Faith, Hope, and Destiny
Star Sapphire and Diamond RingAs a diamond buyer, I have the opportunity to buy all types of jewelry and watches. Nothing gets my juices going more than when someone walks into my office with a fabulous piece that I can buy. It’s a visceral reaction. It can be a ring, a loose diamond, a pair of earrings or a Rolex watch.
I often get asked what I do with all the treasures that I buy. The diamonds go into our inventory of loose diamonds at Jonathan’s Fine Jewelers and end up being made into a gorgeous custom ring for a soon to be bride to wear on her finger. The jewelry is sometimes taken apart and the stones are then repurposed into custom jewelry for our customers. Other times, we resell the jewelry as is. Often the watches will get cleaned up and resold or traded, depending on the watch and the value, but I find it all exciting and all of it is an addiction for me, and one that I love.
Star Sapphire Folklore and History
I have had a love affair with the star sapphire for as long as I can remember. The dark blue of the sapphire with the shining star of white that reflects in the center has always fascinated me, and the history and folklore of the gemstones that I buy make for some amazing reading.
For instance, did you know that the crossbars on the star sapphire are supposed to stand for faith, hope and destiny? Also, the star sapphire used to be used as a talisman to ward off harm, was worn only by kings, was an antidote against poison and guards against witchcraft.
A star sapphire is a sapphire that is cut as a cabochon with a dome and has tiny rutiles, or natural inclusions from the Corundum, which is where a sapphire comes from. These rutiles form a 6 ray “star” that is located towards the top of the stone. Star sapphires don’t have to be blue and the star can be faint or bright and the stone can be cut so the star can be seen or the star can be natural. The natural star sapphire is more valuable when the stone is darker and the star is more visible.
The other day I was lucky enough to have a gorgeous oval cabochon cut star sapphire and diamond ring walk right into my office. The color is a medium blue and does not have any gray in it. The star isbright and clear and perfectly centered in the stone, and all arms are intact. The center stone weighs 46.65 carats.
Сапфирът представлява разновидност на корунда.
Името на сапфира произлиза от гръцката дума sappherios – син. Цветовата гама на сапфирите поразява с разнообразието си – има пурпурносинкави, зелени, жълти, безцветни, оранжеви и розовооранжеви. Тези камъни много често се използват за украса на корони. Тъмносиният сапфир “Свети Едуард” се намира в центъра на кръста на короната на Британската империя. Короната на Руската империя е украсена от два големи сапфира с тежест 258 и 200 карата. От сапфир са издялани бюстове на трима американски президенти Джордж Вашингтон (1997 карата), Ейбрахъм Линкълн (2302 карата) и Дуайт Айзенхауер (2097 карата).
Смятало се, че сапфирът символизира властта, верността, целомъдрието и скромността, а през Средновековието го наричали “епископ на камъните”, тъй като считали, че олицетворява висшите духовни ценности. Приписвали му и способността да намалява болката, да примирява разногласията, а също – да дава вечен живот на този, който го притежава. Астролозите го препоръчват на родените под знака на Козирог, Стрелец и Водолей.
------------------------------- © 2010, Красимир Куртев - Алеф автор, All rights reserved!
