An Introduction To Sapphires For Beginners
When someone thinks of a precious gemstone, it is often diamonds that first come into mind. However, if you are considering adding another piece of jewellery to your collection, you should certainly consider sapphires. They are breathtakingly beautiful, extremely sentimental and they retain their value exceptionally well. Sapphires continue to tantilise jewellery lovers across the world and for good reasons, that we will find out about today!
An Introduction To Sapphires
Sapphires are one of the four precious gemstones, along with diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. For centuries, sapphires have represented innocence, longevity and good health. People also believe that they can protect against negative energies and invite spiritual clarity. This made them particularly popular features in a range of vintage jewellery, thanks to their meaningful symbolism as well as the timeless elegance. They are also extremely durable, scoring a 9 out of 10 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness, making sapphires one of the strongest in this collection of different types of gemstones.
The Most Famous Sapphires In The World
The famous sapphire is known to be rarer than diamonds in some cases, although not quite as rare as emeralds or rubies. However, on average a one-carat sapphire will cost less than a one-carat diamond. Nevertheless, there are still exceptionally expensive sapphires that are in circulation all across the world.
One of the most breathtaking pairs of earrings you will ever see is The Sapphires Richelieu, containing two stunning sapphires with a unique velvety blue colour and beautiful diamond detail. They sold for a staggering $8,358,520, the equivalent of around $177,840 per carat!
The most expensive sapphire ever sold is The Blue Belle of Asia, at $17,600,000. Whilst this is obviously still an extremely valuable gemstone, sapphires, in general, are slightly more affordable than diamonds in terms of value for money, but much more expensive than other different types of gemstones.
The Affiliation of The Royal Family To Sapphires
Out of the different types of gemstones, sapphires are the most popular with the Royal Family. Sapphires have consistently been gifted between members of the Royal Family, thought to be a method of protection from harm and bad spirits. The British Royal family have an extensive collection of jewellery, featuring a vast amount of stunning sapphires. The Prince Albert Brooch features a large sapphire, as well as many other crowns, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.
One of the most popular sapphires in the Royal Family is the 18ct sapphire surrounded by diamonds on the stunning vintage engagement ring presented to Princess Diana by Prince Charles. This fairytale ring became famous across the world and resulted in an increased interest in sapphires by the middle class, as well as the upper class. The significance of the ring has continued into the 21st century, as Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with the ring in 2010.
Final Thoughts on Sapphires
The beauty of sapphires and the breathtaking colour will ensure this gemstone retains its value for the foreseeable. There has never been a better time to invest in sapphires for your jewellery collection.