Blue Sapphire?

Here are two that started me out on my education of gemstones. They should give you info on spinels too.

www.preciousgemstones.com

International Colored Gemstone Association

Sapphires, otherwise known as corundums, come in every color, except red... because a red-colored corundum is called a ruby!
There are lots of websites that sell lighter shades... browse around/search on the past threads on this forum and you should be able to find a lot of information on sapphires and about experiences with different vendors. Have fun!

If you want the very best the two I know of are: www.cherrypicked.com  and www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com .  Widget knows an awful lot about sapphires, hopefully she can give you some other sites as well.  Good luck, I too adore sapphires, especially the cornflower blue ones!!!

karen,
knowing the hawai ocean, I can imagine the color u seek is not the classical cornflower blue but rather orient blue. Though I don''t know about the postcards...

Edward Bristol
www.wildfishgems.com

From the description of the color I imagine what you''re looking for is something like Paraiba Tourmaline, which unfortunately is absurdly expensive. maybe Nigerian "paraiba" tourmaline?

Aquamarine and Blue Topaz are probably a bit too light for your tastes, and most sapphires will be too dark. Even the brightest and lightest sapphires seem like they''d be too sky blue for your tastes.

Date: 6/26/2005 6:41:54 PM
Author:karenleah15

 I want it to be like the bluest oceans in Hawaii that you see on postcards.

That would mean something like this to me:




While the highest expectation of lively sapphire color would be this:



Of course, blue-but-not-dark sapphire can mean this too - a light tone:



Which works for you ?

the first one works for me!  am i ever going to find the money tree that''s going to allow me to own everything i want?!

peace, movie zombie

Oh that first stone is PERFECT! I love it. Blue topaz is a little light for me.

Hi, Valeria101

Seems such a long time my last post, and I can see there''s many new people in this group now, plus some familiar wonderful characters still contributing their knowledge, experience and expertise.

The 4 examples of yours are amazing, as they are the kinds of images I find it hard to accept as Sapphires! The first one - the Hawai''i ocean blue - looks like a Topaz or Tourmaline color; the second one looks like a Lapis Lazuli; the last two look like off-color Tanzanites!

Any Kashmir blue example (and I don''t mean one of those that actually comes from Ceylon or Africa!)? Is there a particular definition of what characteristics Kashmir blue should have, or not have?

Have never seen a sapphire in the color you like. As said elesewhere perhaps the "Carribean Blue" of the Paraiba and Nigerian Cuprite tourmaline or aquamarine are your best alternatives. Blue topaz certainly can have the color but after the Linear accellerator and the heat treatment it is more of a processed product than a gemstone.

Ana, let me guess -  the first one is a paraiba tourmaline, second a true Kashmir sapphire (hard to say which one is more expensive among the two! - out of my range anyway)  The third is a light shade sapphire offerred at the naturalsapphirecompany?

Author: Cave Keeper
Any Kashmir blue example (and I don''t mean one of those that actually comes from Ceylon or Africa!)? Is there a particular definition of what characteristics Kashmir blue should have, or not have?

I''ve heard that Kasmirs have some sort of interior silk that give them sort of a velvety appearance and because of this,  they have little extinction and sort of "glow" in almost all lighting.

I made a point of seeking out one at an antique jewelry show out of curiosity.  I found one,  and although it was beautiful,  I couldn''t see what all the hoopla was about.

Here are two untreated Kasmirs:  The stone on the left is from CherryPicked...about five carats....yours for the asking at a mere $138,000!!!

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What about this one? blue sapphire  The seller claimed to be kashmir color, but I feel there is too much purple in it.

Ana,

Let me guess the first picture is a blue Zircon.

Thanks for the $138,000 example of a Kashmir Blue Sapphire from Cherrypicked.com. In case you missed it, they also have a much cheaper 1.23 ct. asking for just over $10,000 . Now I know what Kashmir Blue should look like.

I seem to recall that the special characteristic of Kashmir Blue Sapphires is that they lack the undesirable violetish tinge, especially under fluurescent lighting, perhaps because of the silky interior you mentioned.

Hi,  Kashmirblue!

Was I right when I said that Kasmir stones traditionally "glow" more than sapphires from other regions because of their slik?  And also....I had always heard that the Kashmir  mines had dried up years ago.  How much is coming out now?

Thanks,
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Yes, the extremely fine silk in Kashmirs creates bright flourescence.  This helps the stone 'glow' in all low lighting conditions when most other sapphires black out.  This flourescence without saturation can be seen in the first photo attached.

I'm finding the majority of large 'gem' quality stones among the local rich and powerful. 

'Gem' quality are located from the mines in recent years, but typically below 1 carat in size.  "Gem color" in large stones is found but tends to be highly included.  If the crystal faces are intact I'll buy the "gem color" Kashmir sapphire crystal specimen.  If you thought it were impossible to locate a fine faceted Kashmir try searching for a crystal specimen!

Have a great summer,

Ed Cleveland
www.kashmirblue.com

Date: 8/1/2005 2:54:49 PM
Author: MJO
Ana,

Let me guess the first picture is a blue Zircon.

I lost track of this thread... yes sure so.

The other two are sapphires.

And, well, all things aside the greenish blue shade is also my darling. Although there is no doubt which of the three blue bits there is the more impressive.


Turning to the topic of greenigh-blue sapphire:

Picking from another post - well, no, I can't say I ever founda sapphire looking like that but some with a slight greenish he over blue (jnstead of violet tinge) are out there and the greenish complexion is not all that highly priced. Some sellers make excuses for it.... for not aparent reason. There is one such 'greenish-blue' sapphire among the concave cuts listed by Richard Homer on concavegems.com.

At least one more of darker green-blue reside among the 'unique' colors at Walter Arnstein (thenaturalsapphirecompany.com)and I would ask any seller of Australian sapphire and Montana sapphire (if you do not insist on a large piece) for options. Both sources produce some sort of greenish blue (dark and bicolors from Australia, light ones from Montana, as much as I know).  Blue spinel may also do the trick - although that's yet another kind of blue - more steel like. One at the same concavegems.com site makes the case - for example.

Hope some of this helps.

Hi Ana,

I just got back from Cozumel.  My wife wouldn''t let me go into any of the jewelry stores their .  They did have alot of large tanzanite in the windows and a place called natural alexandrite.  Couldn''t get the prices their though.  Anyway,  I do like the color of blue zircon.

I don''t have your experience but have already seen some sapphires looking like the tourmaline and coming from Africa (and untreated).
I missed your mail... but I must even add that I have owned one and seen several others over 3 Ct.

And it''s not particularly expensive.

Here''s a link to a news article about a rough 18.5ct blue Sapphire that was recently found in Montana at the Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine near Helena.
http://www.sapphiremine.com/articles/18_5carat_sapphire.pdf

Joker....