gem and the price. Lead-glass fillers in sapphires convert sapphires into another substance that gemologists derisively do not even consider to be sapphires. The price of such a stone is very close to nothing. Do not be fooled by glass-filled jewelry - it has very little intrinsic value. Large and expensive chains of modern jewelry will sell you lead-glass filled stones as though they are the real thing. They are not. It is a scam.
Prices:
Sapphires are more widely found than rubies and therefore, less expensive, but they still command very high prices, especially when of gem quality and when of large size. Recently, prices of really good stones have soared beyond imagination. The market is changing and good stones all the more desireable.
As with all gems, prices do not go up in steady increments. Once you get to big gems, prices start jumping out of all proportion. Take the various color, cut and quality factors into consideration, maybe a great provenance and there is no strict formula for price. As always, beauty (and price) are in the eye of the beholder. A good appraiser or program such as Gemewizard are convenient for those of us without huge gemological knowledge.
One of the most expensive and currently desireable colors in sapphires is the orange-pink sapphire, know as padparadscha from Sri Lanka.
Sapphires are a great choice as engagement and wedding rings. They have strong, bright colors, and are very cheerful. Their hardness is directly under that of diamonds, making them, along with their sibling rubies, the 2nd strongest, toughest stones out there. Being one of the 3 primary colors, sapphires are wonderful as accent or details to jewelry of all colors. Designs may blend their colors or contrast them - there is something with a sapphire for everyone.
#5033 Sapphire ring with both cabochon and step cut sapphires. Questions and comments: Please email antiques@brendaginsberg.com
Find jewelry on www.brendaginsberg.com