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4.5 ct oval facet purple sapphire gemstone
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4.5 ct oval facet purple sapphire gemstone

1 was available / new
R180.00
Shipping
R35.00 Standard shipping using one of our trusted couriers applies to most areas in South Africa. Some areas may attract a R30.00 surcharge. This will be calculated at checkout if applicable.
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The seller has indicated that they will usually have this item ready to ship within 3 business days. Shipping time depends on your delivery address. The most accurate delivery time will be calculated at checkout, but in general, the following shipping times apply:
 
Standard Delivery
Main centres:  1-3 business days
Regional areas: 3-4 business days
Remote areas: 3-5 business days
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Product details

Condition
New
Location
South Africa
Customer ratings:
Product code
109
Bob Shop ID
81186361

     

 

Gemstone properties

Gemstone typeSapphire
Weight4.5 carats
Size

9.9 x 8.1 x 6.1 mm

Colour in shadeLight and dark purple
Colour in sunPurple with silvery flashes
ClarityIF
CutOval facet
LustreExcellent -see the reflection of the tweezers in the leftmost picture!
Hardness9
TreatmentHeated & treated
OriginBrazil
Quantity1
Other 

 

These blue purple sapphires are fascinating gems. If you look at them perpendicular to the face, they are a violet blue in the middle, and a pink purple at either end of the major axis. The colours shift as you move the gem around! This effect is called pleochroism, and is due to sapphire having two distinct refractive indexes in the orthogonal crystal axes. The colours are due to traces of iron and titanium (which you normally find in blue sapphires) as well as chromium and vanadium. 

Most other gems are pleochroic as well, but usually not as pronounced as this sapphire. For instance, aquamarine will change from a lighter to a darker shade  of blue green as you move the gem. But this sapphire is special. Instead of merely changing shade, it displays two well-defined colours in its makeup! The colours remind me of a bed of pink and blue hydrangeas. Tibouchinas have a similar colouration. 

 

The animated gif image below takes a few moments to load...

 


You can see a better quality shockwave flash video 
here

 

 

 

The colour of this sapphire may remind you of amethyst, but that is where the similarity ends. Sapphire is a corundum, so it has a much higher refractive index than amethyst. This means that it has much more glitter, flash and fire than an amethyst. A dark amethyst is pleasant to look at in bright sunlight, but is quite dull in a dark room. The opposite is true of purple sapphires. They are painful to look at in bright sunlight, because they sparkle so much, but are very attractive in shade.

 

 I have other interesting gems for sale on BoB. You can see them here

  

 

Shipping

All items are sent by S.A. Post Office Registered Mail.

I will combine items at no extra cost.

Certificates

I don't offer a certificate because my gems are not particularly valuable. The courier charges and the lab report would cost more than the gems are worth.

In my opinion, most valuation certificates are wildly optimistic and hopelessly unrealistic about the estimated retail value of the appraised gem. Try selling it for the quoted value! The only reason for quoting such an inflated value is to make the buyer feel good about buying the gem at a price much below "market value", i.e. the buyer thinks he is getting a bargain

Payment

BoBPay EFT only. You can do this from most South African bank accounts. When making a payment, please use the reference number the Bid or Buy system allocates to your order.

You have 7 days to pay for your order. If you have not paid within 7 days, your order will be cancelled and the items re-listed.

General

Orders will be processed and posted within 1 - 2 working days.

I will send you a SAPO tracking number via E-mail.

I recommend insuring your item, because the SAPO has a patchy track record.

 

 

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Customer ratings: 1 ratings

excellent seller and quick delivery will buy again from you
20 Nov 2012