More and more couples today are marking their imminent betrothal with sapphire engagement rings. Sapphires are a fashionable alternative to the traditional look of diamonds, and the naturally blue gemstones don't sacrifice the durability or hardness that comes with buying diamonds. If you feel that you want to mark your marriage with an eye-catching coloured stone, a sapphire engagement ring may be your best bet. However, to guarantee that you make a quality purchase, consider the step-by-step guide below.
1. Know What Tone of Blue You Desire
Sapphires come in a multitude of different shades of blue. The lightest is known as the Sweden princess blue, a tone that resembles baby blue, and the darkest shade is akin to a navy or near-black. Royal blue is the middle of the scale and it is also considered the most prized colour. Thus, royal sapphires are the most expensive. Camelot and commodore blues, a lighter and darker shade to royal respectively, are similar hues that make for more affordable alternatives.
2. Consideration of The Hue
Blue sapphires can be entirely blue, or they can contain tints, most commonly of green or purple. In terms of cost, a pure blue sapphire is valued the highest, followed by a slight purple tint and slight green tint sapphire. Any sapphire with strong tints of green or purple are generally rendered undesirable since these undertones overshadow the stone's natural blue hue.
3. Look at the Transparency of the Stone
Transparency is commonly overlooked when shopping for sapphire engagement rings, but the more transparent a gemstone is, the more radiant it will look. Transparency also directly correlates with value, so should definitely be considered by the buyer. Translucent gems, one rank below transparent, allow light to pass through with a little amount of obscurity. This downgrades their value but makes for a good compromise between quality and budget. Semi-opaque and opaque stones allow little to no light to pass through and as such are valued the least among all sapphires.
4. Consider a Fancy Colour Sapphire
Although blue is the most common and most coveted colour for a sapphire, these gemstones also appear in several other shades. Padparadscha sapphires are rare, orange-pink coloured stones and are considered very valuable. Pure pink sapphires are also a prized colour, whereas yellow and green are valued less as a fancy sapphire.
5. Be Aware of How Origin Affects Price
Where a sapphire was mined can have a vast influence on its asking price. Sapphires sourced from Kashmir, Burma, and Sri Lanka tend to be more prized than those sourced elsewhere because the quality of stones from these mines is usually higher than those originating from other locations. However, this is only a general trend and in some ways resembles paying for a product with a brand name. A good cost effective alternative is to shop for quality sapphire engagement rings adorned with a sapphire from a less prolific mining location.
6. Pay Attention to Cut
It is a common misconception to think that a stone's cut refers to its shape. Rather, cut refers to the facets on a stone's surface that dictate how it reflects light and shines when light passes through. A deep cut sapphire will have better colour and shine because more light can pass through. Shallow cut stones often look to large for their own weight and setting, and they do not sparkle as much. The cut of a sapphire is usually rated on a scale of excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor.
Consider these six steps when shopping for sapphire engagement rings and you will be sure to buy a quality jewellery piece for your soon-to-be bride.
Rabu, 29 November 2017
Selasa, 14 November 2017
3 Ways To Enhance Your White Gold Engagement Ring
Gemstones are available in a variety of colours and can offer the perfect accent for a white gold engagement ring. These precious rocks are crystallised minerals that formed in the earth millions of years ago, and besides diamonds, the most popular ones used in white gold engagement rings are sapphires, emeralds, and rubies.
Sapphires
A sapphire is a transparent jewel made of oxygen and aluminium. It is an incredibly hard stone, almost rivalling the hardness of a diamond, and it is known for its durability. They naturally occur in a variety of colours, but their most common shade ranges from light to navy blue. Depending on the titanium and iron content found within the stone, the gem may appear pink, orange, purple, green, or even yellow. Pinkish orange sapphires known as padparadscha are the most valuable because they are the rarest, while green sapphires are the least expensive. A stone with a natural blue colour will always be more costly than one artificially infused with a different shade of blue or a new colour altogether. Sapphires have become increasingly popular in white gold engagement rings over the last several years and this has largely been attributed to the piece of jewellery used to mark the engagement of the most recent royal couple.
Emeralds
An emerald is a precious jewel that contains a chromium rich variety of beryl. The colour of the gem is determined by the variation of chromium and vanadium contents within the stone. They are mainly known for their profound green shade, and they can be used to create dazzling jewellery pieces. The gem can also be found in blue, yellow, or brown but natural green emeralds are far more coveted, and are therefore more expensive. They are not a naturally hard stone, so they can crack and wear rather easily. Because of this fragility, emeralds are often cut without corners in an attempt to reduce the possibility of damage. They pair well with white gold engagement rings because of the eye-catching contrast between the pale metal band and the deep green hue of the gem.
Rubies
Rubies symbolically represent happiness and love, and given this metaphorical meaning, many are partial to accenting them in their engagement rings. They consist of aluminium and oxygen and are a very durable stone. Their high level of hardness permits them to be cut into any shape, although oval and cushion are the most popular styles used for white gold engagement rings. Rubies receive their vivid red hue from the mineral chromium. Depending on how abundant this mineral is within the stone, the gem can range from a light rose to a deep crimson.
Sapphires
A sapphire is a transparent jewel made of oxygen and aluminium. It is an incredibly hard stone, almost rivalling the hardness of a diamond, and it is known for its durability. They naturally occur in a variety of colours, but their most common shade ranges from light to navy blue. Depending on the titanium and iron content found within the stone, the gem may appear pink, orange, purple, green, or even yellow. Pinkish orange sapphires known as padparadscha are the most valuable because they are the rarest, while green sapphires are the least expensive. A stone with a natural blue colour will always be more costly than one artificially infused with a different shade of blue or a new colour altogether. Sapphires have become increasingly popular in white gold engagement rings over the last several years and this has largely been attributed to the piece of jewellery used to mark the engagement of the most recent royal couple.
Emeralds
An emerald is a precious jewel that contains a chromium rich variety of beryl. The colour of the gem is determined by the variation of chromium and vanadium contents within the stone. They are mainly known for their profound green shade, and they can be used to create dazzling jewellery pieces. The gem can also be found in blue, yellow, or brown but natural green emeralds are far more coveted, and are therefore more expensive. They are not a naturally hard stone, so they can crack and wear rather easily. Because of this fragility, emeralds are often cut without corners in an attempt to reduce the possibility of damage. They pair well with white gold engagement rings because of the eye-catching contrast between the pale metal band and the deep green hue of the gem.
Rubies
Rubies symbolically represent happiness and love, and given this metaphorical meaning, many are partial to accenting them in their engagement rings. They consist of aluminium and oxygen and are a very durable stone. Their high level of hardness permits them to be cut into any shape, although oval and cushion are the most popular styles used for white gold engagement rings. Rubies receive their vivid red hue from the mineral chromium. Depending on how abundant this mineral is within the stone, the gem can range from a light rose to a deep crimson.
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