White Sapphires

[Joolskie]

Well, I have been thinking about doing a three-stone ring with my 5mm round blue Montana sapphire as the center. And, I kind of liked the idea of having an all-sapphire ring. After considering various color combinations, I decided that I would really like colorless stones to flank the sky blue of the Montana sapphire.

So, for fun, I ordered two 4mm white sapphires from Simply Sapphires to see what they are all about. They just arrived and I have to say... these are gorgeous little stones. The two stones are very sparkly, very brilliant and very white. I absolutely love them!

They sitting in their little black box with the blue sapphire between and I must say... all three stones look fabulous together. I am so happy!

The photo stinks. But it was the best I could do with my ancient camera.

Now, to pick a three-stone setting worthy my three little guys... LOL!

 

[MustangFan]

ooo pretty
Do the whites sparkle like a diamond?
Do you have the pictures from simply sapphire, did you find their pictures to be accurate?


Invest in a new camera!! I'd love to see more

 

[Joolskie]

They most definitely do not have the rainbow "fire" of a diamond which, from what I understand, is due to sapphires having a much lower rate of refraction. Other than the missing fire, these guys hold their own next to the diamond in my e-ring.

It is kind of hard to explain... the white sapphires sparkle like crazy. But it is a white sparkle instead of a rainbow sparkle.

I did read here on PS that white sapphires can be milky. These stones are not milky at all. They are clear white.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Congratulations!

You took a chance and it sounds like you did good. I''ve always wondered about the white Sapphires. Thanks for the details.

More pictures please.

 

[Joolskie]

Here is the photo from Simply Sapphires. The stones look very clear in the photo... they are very sparkly in real life!

 

[rjdodd]

Sapphire has a refractive index of 1.77 vs. 2.42 for diamond (give or take).

I think (guessing here - not an expert) that you probably could cut a white sapphire that returned a good amount of light - getting comparable to a diamond - but you''d need a depth in the 90s and it would look unconventional, and would be a real inefficient use of the rough so probably nobody is going to do it. Even then it wouldn''t be near as firey as a diamond. Take this with a pinch of salt though...

 

[movie zombie]

i think you''ve made a good educated choice! the stones have a cool and refreshing look as a set.

movie zombie

 

[starryeyed]

Joolskie, looks like an excellent choice! What are you leaning toward for a setting? Would you add diamond halos or keep it simple? Maybe one of those 3-stone lattice rings?

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 2/22/2007 1:26:58 PM
Author: Joolskie
They most definitely do not have the rainbow ''fire'' of a diamond which, from what I understand, is due to sapphires having a much lower rate of refraction. Other than the missing fire, these guys hold their own next to the diamond in my e-ring.

There are two properties involved here. "Rainbow ''fire''" is the term used to describe a stone''s dispersion. That''s different than refractive index. Diamond''s dispersion is measured at .044 (quite high) while sapphire is much lower at .018. No matter how well cut a sapphire can never display the ''fire'' of a diamond.

Well-cut white sapphires (R.I. around 1.77) can be very brilliant, especially when set with a blue sapphire like yours. Next to a diamond (R.I. 2.42) they wouldn''t fare so well. I think you''ve made a great choice.

As for dispersion, light-toned andradite garnets throw more ''fire'' than diamonds (dispersion .057). Demantoid, the green variety of andradite, can be quite fierey but as the green tone and saturation intensify the dispersion is masked. But they''re gorgeous anyhow!

Richard M.

 

[zoebartlett]

Hi Joolskie,

I love your new sapphires! I''ve wondered whether white sapphires looked somewhat comparable to diamonds. I''ve seen some that looked milky but yours don''t at all. Great idea to do a three stone ring! I''m leaning toward doing one as well, only with a green sapphire as the center stone. Congrats on your new purchase!

 

[ger100]

I think your white sapphires are gorgeous. I have a 2 ctw pale yellow one which is bright and sparkly also.

I agree about the Demantoid garnet. I have a small .25 ctw, 3.5 mm, kind of a medium lime-grass green. The thing has fire like crazy: you can see yellow, orange, red, blue, purple flashes...out of such a tiny green stone. The yellow sapphire shows no such color flashes. I assume "fire" means these color flashes?

Thanks,
Ger

 

[Joolskie]

Thank you so much for the explanation of dispersion Richard. I am still in the process of learning about all gems. And there is so much to learn! These white sapphires were my third gem purchase. So far, so good!

I have to say that while diamonds are stunning (I do have an e-ring and anniversary band that I adore)... I am really becoming quite obsessed with colored stones. Even the colorless colored stones. LOL!

 

[diamondsrock]

Date: 2/22/2007 6:46:23 PM
Author: ger100
I think your white sapphires are gorgeous. I have a 2 ctw pale yellow one which is bright and sparkly also.

I agree about the Demantoid garnet. I have a small .25 ctw, 3.5 mm, kind of a medium lime-grass green. The thing has fire like crazy: you can see yellow, orange, red, blue, purple flashes...out of such a tiny green stone. The yellow sapphire shows no such color flashes. I assume ''fire'' means these color flashes?

Thanks,
Ger

not to hijack the thread but ger do you have a pic of the yellow sapphire? I am really interested in the pale yellows.
I''d also love to see your green sapphire!

 

[tonygemma]

I''ve been using white sapphires as accent stones for some time now. 2-3mm in size. I think with some of the colored stones the sapphires really show off the main stone.

TonyD

 

[FireGoddess]

They look beautiful next to your Montana blue. Can''t wait to see the finished ring!!