5.1 ct oval facet purple sapphire gemstone
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| Main centres: | 1-3 business days |
| Regional areas: | 3-4 business days |
| Remote areas: | 3-5 business days |
Product details
| Gemstone type | Sapphire |
| Weight | 5.1 carats |
| Size | 10.3 x 8.9 x 6.3 mm |
| Colour in shade | Violet purple with purple flashes |
| Colour in sun | Magenta with purple flashes |
| Clarity | IF |
| Cut | Oval facet |
| Lustre | Excellent |
| Hardness | 9 |
| Treatment | Heated & treated |
| Origin | Brazil |
| Quantity | 1 |
| Other |
This sapphire is not as pleochroic as my other items Code 16 and Code 20. But it is still a very pretty gem.
This is what sapphires look like when they are dug out of the soil. They are dull and cloudy. The clouding is caused by rutile inclusions.
Most sapphires are routinely heated to improve the clarity. At high temperatures the rutile dissolves and disappears into the matrix. This results in a clear gemstone. The dissolved rutile also improves the colour, because rutile is titanium dioxide, and the titanium ion together with iron ion provides the typical cornflower blue colour of blue sapphires. Purple sapphires have traces of chromium and vanadium in addition to the titanium and iron. It is the balance of these trace elements that determine the particular shade of purple in purple sapphires.
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 or indirect lighting.
Shipping All items are sent by S.A. Post Office Registered Mail. I will combine items at no extra cost.
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. 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. |
I have other interesting gems for sale on BoB. You can see them here