SAPPHIRE RINGS AND SAPPHIRE JEWELLERY LONDON FROM HIRSCHFELDS JEWELLERS HATTON GARDEN LONDON EC1

Sapphire refers to gem varieties of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide (Al2O3), when it is a colour other than red. It can be found naturally or manufactured in large crystal boules for varied applications, including infrared optical components, watch faces, high-durability windows, and wafers for the deposition of semiconductors such as GaN nanorods.

The mineral corundum consists of pure aluminium oxide. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium and chromium give corundum their blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange or greenish color. Sapphire includes any gemstone quality varieties of the mineral corundum except the fully saturated red variety, which is instead known as ruby, and the pinkish-orange variety known as padparadscha.

Natural sapphire - Although blue is considered the normal colour for sapphires, they can be found across a full range of spectral colors as well as brown, colorless, grey and black. Those other than blue in colour are considered fancy color sapphires. Some natural sapphires can be found as completely transparent, or "white." White sapphires usually come out of the ground as light grey or brown and are then heated to make them clear. However, in very rare circumstances they will be found in a clear state.

Various shades of blue [dark and light] result from titanium and iron substitutions in the aluminium oxide crystal lattice. Some stones are not well saturated and show tones of gray. It is common practice to bake natural sapphires to improve or enhance color. This is usually done by heating the sapphires to temperatures of up to 1800 °C for several hours, or by heating in a nitrogen deficient atmosphere oven for seven days or more. On magnification, the silk due to included rutile needles are often visible. If the needles are unbroken, then the stone was not heated; if the silk is not visible then the stone was heated adequately. If the silk is partially broken, then a process known as low tube heat may have been used. Low tube heat is the process whereby the rough stone is heated to 1300 °C over charcoal for 20 to 30 minutes. This removes gray or brown in the stone and improves colour saturation.

Fancy colour sapphires
Purple sapphires are lower in price than blue ones. These stones contain the trace element vanadium and come in a variety of shades. Yellow sapphires and green sapphires have traces of iron that gives them their colour. Pink sapphires have a trace of the element chromium and the deeper the color pink the higher their monetary value as long as the color is going toward the red of rubies. Sapphires also occur in shades of orange and brown, and colourless sapphires are sometimes used as diamond substitutes in jewelry. Salmon-colour padparadscha sapphires are orangy-pink, pinkish-orange or pink-orange in color, which often fetch higher prices than many of even the finest blue sapphires. The word 'padparadscha' is Sinhalese for 'lotus flower'. Recently many sapphires of this colour have appeared on the market as a result of a new treatment method called "bulk diffusion".

Colour change sapphire
Colour shift sapphires are blue in outdoor light and purple under [incandescent] indoor light. Colour changes may also be pink in daylight to greenish under fluorescent light. Some stones shift color well and others only partially, in that some stones go from blue to bluish purple. Such colour-change sapphires are widely sold as "lab" or "synthetic" alexandrite, which is accurately called an alexandrite simulant (also called alexandrium) since the latter is actually a type of chrysoberyl---an entirely different substance whose pleochroism is different and much more pronounced than color-change corundum sapphire).

Star sapphire.
The 182 carat (36.4 g) Star of Bombay, housed in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C., is a good example of a blue star sapphire.A star sapphire is a type of sapphire that exhibits a star-like phenomenon known as asterism. Star sapphires contain intersecting needle-like inclusions (often the mineral rutile, a mineral composed primarily of titanium dioxide[1] ) that cause the appearance of a six-rayed 'star'-shaped pattern when viewed with a single overhead light source.

The value of a star sapphire depends not only on the carat weight of the stone but also the body colour, visibility and intensity of the asterism.

According to Rebbenu Bachya, and many English Bible translations, the word Sapir in the verse Exodus 28:18 means Sapphire and was the stone on the Ephod representing the tribe of Issachar. However, this is extremely disputed as though it is true that the English word sapphire derives from the Hebrew sapir (via Greek sapphiros), Sapphires were actually not really known about before the Roman Empire (and were initially considered to be forms of jacinth, rather than deserving of a word to themselves), and prior to that time sapphiros referred to blue gems in general. It is thought by scholars that the sapphire of the Bible was actually lapis lazuli - which was frequently sent as a gift between middle-eastern nations in Biblical times (Texas Natural Science Center, 2006). There is a wide range of views among traditional sources about which tribe the stone refers to.
Blue sapphire is associated with Saturn (Wojtilla, 1973), yellow sapphire with Jupiter in Vedic astrology. It is understood that word Sapphire seems to be a corrupted form of Sanipriya(Sanskrit:- Sani=Saturn, Priya=Beloved). Buddhist monks who moved to Middle East introduced the Stone as Sani piriya and eventually become sapir and sapphire.
Sapphire is the birthstone associated with September.
The 45th wedding anniversary is known as the sapphire anniversary.
Sapphires are one of the four most valued stones. The other highly valued stones are rubies (sapphires that are red, caused by chromium impurities), emeralds, and diamonds.
Sapphire City is the capital of the Munchkin Country in The Giant Horse of Oz.

Our fine sapphire jewellery collection is designed,created and hand made in our London workshops. 18ct Gold sapphire jewellery, 18k white gold sapphire jewellery, platinum sapphire jewellery.

 Sapphire Rings - Sapphire Cocktail rings, Sapphire dress rings, Contemporary 18k gold diamond & Sapphire rings & 18k white gold Designer Sapphire & diamond rings.
 Sapphire Pendants - Modern Sapphire pendants. Sapphire diamond pendants,18ct yellow gold Sapphire pendants & 18k white gold Sapphire pendants.
 Sapphire Necklaces - Stylish Sapphire necklaces set with diamonds in 18ct yellow gold & 18k white gold.
 Sapphire Earrings - Contemporary Sapphire earrings, designer Sapphire earrings, Sapphire diamond earrings, 18ct yellow gold sapphire earrings & 18k white gold Sapphire earrings

Please click here for our sapphire jewellery restoration and sapphire jewellery repair services.
We repair and restore contemporary, modern & Antique sapphire jewellery in our workshops in Hatton Garden London EC1 UK.
We carry out jewellery repairs and jewellery restoration to antique, old, second-hand, new and period pieces of sapphire jewelry.
Our highly skilled goldsmiths repair sapphire rings. Craftsmen restore sapphire jewellery, repair sapphire jewellery & repair sapphire rings.
Our workshop re-size sapphire rings - new, modern, old, second hand sapphire rings, antique and vintage sapphire rings.
Hirschfelds also source sapphires in order to repair vintage sapphire jewelry & repair antique sapphire jewelry.
We offer our London lapidary services. Our lapidary will repolish sapphires or repair sapphires that are burnt, scratched or chipped.

Please click here to contact us for ordering or buying any of our Majestic sapphire rings, classic sapphire jewellery & contemporary sapphire jewelry. If you require any further or immediate details, please telephone 020 7405 1536 or telephone 0044 20 7405 1536 from overseas.

Trade enquires are also welcome.