Precious Stones ? The Big Five - Part 3 The Sapphire
The sapphire, protector of the innocent, celestial guardian of truth, bringer of health and youth, symbol of the heavens and birthstone for the month of September, is in fact the same stone as the ruby, the mineral corundum.
The blue corundum, ranging in color from the lightest blue to deep blue and black, is the same stone as the ruby, the only difference being in the color. The choicest color is the soft velvety blue, approaching the cornflower in shade and exhibiting that color vividly by artificial as well as by natural light. The deeper-colored stones are known as male, and the light-colored ones as female sapphires. Although choice sapphires are rare, a much greater quantity of good and large stones are to be had than of rubies, and therefore the price of a large sapphire does not advance in the same proportion as the price of a large ruby.
The word "sapphire" which means blue is of the same form in nearly all the early tongues, thus showing that they were in use by the ancients. Sapphires are found in many parts of the world and are usually found in the same locality as the ruby. The largest number and finest quality of these stones come from Thailand and India, and are found and recovered in much the same way as the ruby.
The sapphire is next to the diamond in hardness and it is this quality that makes it impervious to wear and insures its sharp edges and corners against years of use. Like the ruby the value of the sapphire is determined by its color. The finest stones are a deep blue and the deeper the color the more highly it is prized if its translucency is not impaired. Although the sapphire with its many shades of blue is considered the most desirable stone, it is also found in other colors such as red, green, yellow and pink.
The Oriental emerald or green sapphire does not approach the beryl or true emerald in depth of color, but because of its superior hardness and brilliancy, added to its extreme rarity, it is the most valuable of green gems. The Oriental amethyst or purple sapphire sometimes reflects a red color by artificial light, and is valued highly as a gem stone; the common amethyst is softer, less brilliant, and loses by artificial light. The various other colored sapphires, such as yellow or Oriental topaz, light green or Oriental aquamarine, greenish-yellow or Oriental chrysolite, and aurora red or Oriental hyacinth, are all valuable as gem stones when they are pure, well cut, and have pronounced colors-in fact, the name Oriental is given to distinguish the corundums from the less valuable minerals of the same colors which they resemble, but which they greatly surpass in beauty and value because of their brilliancy and superior hardness.
Asterias or star stones are corundums of three different colors; the star sapphire proper is a grayish blue, the star ruby red, and the star topaz yellow. These stones are usually cut cabochon or convex, and display under the rays of the sun, or when exposed to one candle or other artificial light, a beautiful star with six points. This star is produced by foreign substances in the corundum, and the lapidary brings about the regular effect by cutting a pointed carbuncle so that the center of the star begins at the apex, and the six bright stripes radiate to the base of the stone. The bright lines of the star following the light move over the surface of the stone and produce a remarkable effect. These stones are amongst the most wonderful of mineral productions, and good specimens are very valuable. The corundum cat's-eye, called Oriental girasol or sunstone, has a bluish, reddish, or yellowish reflection of light of a lighter shade than the stone itself, and which moves on the convex surface of the stone like the lines of a star stone.
To this day, sapphire is one of the most important members of the family of gems and is certainly one of the most favored by jewelry artisans worldwide. Consequently, there is more "hanky-panky" with treatments, alteration of color and various other techniques to disguise or improve flaws etc., than almost any other precious stone. Buyer beware of bargains that look "too good to be true". Deal with reputable jewelers both online and offline. The sapphire is the birthstone for September.
For more information on jewelry and gemstones, we cordially invite you to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com to pick up your FREE copy of "How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off." This concise, informative special report reveals almost everything you ever wanted to know about jewelry and gemstones, but were afraid to ask. Get your FREE report at http://www.morninglightjewelry.com
 Google News Updated : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:08:19 GMT Hurricane, at Category 4, Heads Toward Cuba - New York Times
New York Times - By MARIA NEWMAN Hurricane Ike grew into a bigger threat to Florida and the Gulf Coast Sunday as it roared through the Bahamas mid-morning, with forecasters expecting it to gain in strength as it approaches Cuba. Video: Raw Video: Ike Pounds Turks and Caicos Powerful Hurricane Ike looms as trouble for Gulf Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:52:07 GMT Health Highlights: Sept. 6, 2008 - Washington Post
Washington Post - On the heels of the huge nationwide salmonella outbreak that caused more than 1400 illnesses from Mexican peppers, a regional Oregon alfalfa sprout distributor has recalled its product in Oregon and Washington state after the sprouts were linked to 13 ... Salmonellosis outbreak prompts sprout recall Salmonella outbreak traced to alfalfa sprouts Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:31:13 GMT India a step closer to nuclear trade - Christian Science Monitor
Christian Science Monitor - The Nuclear Suppliers Group agreed Saturday to lift a 34-year ban on selling nuclear technology to India, even though it hasn't signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty. India secures controversial access to nuclear technology US Congress signals it will clear N-deal Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:01:15 GMT Spa Update: Hamilton Penalty Hands Win to Massa - AutoWeek
AutoWeek - By NIGEL ROEBUCK A drive-through penalty is the punishment for almost causing a collision in the pits. We know this because Bruno Senna was thus punished in the GP2 Series race at Spa-Francorchamps, and it cost him the race. Massa declared winner of Belgian GP Raikkonen's title hopes doused by Hamilton at Spa Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:46:22 GMT Side events bring out celebs in advance of VMAs - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - LOS ANGELES (AP) - Though the MTV Video Music Awards are the main event in town this weekend, some celebrities are satisfied enough with the side activities connected to the extravaganza. Britney 'Getting an Opportunity to Start Over' at VMAs Brand and Spears have been promoting the awards on MTV Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 19:10:38 GMT 'Wrestler' takes top honors at Venice - Variety
Variety - By NICK VIVARELLI Darren Aronofsky drama “The Wrestler,” starring Mickey Rourke as washed out pro wrestler Randy (the Ram) Robinson, in comeback mode both on and off the screen, pinned down the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion. Is Evan Rachel Wood dropkicking Marilyn Manson for Mickey Rourke? A Glance at 'The Wrestler' Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 18:55:44 GMT Michigan spared sting of West Nile - Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press - BY SHERI McWHIRTER • RECORD-EAGLE • September 7, 2008 TRAVERSE CITY -- West Nile virus hasn't seriously bitten Michigan this year and seems to have spared the state's northern reaches. Yes, the mosquitoes were nasty this summer Aerial survey being conducted to find mosquito breeding grounds Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:53:44 GMT Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Celebrity stalking has become the way for the socially inept... Read More Ephesus had a shrine to the Anatolian mother-goddess and the... Read More What fairy tales of enchanted princesses and legendary lore of... Read More One of the northern derivatives of Hopewell of interest to... Read More As humans become more technologically advanced and are able to... Read More If you're still young enough to remember your birthday, you... Read More CHRETIEN DE TROYES:Academics will freely admit that this man was... Read More If we think about it at this juncture, clearly there... Read More Let me first say that the rules of noble succession,... Read More How necessary is cleaning your Civil War Uniform?The every day... Read More Body piercing has grown so much in popularity in recent... Read More When building catapults, armies had to include in their ranks... Read More Copper Keels:Nature provides varying resources in different parts of the... Read More I: - A vowel that didn't appear in sacerdotal alphabets... Read More During the third week of August 2005 the Trafalgar Way... Read More I had become too sick to live in America.Even with... Read More In the last two centuries, new cultural discoveries have nearly... Read More By "nobility" I refer to that class in society which... Read More I doubt Marilyn Monroe was anything but a confused star-struck... Read More "Bohemian Grove is 'the greatest men's party on Earth', according... Read More The history of the royal barges dates back to the... Read More Each Chinese New Year begins on the day of first... Read More A woman creates life from her womb, and man tries... Read More Human beings have always been curious to know their future.... Read More Change is the only inevitably constant aspect of life in... Read More
Adsense
websites
Personal Protection Specialists and Celebrity Stalking
The Origin of Americas Corporate Elite (BC)
Precious Stones - The Big Five: Part 2, The Ruby
Archaeology and Spirit Guides
Synchronized Swimming, Dolphin Cognition and Visualization
Garnet is Januarys Birthstone
Troubadours
Human Cultural Evolution
Rules of Noble Succession
How to Clean Your Civil War Uniform
Top 10 Questions about Body Piercing
Building Catapults Required Engineering Know How
Copper Keels and Red Ochre
I, Ego, and Power
The Trafalgar Way - Devon Remembers the Battle of Trafalgar
Cant Afford Illness in America
From Dynasty to Destiny: Ten Celebrated Inventions of Ancient China
The Original Nobility: Patricians and Knights
Marilyn Monroe and Mary Jo Kopechne
Bohemian Grove
History of the Royal Barges - a Timeless Tradition
Chinese Zodiac Signs
Man and His Machines
Astrology : A Science or Superstition?
Bits of Heritage, Whose Heritage
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Humans are not special, hate to break it to you
I hate to break it to you, but humans are... Read More
Precious Stones v.s. Semi-Precious Stones
Stones have been worn by both women and men since... Read More
Rasputin
GRIGORY EFIMOVICH NOVYKH (RASPUTIN):'Hail, Hail, Ras-putin'. This man's story has... Read More
The Saga of Puffed Wheat Anderson, A Minnesota Legend
I have no idea how old I was when I... Read More
Carly Patterson: What Makes A Champion?
If you have been following gymnastics for any length of... Read More
Creating a Virtual Art Gallery
To the online artist, it might seem a paradox, at... Read More
Art, Women, and Creativity
Women have been given the greatest gift of creativity there... Read More
History and the Cathars (Courtly Love):
This is an entry from my three volume encyclopedia.CRUSADES, CATHARS... Read More
How Many Chinese Characters Are There?
Let's trace the number of Chinese characters from Han Dynasty... Read More
The Western Cowboy
In the State of Texas the Western Cowboy can be... Read More
Working With The Generations
For the first time in history, there are four generations... Read More
Astrology Signs and Planets Reveal Who You Are
But people are starting to take a new look at... Read More
Ernesto Apomayta offers Explanation of Mediums, Paints, & Techniques Used by Artists
Special Types of MediumsRice paper is a very delicate medium... Read More
Marilyn Monroe and Mary Jo Kopechne
I doubt Marilyn Monroe was anything but a confused star-struck... Read More
Lance Armstrong Bracelets: Fashion Accessories for a Worthy Cause
Lance Armstrong bracelets, the yellow rubber wrist bands inscribed with... Read More
African Masks The Art of Creation
With western eyes we tend to view a tribal mask... Read More
Feng Shui Horoscopes
A great tool to help you find out more about... Read More
The Sixties
A decade that stands out above the rest of our... Read More
A Look At The Years of Celebrities Wearing Jewelry
As far back as one can remember famous celebrities have... Read More
Is America Still Racist?
This is one entry in my Heroes and Villains Volume... Read More
The Birth Of Eskimo Inuit Art Prints
Unlike Inuit sculpture, art prints from the Canadian Arctic are... Read More
The Crisis of Human Survival
Environmental Pollution1. Damage to The Ozone Layer Causes Radiation PollutionThe... Read More
Precious Stones The Big Five - Part 4 The Diamond
The diamond is generally regarded as the premier gem in... Read More
Eminem Slimshady
Firstly revealed by the fable Dr.Dre, and then debut of... Read More
Welcome to the Mind Revolution: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Living Between the Points
What does it mean to live "between the points?" What... Read More
Humanities |