Ceylon Sapphires

Origins and Some History 

Sapphires can be found in several places around the world. The origin of a sapphire, can be important to a gem collector, as it’s always helpful to know where the stone had its origins. Some of the most treasured sapphires in the world come from Sri Lanka (also known by the old English name Ceylon).

Another location of top caliber sapphire is the Kashmir region of India, who long ago exhausted their supply of legendary stones. Sapphires also come from Australia, Thailand, Madagascar, Tanzania, Burma, Cambodia, China and even Montana.

Most all the sapphires you’ll find at Simply Sapphires are mined and cut in Ceylon, with a very small percentage from Burma, Australia, and Africa.

Many people get confused by the meaning of the term Ceylon Sapphire, all it is describing is the stones origin-Ceylon (Sri Lanka), not a color or cut. A Ceylon sapphire can be any color of the rainbow as long as its origination was Sri Lanka.A Little About Sapphire

Sapphire is the most popular colored gemstone in the world, second in all gemstones to diamond.

Sapphire has been in family collections and for thousands of years. When, Princess Diana received a sapphire engagement ring from Prince Charles, the demand grew even greater. Sapphire is the second-hardest gemstone (second only to a diamond) on the Mohs scale of hardness, making it a very durable as well as beautiful stone.

Sapphire Treatments - the good and the not so good 

Some sapphire treatments are permanent and stable, while others are controversial and not as well respected, while some sapphires are never treated at all.

The most common treatment of sapphires, which dates back over 2,000 years: is simple heating in an oven. Sapphires are heated at high temperatures to improve their clarity, intensify their colors, and make them more valuable. Heavily flawed sapphires will break in the process, leaving only the survival of the better stones.

This has been practiced since about the Roman times, and is important to note it is a completely stable and permanent treatment. Once a sapphire is heated, it cannot be undone. Over 96% of sapphires are heated, and really the only way to tell is by laboratory analysis, but even that is not 100% certain.

The treatment that many find unacceptable are Diffusion and Beryllium Diffusion. The reasoning being while heating is simply an extension of the natural heating process in the ground. Diffusion and Beryllium Diffusion use chemicals and heat to physically change the natural properties of the stone.