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purple sapphire and color change/color shift

paradoxla

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Messages
8
Hello. I am have been lurking here for quite sometime learning as much as I can about colored stones. I have made some purchases but this one in particular fascinates me. It is a purple sapphire which changes from a purple violet to a pink violet with very brilliant flashes of pink and under UV, it glows a VERY bright pink.

My question, is this considered a good color 'changer' (is this a word?)? Thanks for any responses.

change.jpg
Sorry for the poor image quality but I'm just starting to photograph stones (very new to this) and this one is really hard to photograph.
 

Pandora II

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
9,613
IMO, colour shift is when a stone changes part way between two adjacent hues - ie a stone that goes from a blue to a purpleish blue.

A colour change stone either shifts completely to an adjacent hue - ie a stone that goes from blue to purple, or jumps to a non-adjacent hue - ie blue-green to red-purple such as in alexandrite.

As yours goes from pink-violet to purple violet it should probably be called a colour shifter - it's a lovely example.
 

paradoxla

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Messages
8
Thank you so much, pandora. I've been reading about the different between terminology and you have confirmed what I interpreted as well, that this a color shift, not a color change. I also read I shouldn't halo this stone because it'll affect the color shift. Any setting suggestions from anyone? It was not an 'expensive' stone so I don't want to spend too much on the setting but am baffled because of two colors it can transform to.
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
25,160
paradoxla|1318513553|3039282 said:
Thank you so much, pandora. I've been reading about the different between terminology and you have confirmed what I interpreted as well, that this a color shift, not a color change. I also read I shouldn't halo this stone because it'll affect the color shift. Any setting suggestions from anyone? It was not an 'expensive' stone so I don't want to spend too much on the setting but am baffled because of two colors it can transform to.

I have several color shifting spinels, very similar to your sapphire, and haloing them doesn't affect the color shift IMO. Lovely stone by the way.
 

paradoxla

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Messages
8
Thank you, TL. I'm glad to know a halo will not change the color shifting. Really appreciate the response.
 

minousbijoux

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 5, 2010
Messages
12,804
Ooh, I like threads like this - good questions, pretty eye candy, and good answers in short order! :appl: I hope you do halo it, and it really has lovely coloring.
 
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