A gem of choice for engagement rings, sapphire has been enjoying great popularity with couples here in Australia and worldwide due to its beauty, uniqueness and durability. Sapphire is part of the most important gem family, corundum, which also includes ruby. Both sapphire and ruby have consistently risen in value and popularity, due to their beauty, durability and versatility.
SAPPHIRE COLOURS
Sapphires naturally occur in a rainbow of colours: blue, teal, black, white (colourless), grey, orange, pink, green, purple and yellow.
The colour in Australian green sapphire is typically made up of a mixture of yellow and blue coloured banding within the crystal mixing to produce the green colour. When some of these yellow and blue banded sapphire crystals are cut suitably, stones know as ‘parti’ (short for partition) can be created.
Bi-colour or parti sapphires occur in Australia as well as Africa (Madagascar, Tanzania and Nigeria).
The same elements make up parti sapphire as other corundum (Al203) but the trace elements present in the growing process give each stone its unique colours. Presence of iron gives parti sapphire its yellow colour, and blue comes from a mix of titanium and iron.
Australian sapphires are from alkali-basalt related deposits and are very rich in iron content. Due to varying concentrations of transition elements (e.g. iron and titanium) in the chemical make-up of the parent fluids (sapphire is essentially aluminium oxide), different colours result. The parti sapphires are so special as each stone has a unique combination of zoning and banding. The colour zoning seen in parti sapphires relates to the growth layers of a crystal, and appears as a series of concentric hexagons parallel to the prismatic crystal faces.
DURABILITY OF PARTI SAPPHIRES
Corundum family, which parti sapphire is a member of, is the hardest, most durable gemstone type after diamond and measures 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it a popular choice for jewellery worn every day, such as engagement rings. Despite their durability, we should protect them like any other precious stone, and remove sapphire jewellery before engaging in heavy work, such as gardening or construction, or work that would expose your sapphire to harsh chemicals.
PARTI SAPPHIRE VALUE
The rarity of parti sapphires makes them valuable, especially bigger stones, and stones with brighter colours. Compared to Ceylon blue or padparadscha sapphire though, parti sapphire is exceptionally good value and its price keeps increasing.
Blue green peacock parti sapphire in a cushion cut, Sydney jeweller Lizunova Fine Jewels
This remarkable 5.5ct cushion cut parti sapphire displays shades of green, teal and blue. Parti sapphires of this size and colour are very rare. Image: Lizunova Fine Jewels
SOURCES OF PARTI SAPPHIRE
While sapphires are most commonly sourced from Africa (Tanzania, Nigeria, Madagascar, Kenya, Malawi), Brazil, Myanmar (Burma), Pakistan (Kashmir), Sri Lanka, Thailand and United States (Montana), many of the unique parti and green sapphires hail from Australia (Queensland and New South Wales).
Australia produced a large quantity of sapphires in the 1970s. Today, Australian sapphire mining is much smaller in scale, and, most commonly, it is individual miners working on their claim. The cost and complications of sapphire mining have ensured good quality Australian sapphires are much more scarce.
A unique Australian parti teal sapphire is set into an Art Deco inspired bespoke engagement ring in platinum and yellow gold, with natural diamonds, by a0 Sydney jeweller Lizunova Fine Jewels, Sydney Australia
This emerald radiant cut Australian parti sapphire, set into a bespoke engagement ring, displays the classic yellow and blue colours, mixing into green tones at certain angles. Image: Lizunova Fine Jewels
TREATMENTS
Heating sapphires is a common treatment that lightens or intensifies colour, improves uniformity and enhances clarity. Gentle heating in a kiln removes or dissolves any silky rutile inclusions in a sapphire back into the matrix of the stone. Heating does not damage the sapphire and is a lasting treatment that does not wear off with time.
SYNTHETICS
Parti sapphire is the only stone that labs can’t synthesise, due to the patchy colour pattern.
SAPPHIRE SPECIFICATIONS
Hardness: 9 Mohs
Specific Gravity: 3.95-4.03 (sapphire)
Refractive Index: 1.760-1.774
Crystal Form: Trigonal. Sapphire crystals occur as barrel-shaped, double-pointed hexagonal pyramids and tabloid shapes. Corundum is found in igneous and metamorphic rocks and also in alluvial deposits.
Treatments: Heating
Special Care: None
Durability: Very good
Image: Lizunova Fine Jewels
Sources: The Jeweller’s Directory of Gemstones, Judith Crowe; OAGems.com
Parti sapphire | Parti sapphire engagement rings
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