Content

• Steps
• Tips

Sapphire is a stone that can be found in different colors - yellow, pink and lilac - but most sapphires are blue. Blue sapphires, which are usually "born" in September, come in a variety of shades, from medium blue to black. Sapphires are popular not only for their beauty, but also for their durability; only a diamond is more durable. When you decide to buy one of these stones, you should be informed how to select quality sapphires.

Steps

1. 1 Decide if you want to buy natural stone or laboratory-grown. If you chose natural stone, find out if it was heat-treated. Natural sapphires are usually changed in this way.
2. 2 Look for stones in different shades of blue. Since the shades of sapphires have become much wider, there is no single color standard. The stones can have greenish or purple edges.
   • If you look through a sapphire and you don't see any blotches, then most likely it is not a real sapphire. High quality sapphires have no inclusions that are visible to the naked eye.
3. 3 Choose the tone you like best. The tone depends on how dark the stone is. The most valuable stones are dark or black.
   • As a rule of thumb, a sapphire should not be so black that you cannot say that it is blue, nor should it be so pale that you cannot discern whether it is sapphire or another type of blue stone that is lighter in shade.
4. 4 Examine the saturation of the sapphire and the intensity of the color. Low quality sapphires are usually more grayish. Real sapphire is usually rich and vibrant.
5. 5 Consider the purity of the selected sapphire. Sapphires can have a lot of inclusions and may not be as clear as diamonds.
6. 6 Check the edge of the stone. High quality sapphires are usually symmetrical, balanced and viewed from any angle. Look at those sides that appear watery or not clean enough.

Tips

* Sapphires are mined in India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa.

• Uncut sapphires are usually of very high quality, quite rare and very expensive. Many jewelers will not cut sapphires as this can result in significant carat losses.
• Ask questions about stones. Your jeweler or gem dealer should be able to tell you a story about the sapphire you are looking at. An interesting answer is about where the stone was mined and what types of processing it went through.