Not Just Blue: The Amazing Array of Stunning Sapphires Today

With diamonds being considered the most popular gem for an engagement ring throughout recent years, diamonds are clearly highly sought-after. However, due to their popularity, most of us forget there are plenty of other equally beautiful gems that form a stunning center-piece for an engagement ring, one of which is the sapphire.

Not quite as rare as the diamond, most people assume that all sapphires are a deep blue color. However, sapphires can actually come in almost every single color, making them a hugely versatile gem that will suit almost all tastes.

So, if you’re looking to purchase an engagement ring for your loved one but want to stray away from the typical diamond, below you’ll find everything you need to know to use sapphires to your advantage!

Sapphire quality

When on the hunt for an engagement ring, it’s likely you want the best quality possible for whichever gem you choose. With regard to sapphires and any other colored gemstone, there are four essential components that are used to assess their quality: clarity, color, carat weight and cut.

Assessment of quality is generally simpler with diamonds as they’re often colorless. But, when considering the huge array of colors sapphires are available in, each individual color has its own specific assessment criteria to establish its standard of quality. It’s for this reason that it’s extremely difficult to establish a consistent standard of grading for sapphires, so it’s essential you talk to an expert whilst browsing for your ring to ensure you get the best advice possible with regard to the quality of the sapphire you eventually choose.

As sapphires come in virtually every single color imaginable, there’s no limit to the possibilities. However, some colors are more accessible and popular than others and will likely form the basis of your sapphire search! To take a look for yourself and do more research, take a look at this extensive Sapphire Ring Buying Guide.

Blue sapphires

Ranging from pale muted blue to the classic royal blue, blue sapphires are the most commonly recognized version of sapphire around the world. Generally, the most sought-after shade of blue is a dark, violet-type blue and generally comes with the highest price of all the sapphires.

But finding a sapphire of this exact shade of blue that’s imperfection-free is extremely rare despite blue sapphires being found across many locations across the world including Kashmir, Australia, and Sri Lanka. In order to achieve the most uniform color, the sapphire must be cut with expert skill as, dependent on the angle and light in which you look at the sapphire, the color can change if it’s not cut to perfection.

Pink sapphires

Often considered the second most popular type of sapphire after blue sapphires, pink sapphires can range from pale pink to an intense ‘hot’ pink. Pink sapphires were considered extremely rare until the early 1990’s when more locations in which they originate were found.

However, despite the increase in availability, pink sapphires are still considered to be rare within the gem world. Because of this, pink sapphires half a carat or more are never cut into set sizes – each sapphire is instead generally given a mixed cut to retain as much of its natural quality as possible. So, if you’re looking for a sapphire of a very specific cut in mind, pink sapphires may not be the best option for you.

Yellow sapphires

With more most sought-after shade in this range being a vibrant, canary yellow, yellow sapphires have spiked in popularity throughout recent years due to their resemblance to a yellow diamond.

The most common element present within these sapphires to give them their unique color is iron. This causes an increase in color strength with the most vibrant yellow sapphires generally containing more iron than their paler counterparts. However, titanium is also commonly found in these sapphires and is responsible for creating an unsightly green tinge to the overall appearance of the gem. Therefore, the most expensive yellow sapphires are those free of titanium as they’re much more likely to have the classic untarnished yellow appearance.

Unique and almost guaranteed to turn heads, if your loved one is partial to more ‘out there’ jewellery, considering an engagement ring with a yellow sapphire is sure to be a pleasant surprise!

Whilst sapphires are renowned for being a deep blue color, there are a huge array of stunning colors sapphires can also form. Dependent on personal taste and cut preference, there’s a sapphire out there for everyone – your hardest task will be simply choosing a color!

Alisha Lewis enjoys sharing her knowledge, hobbies and life online in her articles. A work-at-home Mom she runs an online jewellery store and writes about jewellery, gemstones and much more.