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Sapphire
Facts & Myths and some Famous Sapphires in history
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- Sapphire is the birthstone for
September.
- Sapphire is the Zodiac stone for the
constellation of Taurus the Bull.
- Sapphire also designated for the 5th,
23rd and 45th wedding anniversary.
- A star sapphire is designated to
the 65th wedding anniversary.
- The beautiful deep blue of a nice
quality sapphire is reminiscent of the clear night sky.
- Sapphires are extremely durable (only
diamond and moissanite are harder), making it a great gemstone for
setting into jewelry.
- Ground to a powder, the blue stone
was believed to cure colic, rheumatism, mental illness, and to
strengthen eyesight.
- Sapphires are favored by priests
and kings, who considered them symbolic of wisdom and purity.
- A gift of Sapphire represents
sincerity and faithfulness.
- Sapphires are well known as being
blue, but can be nearly any color except shades of red or pink (since
those are called rubies)
- Sapphires are commonly found in
Sri Lanka, India, Tanzania and the Kola Peninsula of Russia.
- In addition, sapphires are found in
many places throughout the world, including North Carolina, Brazil,
and China.
- Artificial sapphire crystals are used
are used as the crystal face in high end watches like a genuine Rolex,
and they are extremely scratch resistant.
- Sapphire is as apeacing to the
soul as gazing up at the sky on a clear evening, this brilliant
blue gemstone is a real heavenly choice!
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Large
Sapphires in history
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The Bismark Sapphire Necklace
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The 98.6-carat deep blue
sapphire in this diamond and platinum necklace was designed by Cartier and was found in Sri Lanka.
The piece was a gift to the Smithsonian Institute by Countess Mona von
Bismark in 1967. |
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The Gordon Sapphire
Necklace
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The Gordon Sapphire set in this
necklace, along with a star sapphire pendant-ring, went up for auction
in April of 2002 at Sotheby's Auction House. Both pieces belonged to
Aron Gordon, the founder of Gordon Jewelers.
Sotheby's: "The
pendant set with an emerald-cut sapphire weighing approximately 50.00
carats, within a clustered frame set with 10 marquise-shaped, 26
pear-shaped, 7 round and 25 baguette diamonds weighing approximately
14.50 carats,
the necklace set with 51 round, 56 marquise-shaped and 4 pear-shaped
diamonds weighing a total of approximately 22.50 carats, mounted in
platinum, length 17 inches, pendant detaches, may be worn separately as a brooch." |
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The Gordon Star
Sapphire |
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The Gordon Star Sapphire
set in a pendant-ring that came up for auction at Sotheby's Auction
House in April, 2002.
Sotheby's: "The
oval-shaped star sapphire cabochon weighing approximately 52.00 carats,
framed by 24 pear-shaped diamonds weighing approximately 6.60 carats,
mounted in platinum, ring shank detachable, retractable pendant
loop."
Aron S. Gordon
(1911-2001), was a native of Houston. He attended the University of
Texas and later worked for the family business, Gordon's Jewelers,
founded by his father in 1905. |
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The Logan Sapphire
Broach |
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The National Gem Collection boasts one
of the largest fine blue sapphire gems, including the 422.99-carat
Logan Sapphire from Sri Lanka.
The Logan Sapphire's fine blue color
really shows in this photo of it sitting in its display case.
It is the heaviest
mounted gem in the National Gem Collection,
and is framed in a brooch setting surrounded by twenty round
brilliant-cut diamonds,
totaling 16 carats.
The piece was a gift to the Smithsonian Institute from Mrs. John A.
Logan in 1960. |
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The Maria
Alexandrovna Sapphire Brooch |
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In the Great London Exhibition of 1862,
a sapphire weighing 260.37 carats was purchased by Russian Emperor
Alexander II
and presented to his wife Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
This rare treasure was described as "unique ... for its
combination of size, color, clarity and extraordinary cut."
Today, this magnificent piece of history is in the Russian Diamond
Fund, where it is proudly shown in Moscow, Russia. In 1971 the USSR
paid tribute to the brooch along with several other pieces from the
collection by featuring it on a postage stamp.
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Sapphire email questions:
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Mansfield
Designs contact
Sam
for custom jewelry design and
manufacturing questions and estimates. Please include a picture (if
possible) with a description of
the design you are interested in. If work is accepted we will provide you
with a shipping address. (we keep
mailing address confidential for security purposes)
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