Is there a negative correlation between tone and clarity for sapphires?

[jvLin]

I noticed that the darker sapphires tended to have more blemishes, whereas the lighter stones are very clear. Is there some sort of negative correlation between tone and clarity? It seems pretty hard to find a sapphire with a great color and few inclusions. Or maybe it''s just that lighter stones with lots of blemishes aren''t even worth selling... I was just wondering. Thanks.

 

[ma re]

No correlation at all, it''s just that it''s hard to find any gem with great color and great clarity. There are sapphires like THIS, and there are those like THIS - neither of which has great clarity.

P. S. Dark tone makes inclusions more difficult to see (obviously) and so it''s tougher to judge clarity of such stones.

 

[Edward Bristol]

No, no gemological correlation as far as I know, but a deeper hue will hide many inclusions from the naked eye (the default for grading) but not from sharp images.

For example, if you would take the inclusions of this gem:

(which are hardly eye-visible in that deep blue) and put them into say, this sapphire:



you would probably come out with a very bad looking gem, on photo at least, hardly sellable online and perhaps not going to market at all.

So, yes, you should find more clean light color stone offered on the web than clean dark colors ones. (On the others side as ma re remarked correctly full colors are rarer in general terms)

 

[chrono]

There is no co-relation between a darker stone or lighter stone having more or less blemishes for any type and family of gemstone. Nature is an equal opportunist when it comes to clarity in gemstones. However, a darker stone might get away with some degree of inclusions compared to a lighter toned stone, just because it’s more difficult to spot the inclusions.

I’m not sure if you are already aware of this but for sapphires and all gemstones, eye clean is perfectly acceptable in the trade. Gemstones are graded differently from diamonds and as such, it is extremely difficult to aspire for a loupe clean stone.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 9/25/2009 8:04:57 AM
Author: Chrono
There is no co-relation between a darker stone or lighter stone having more or less blemishes for any type and family of gemstone. Nature is an equal opportunist when it comes to clarity in gemstones. However, a darker stone might get away with some degree of inclusions compared to a lighter toned stone, just because it’s more difficult to spot the inclusions.

I’m not sure if you are already aware of this but for sapphires and all gemstones, eye clean is perfectly acceptable in the trade. Gemstones are graded differently from diamonds and as such, it is extremely difficult to aspire for a loupe clean stone.

Well said Chrono. I personally wouldn''t want a loupe clean gemstone unless it was a very unusual cut. Cause I like to know that that stone the jeweler/whoever is handing back to me is really mine.