Editing Sapphire (section)

==Colors==
Sapphires in colors other than blue are called "fancy" sapphires. "Parti sapphire" is used for multicolor stones with zoning of different colors (hues), but not different shades.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7BvyAAAAMAAJ&q=Sapphires+in+colors+other+than+blue+called+fancy+or+parti+colored&pg=PA605|title=The Mineral Industry|date=1921|publisher=Scientific Publishing Company|language=en|access-date=6 October 2020|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323110126/https://books.google.com/books?id=7BvyAAAAMAAJ&q=Sapphires+in+colors+other+than+blue+called+fancy+or+parti+colored&pg=PA605#v=snippet&q=Sapphires%20in%20colors%20other%20than%20blue%20called%20fancy%20or%20parti%20colored&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

Fancy sapphires are found in yellow, orange, green, brown, purple, violet, and practically any other hue.<ref name=GIA>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gia.edu/sapphire-description|title=Sapphire Description|website=GIA|publisher=Gemological Institute of America Inc.|access-date=21 June 2016|archive-date=2 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160702112203/http://www.gia.edu/sapphire-description|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Blue sapphire===
{{redirect|Blue Sapphire|the cruise ship|Blue Sapphire (ship)|the horse race|Blue Sapphire Stakes}}
[[File:Geschliffener blauer Saphir.jpg|thumb|upright|Teardrop-shaped blue sapphire]]

Gemstone color can be described in terms of [[hue]], [[Colorfulness|saturation]], and [[Lightness (color)|tone]]. Hue is commonly understood as the "[[color]]" of the gemstone. Saturation refers to the vividness or brightness of the hue, and tone is the lightness to darkness of the hue.<ref name="Hughes-2017"/>{{rp| 333–401}} Blue sapphire exists in various mixtures of its primary (blue) and secondary hues, various tonal levels (shades) and at various levels of saturation (vividness).

Blue sapphires are evaluated based upon the purity of their blue hue. [[Violet (color)|Violet]] and [[green]] are the most common secondary hues found in blue sapphires.<ref name="Hughes-2017"/>{{rp|333–401}} The highest prices are paid for gems that are pure blue and of vivid saturation. Gems that are of lower saturation, or are too dark or too light in tone are of less value. However, color preferences are a personal taste.<ref name="Hughes-2017"/>{{rp| 333–401}}

The {{convert|423|carat|adj=on}} [[Logan sapphire]] in the [[National Museum of Natural History]], in [[Washington, D.C.]], is one of the largest [[facet]]ed gem-quality blue sapphires in existence.[[File:Sapphire III cropped flash.jpg|thumb|left|Dark blue sapphire, probably of Australian origin, showing the brilliant surface luster typical of faceted corundum gemstones]]

===Parti sapphires===

Particolored sapphires (or bi-color sapphires) are those stones that exhibit two or more colors within a single stone.<ref name=GIA/> The desirability of particolored or bi-color sapphires is usually judged based on the zoning or location of their colors, the colors' saturation, and the contrast of their colors.<ref name="International Gem Society">{{Cite web |title=Parti Sapphires: the Colored Gemstones for 2021 |url=https://www.gemsociety.org/article/parti-sapphires-the-colored-gemstones-for-2021/ |access-date=20 May 2021 |website=International Gem Society |language=en |archive-date=20 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520002707/https://www.gemsociety.org/article/parti-sapphires-the-colored-gemstones-for-2021/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Australia is the largest source of particolored sapphires; they are not commonly used in mainstream jewelry and remain relatively unknown. Particolored sapphires cannot be created synthetically and only occur naturally.<ref name="International Gem Society" />

===Pink sapphires===
[[File:Pink sapphire ring.jpg|thumb|Pink sapphire]]
Pink sapphires occur in shades from light to dark pink, and deepen in color as the quantity of [[chromium]] increases. The deeper the pink color, the higher their [[monetary value]]. In the United States, a minimum color saturation must be met to be called a [[ruby]], otherwise the stone is referred to as a ''pink sapphire''.<ref name="Matlins-2010">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4UANp6MCTSQC|title=Colored Gemstones|last=Matlins|first=Antoinette Leonard|publisher=Gemstone Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0-943763-72-9|page=203|access-date=3 March 2016|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323110126/https://books.google.com/books?id=4UANp6MCTSQC|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Padparadscha===
[[File:Padparadscha sapphire.jpg|thumb|Faceted padparadscha]]

''Padparadscha'' is a delicate, light to medium toned, pink-orange to orange-pink hued [[corundum]], originally found in [[Sri Lanka]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lazarosoho.com/Properties-of-Sapphire-Jewelry_b_55.html | title=Properties of Sapphire | publisher=Lazaro SoHo | access-date=25 November 2014 | archive-date=6 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306094408/http://www.lazarosoho.com/Properties-of-Sapphire-Jewelry_b_55.html | url-status=live }}</ref> but also found in deposits in [[Vietnam]] and parts of [[East Africa]]. Padparadscha sapphires are rare; the rarest of all is the totally natural variety, with no sign of artificial treatment.<ref name="Hughes-1997">{{cite book| first=Richard W.| last=Hughes| date=December 1997| title=Ruby & Sapphire| location=Boulder, CO| publisher=RWH Publishing| isbn=978-0-9645097-6-4}}</ref>

The name is derived from the Sanskrit ''padma ranga'' (padma = lotus; ranga = color), a color akin to the lotus flower (''[[Nelumbo nucifera]]'').<ref name="Crowningshield-1983">{{cite journal| title=Padparadscha: What's in a Name?| url=http://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FGGArticleDetail&pagename=GST%2FDispatcher&cid=1355958490878| last=Crowningshield| first=Robert| journal=[[Gems & Gemology]]| date=Spring 1983| volume=19| issue=1|pages = 30–36|doi = 10.5741/GEMS.19.1.30| bibcode=1983GemG...19...30C | access-date=12 February 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628024944/https://www.gia.edu/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=GIA%2FPage%2FGGArticleDetail&pagename=GST%2FDispatcher&cid=1355958490878| archive-date=28 June 2017| url-status=dead| df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Among the fancy (non-blue) sapphires, natural padparadscha fetch the highest prices. Since 2001, more sapphires of this color have appeared on the market as a result of artificial lattice diffusion of beryllium.<ref name="Emmett-2003">{{cite journal| title=Beryllium diffusion of ruby and sapphire| url=https://www.gia.edu/doc/Summer-2003-Gems-Gemology-Beryllium-Diffusion-Ruby-Sapphire.pdf| first1=John L.| last1=Emmett| first2=Kenneth| last2=Scarratt| first3=Shane F.| last3=McClure| first4=Thomas| last4=Moses| first5=Troy R.| last5=Douthit| first6=Richard| last6=Hughes| first7=Steve| last7=Novak| first8=James E.| last8=Shigley| first9=Wuyi| last9=Wang| first10=Owen| last10=Bordelon| first11=Robert E.| last11=Kane| journal=[[Gems & Gemology]]| date=Spring 2003| volume=39| issue=2| pages=84–135| doi=10.5741/GEMS.39.2.84| access-date=4 November 2019| doi-access=free| bibcode=2003GemG...39...84E| archive-date=1 August 2020| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801010424/https://www.gia.edu/doc/Summer-2003-Gems-Gemology-Beryllium-Diffusion-Ruby-Sapphire.pdf| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Star sapphire===
[[File:The Star of Lanka (5784831032).jpg|left|thumb|The 193.39 carat Star of Lanka star sapphire]]
[[File:+68 Komma Sechs - Karat Sternsafir im Rundmogulschliff - Herrenringfassung - 750 Gelbgold - Russische Goldschmiedemeister - Handarbeit um 1990.jpg|thumb|68 carat star sapphire in round mogul cut - men's ring version - 750 yellow gold - Russian goldsmith - handmade around 1990]]
A ''star sapphire'' is a type of sapphire that exhibits a star-like phenomenon known as [[asterism (gemology)|asterism]]; red stones are known as "star rubies". Star sapphires contain intersecting needle-like [[Inclusion (mineral)|inclusions]] following the underlying [[crystal structure]] that causes the appearance of a six-rayed "star"-shaped pattern when viewed with a single overhead light source. The inclusion is often the mineral [[rutile]], a mineral composed primarily of [[titanium dioxide]].<ref name="Emsley-2001">{{cite book |last=Emsley |first=John |title=Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-850341-5|pages=451–53 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=Oxford}}</ref> The stones are cut ''[[en cabochon]]'', typically with the center of the star near the top of the dome. Occasionally, twelve-rayed stars are found, typically because two different sets of inclusions are found within the same stone, such as a combination of fine needles of rutile with small platelets of [[hematite]]; the first results in a whitish star and the second results in a golden-colored star. During crystallization, the two types of inclusions become preferentially oriented in different directions within the crystal, thereby forming two six-rayed stars that are superimposed upon each other to form a twelve-rayed star.<ref name="DuToit-2014">{{cite web| title=Twelve-Rayed Star Sapphire of Interest| url=http://www.giathai.net/pdf/12rays_purple_star_sapphire.pdf| last=DuToit| first=Garry| publisher=GIA Laboratory, Bangkok| access-date=14 August 2014| archive-date=28 March 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328151558/http://www.giathai.net/pdf/12rays_purple_star_sapphire.pdf| url-status=dead}}</ref> Misshapen stars or 12-rayed stars may also form as a result of [[Crystal twinning|twinning]].
The inclusions can alternatively produce a [[Chatoyancy|cat's eye]] effect if the girdle plane of the cabochon is oriented parallel to the crystal's c-axis rather than perpendicular to it. To get a cat's eye, the planes of exsolved inclusions must be extremely uniform and tightly packed. If the dome is oriented in between these two directions, an off-center star will be visible, offset away from the high point of the dome.<ref name="Hughes-2017"/>{{rp|101}}

At 1404.49 carats, [[The Star of Adam]] is the largest known blue star sapphire. The gem was mined in the city of Ratnapura, southern Sri Lanka.<ref name="Sivaramakrishnan-2016">{{cite news | title = World's largest blue star sapphire 'found in Sri Lanka' | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35226276 | first = P | last = Sivaramakrishnan | date = 4 January 2016 | work = BBC News | publisher = [[BBC]] | access-date = 5 January 2016 | archive-date = 5 January 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160105031830/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35226276 | url-status = live }}</ref> The [[Black Star of Queensland]], the second largest star sapphire in the world, weighs 733 [[carat (unit)|carat]]s.<ref name="Kim-2010">{{cite news| url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-blacksapphire5-2010jan05,0,872801.story| title=For some, a sapphire has not been their best friend| access-date=5 January 2010| work=[[Los Angeles Times]]| first=Victoria| last=Kim| date=5 January 2010| archive-date=8 January 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108084956/http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-blacksapphire5-2010jan05,0,872801.story| url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Star of India (gem)|Star of India]] mined in Sri Lanka and weighing 563.4 carats is thought to be the third-largest star sapphire, and is currently on display at the [[American Museum of Natural History]] in [[New York City]]. The 182-carat [[Star of Bombay]], mined in Sri Lanka and located in the [[National Museum of Natural History]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], is another example of a large blue star sapphire. The value of a star sapphire depends not only on the weight of the stone, but also the body color, visibility, and intensity of the asterism. The color of the stone has more impact on the value than the visibility of the star. Since more transparent stones tend to have better colors, the most expensive star stones are semi-transparent "glass body" stones with vivid colors.<ref name="Hughes-2017"/>{{rp|348–350}}

On 28 July 2021, the world's largest cluster of star sapphires, weighing {{Convert|510|kg|abbr=on}}, was unearthed from Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. This star sapphire cluster was named "[[Serendipity Sapphire]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=World's largest star sapphire cluster found in backyard |url=https://www.9news.com.au/world/worlds-largest-star-sapphire-cluster-found-in-backyard-in-sri-lanka/1c5b1cc8-fa14-48ac-800c-7516dda154b1 |access-date=28 July 2021 |website=www.9news.com.au |date=28 July 2021 |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728135721/https://www.9news.com.au/world/worlds-largest-star-sapphire-cluster-found-in-backyard-in-sri-lanka/1c5b1cc8-fa14-48ac-800c-7516dda154b1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Salo |first=Jackie |date=27 July 2021 |title=World's largest sapphire cluster worth $100M found in backyard in Sri Lanka |url=https://nypost.com/2021/07/27/worlds-largest-sapphire-cluster-found-in-sri-lankan-yard/ |access-date=28 July 2021 |website=New York Post |language=en-US |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728135726/https://nypost.com/2021/07/27/worlds-largest-sapphire-cluster-found-in-sri-lankan-yard/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Color-change sapphire===
A rare variety of natural sapphire, known as color-change sapphire, exhibits different colors in different light. Color change sapphires are blue in outdoor light and purple under [[incandescent]] indoor light, or green to gray-green in daylight and pink to reddish-violet in incandescent light.{{clarification needed|reason=incandescent light used twice to refer to different color states|date=August 2024}} Color-change sapphires come from a variety of locations, including [[Madagascar]], [[Myanmar]], [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Tanzania]]. Two types exist. The first features the [[chromium]] chromophore that creates the red color of ruby, combined with the [[iron]] + [[titanium]] chromophore that produces the blue color in sapphire. A rarer type, which comes from the Mogok area of Myanmar, features a [[vanadium]] chromophore, the same as is present in Verneuil synthetic color-change sapphire.

Virtually all gemstones that show the "alexandrite effect" (color change or '[[Metamerism (color)|metamerism]]') show similar absorption/transmission features in the visible spectrum. This is an absorption band in the yellow (~590&nbsp;nm), along with valleys of transmission in the blue-green and red. Thus the color one sees depends on the spectral composition of the light source. Daylight is relatively balanced in its spectral power distribution (SPD) and since the human eye is most sensitive to green light, the balance is tipped to the green side. However incandescent light (including candle light) is heavily tilted to the red end of the spectrum, thus tipping the balance to red.<ref>{{cite journal| title=Gemstones with alexandrite effect| url=https://www.gia.edu/doc/Gemstones-with-Alexandrite-Effect.pdf| date=Winter 1982| first1=E.| last1=Gübelin| first2=K.| last2=Schmetzer| volume=18| issue=4| journal=Gems & Gemology| pages=197–203| doi=10.5741/GEMS.18.4.197| bibcode=1982GemG...18..197G| access-date=5 November 2019| archive-date=5 November 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105010509/https://www.gia.edu/doc/Gemstones-with-Alexandrite-Effect.pdf| url-status=live}}</ref>

Color-change sapphires colored by the Cr + Fe/Ti chromophores generally change from blue or violet-blue to violet or purple. Those colored by the V chromophore can show a more pronounced change, moving from blue-green to purple.

Certain synthetic color-change sapphires have a similar color change to the natural gemstone [[alexandrite]] and they are sometimes marketed as "alexandrium" or "synthetic alexandrite". However, the latter term is a misnomer: synthetic color-change sapphires are, technically, not synthetic alexandrites but rather alexandrite ''simulants''. This is because genuine alexandrite is a variety of [[chrysoberyl]]: not sapphire, but an entirely different mineral from corundum.<ref name="Weldon-2013">{{cite web| title=An Introduction to Synthetic Gem Materials| url=http://www.gia.edu/gem-synthetic| last=Weldon| first=Robert| work=GIA| publisher=Gemological Institute of America Inc.| access-date=14 August 2014| archive-date=12 November 2013| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112191736/http://www.gia.edu/gem-synthetic| url-status=live}}</ref>

===Large rubies and sapphires===
Large [[Ruby|rubies]] and sapphires of poor transparency are frequently used with suspect appraisals that vastly overstate their value. This was the case of the "Life and Pride of America Star Sapphire". Circa 1985, Roy Whetstine claimed to have bought the 1905-ct stone for $10 at the Tucson gem show, but a reporter discovered that L.A. Ward of Fallbrook, California, who appraised it at the price of $1200/ct, had appraised another stone of the exact same weight several years before Whetstine claimed to have found it.<ref name="Hughes-2001">{{cite journal| title=Digital Devil: Big Time| url=http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/dd_big_time.htm| last=Hughes| first=Richard W.| journal=[[GK Magazine]]| date=March 2001| volume=3| issue=4| access-date=5 November 2019| archive-date=17 September 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917175013/http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/dd_big_time.htm| url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bangkok-based [[Lotus Gemology]] maintains an updated listing of world auction records of ruby, sapphire, and [[spinel]]. As of November 2019, no sapphire has ever sold at auction for more than $17,295,796.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lotusgemology.com/index.php/library/articles/160-ruby-sapphire-spinel-auction-records-under-the-hammer-lotus-gemology | title=Ruby, Sapphire & Spinel Auction Records | access-date=5 November 2019 | author=Hughes, Richard W. | archive-date=5 November 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105042632/https://www.lotusgemology.com/index.php/library/articles/160-ruby-sapphire-spinel-auction-records-under-the-hammer-lotus-gemology | url-status=live }}</ref>