Editor’s Note
This article explores the enduring appeal of sapphire, connecting its classic blue hue to themes of calm, confidence, and spiritual devotion. We examine its rich history and symbolic power as both a testament to love and a source of inner peace.
PANTONE describes Classic Blue as “a reassuring presence instilling calm, confidence, and connection… non-aggressive and easily relatable.” This is precisely the impression sapphire gives to the world.
This gemstone boasts a long history, beautiful legends, and can serve as a testament to love. Furthermore, sapphire is associated with profound spirituality and devotion, believed to bring peace and contentment to one’s soul while fostering trust in one’s destiny.
Sapphire origin is closely tied to its pedigree. Currently, sapphires from Kashmir, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar are the most common in the trading market and auctions.
Top-quality blue sapphires are often compared to the color of cornflowers. The finest sapphires from Sri Lanka are likened to the color of a peacock’s neck or tail feathers. Velvet blue sapphires are the variety most sought after by connoisseurs.
While Kashmir sapphires are universally acknowledged as top-tier, the value of Burmese sapphires has been steadily rising in recent years. Both have achieved remarkable results in international auctions over the years.
Blue diamonds belong to Type IIb diamonds. Their color is caused by the presence of boron atoms—even one boron atom per billion carbon atoms can impart a blue hue to the diamond.
Blue diamonds often have a slight grayish tint. Saturated colors like those of sapphires are extremely rare. Therefore, blue diamonds with intense, pure color are exceptionally precious and command astonishingly high values.
Tanzanite is a gem-quality variety of the mineral zoisite and is considered one of the world’s rarest and most valuable colored gemstones. To date, it has been found only in the Merelani Hills of northern Tanzania.
Tanzanite exhibits strong pleochroism, displaying vivid purple to blue hues when viewed face-up. Most natural tanzanite mined shows light to medium purple and blue tones, with only a small portion exhibiting a rich blue-violet color.
As the world’s only source of tanzanite, the Merelani mining area is not large, covering just an area of 4000 meters long by 2000 meters wide. It is divided into four blocks: A, B, C, and D, with only Block D producing high-quality gem-grade zoisite. Most regrettably, the Merelani tanzanite deposit is dwindling. Experts predict that tanzanite will face depletion within the next decade.
The most precious color for tanzanite is a pure blue. High-quality tanzanite with this color is almost indistinguishable from blue sapphire.
The value of high-quality tanzanite is also considerable, as glimpsed from the 2006 Christie’s Geneva auction “A Magnificent Collection of Jewels and Watches from a Royal House”:
Cobalt spinel, as the name suggests, is spinel colored by cobalt (Co). The presence of cobalt determines the intensity of the blue color in the spinel—typically blue or some blue with grayish or dark blackish tones—and ultimately dictates its beauty.
The reasons for the high cost of cobalt spinel, besides its beautiful color, are primarily its rarity. Currently known sources are Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania, and most stones are not large.
Many people might immediately think of lapis lazuli’s color upon seeing Classic Blue. Although lapis lazuli can exhibit many other blue tones—from deep purplish-blue and royal blue to light blue, turquoise blue, and greenish-blue—the deep blue is the most iconic.
The origin of the world’s highest quality lapis lazuli is located in the Badakhshan province of northern Afghanistan. This region has been continuously mined for over 6000 years, producing lapis lazuli of superior quality with a captivating, celestial blue color.
In its therapeutic uses, lapis lazuli is often compared to sapphire because both gemstones evoke the power of deep blue mysticism. In fact, the mineral referred to as “sapphire” in the Bible was likely lapis lazuli.
Lapis lazuli is not only beloved by people worldwide but also favored by major luxury brands. For instance, it appeared in the Van Cleef & Arpels Pagode necklace. Similarly, Cartier’s MAGNITUDE high jewelry collection also featured a stunning set of lapis lazuli jewelry.