The Kings Plains area, near Inverell, has some of the richest deposits of gem-quality sapphires ever mined. Corundum has also been mined in the Central Queensland Gemfields at Anakie, Rubyvale, Sapphire, the Willows and Glenalva.
The two main sources for sapphire in Australia are the New England fields, in northern New South Wales, and the Anakie fields, in central Queensland. Large-scale com- mercial mining has been successful at these two fields only. Geographically, the two areas are quite different.
Additionally, Australian Sapphires are an extremely durable stone with a hardness of nine on Mohs' scale, which makes them an extremely versatile and high quality piece for everyday wear.
Many of the gems come from Asia, where stones are found in the mines of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Afghanistan, and other countries. Mines can also be found in Australia and the African nations of Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, and Madagascar.
This mine is famous for producing stunning parti and teal sapphires, which, as we highlighted in our last post, have gained tremendous value in recent years. The Australian sapphires feature very similar chemical and spectroscopic characteristics as Thai sapphires.
The most valuable sapphire is the very rare Padparadscha Sapphire in the colour combination orange-pink. In general one can say that lighter pastel colours are always cheaper than rare intensive sapphire colours. Blue and intense pink sapphires have always been rare and reflect the current and future higher value.
Blue Sapphires
Color has the greatest influence on a sapphire's value, and preferred sapphires have strong to vivid color saturation. The most valued blue sapphires are velvety blue to violetish blue, in medium to medium-dark tones. Sapphires with these qualities command the highest prices per carat.
For sapphire, Kashmir receives the highest premium, although Burma, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar also produce large quantities of fine quality gems.
“The three most famous locations for high quality sapphires are Kashmir, Burma, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka),” says Salit. Sapphires are also found in Madagascar, Australia, the United States, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Kenya, Tanzania, and other countries around the world.
The locality considered to produce the finest blue sapphires in the world is Kashmir, India. These amazing stones are mined at 16,500 feet in the Zaskar region. Kashmir blue sapphires are known to have a velvety or sleepy quality that is very desirable.
Remember these 4 steps when looking for a good sapphire: choose “juicy”, even color; no glaring inclusions or visible “junk”; a well-proportioned cut appropriate for sapphire; and lastly carat size, which will be determined by your budget.
With a vast and exciting range of options, Australian Sapphires come in almost every colour of the spectrum including blue, pink, green, yellow, orange, purple, colourless and black gemstones.
Sapphire Mines In Montana. As the only source of sapphire mining in the United States, the mines of Montana have established a reputation for producing stunning gemstones and a steady supply.
The two rarest sapphire colors are Padparadscha and cornflower blue. The most prized sapphires are Kashmir sapphires of a bright, velvety blue from the mountains in India. The last Kashmir sapphire was mined in 1927.
Blue Sapphires. Among many Blue sapphire producing countries such as Madagascar, Thailand, Burma, Australia, India, Kenya, Tanzania, U.S.A, China Sri Lanka is singularly reputed for producing exceptional quality Vivid Blue sapphires. Worlds 1 st 2 nd 3 rd largest blue sapphires all are from Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is one of the top gem bearing countries in the world with the highest density of gems in the world and is a global sourcing destination for over 75 varieties of precious and semi-precious gemstones.
Blue sapphires are usually categorized as having a light tone, light-medium tone, medium tone, medium-dark tone or dark tone. As a general rule, blue sapphires with a medium or medium-dark tone have the highest value.
The price of a sapphire is related to its color, rarity, and size. Larger sapphires in rare colors are more expensive than sapphires with dull colors in smaller carat sizes. Lab-created sapphires tend to be more affordable than sapphires mined in nature.
The blue sapphires from Sri Lanka, now referred to as Ceylon Sapphires (and Sri-Lankan Sapphires) are known for being lighter, brighter, and more vivid than the dark blue sapphires that come from other countries.
The yellow sapphire is one of the most powerful gemstones for attracting wealth and prosperity. Wearing this gemstone brings good fortune and prosperity to those who wear it. Increases revenues and good fortune for your company. For this reason, it is ideal for wearing on the index finger.
Gemologists can separate natural sapphire from lab sapphire by finding natural inclusions such as color zoning, fingerprints, or crystal inclusions. However, as natural fingerprints and high quality lab inclusions can often be very difficult to tell apart, a professional is needed! Color can also be used.
White gold or platinum settings tend to give sapphires a clean, elegant look. Yellow and rose gold, on the other hand, will make the color of a blue sapphire stand out more.