All About Green Sapphire: Types, Colors, Description, Origins & Details
Isn’t green one of the most royal and vigorous colors out of the lot?
Who isn’t in love with the crisp green color of nature after all! Serene, radiant and elegant! That’ how we’d all label it and when it belongs to the much loved Sapphire family of gemstones, the craze for it knows no bounds. Yes we’re talking about green sapphire. The admiration for this vibrant gemstone would never end and that makes it quite important to explore this September birthstone more. To facilitate you with just that, our Green Sapphire education guide is here to address all the basic knowledge revolving around Green Sapphire including the fun history and beliefs to the famous 4 C’s and properties in order to make a prudent decision while setting out to buy Green Sapphire jewelry. It’s going to be a fun experience. Let’s give you a glance.
Properties of Green Sapphire
Hardness
Its hardness is what enables us to wear it without any worries on a regular basis. Yes, having a hardness rating of 9 out of 10 on Moh’s scale, Green Sapphire is known to be one of the most durable gemstones of all times, all thanks to it belonging to the corundum family of minerals.
Composition
Wondering what exactly makes a green sapphire green? The presence of iron in this September birthstone makes sure that it looks all vibrant and vigorous, full of green.
Luster
Particularly what adds to the beauty of this February birthstone. It is known to possess a vitreous luster, i.e., glass-like luster with a refractive index of around 1.544-1.553.
Origin & History
How did this green beauty come into picture? What is the history behind this September birthstone? Let’s give you a glance with our green sapphire education guide. Although having been discovered in Sri Lanka, Green Sapphire has been believed to bless the wearer with love, peace and calmness since time long, all thanks to its vibrant green hues. In fact, the heavenly ties of this vigorous green gemstone have been such that these green crystal were believed to be offered to Persephone, the greek goddess of Spring.
Where is Green Sapphire found?
Here we come to the informative part. Well, interestingly till date, the finest quality collection of Green Sapphire comes from Sri Lanka but it is also abundantly found in Thailand, Myanmar, Kenya, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Asia and Afghanistan. Talking of its specific formation, just like the other sapphires, a Green sapphire is also formed under intense temperatures in igneous rocks and belongs to the corundum family of minerals. The cooling of a gemstone determines how big the green sapphire crystal would be.
Green Sapphire versus Emerald
Green Sapphire
Green Sapphire, being a birthstone of September, is known to possess a color ranging from yellowish to olive green. Apart from that, another differentiating factor is the hardness and durability of Green Sapphire(a 9 on Moh’s scale) which is more than its counterparts. Also, green sapphire comes in a wide range of shapes thanks to its triagonal crystals.
Emerald
Emerald, being a birthstone of May, is known to possess a deep and vivid green color. And of course, it has a hardness of 8 which is less than its green counterpart, Green Sapphire. Since its crystal is generally hexagonal, it can only be cut in a limited number of beautiful shapes.
Green Sapphire Quality and Price Filters
Emerald, being a birthstone of May, is known to possess a deep and vivid green color. And of course, it has a hardness of 8 which is less than its green counterpart, Green Sapphire. Since its crystal is generally hexagonal, it can only be cut in a limited number of beautiful shapes.
Color
Green Sapphire is characterized by olive or leaf green appearance. The green color of the sapphire although, can vary from light yellow-green to medium yellowish-green. Since there is no standard system to define the color grade for green sapphires, it totally falls on you to choose the gemstone wisely by looking for the most appealing hue of the stone you can find.
Clarity
As is the case with colored gemstones, the clarity of Green Sapphires is determined by non-magnified examination. As a general practice, one should look for the gemstone with eye-clean clarity. A clean Green Sapphire is the driver of higher prices.
Carat
The carat weight of green sapphire ranges between 0.01 to 2 CT, which has an equivalent impact on its price.
Cut
As of Green Sapphires, a number of different cuts and shapes can be offered to maximize the brilliance, clarity and color of the gemstone. Therefore, we are in debt of the cutters for the beauty of the Green Sapphires. The cutters can even utilize this skill to alter the perceived color and clarity to a great extent and hence cut of a green sapphire will play a crucial role in the overall beauty of the gemstone.
Green Sapphire Grading Value
Here we arrive to the same old grading system! Doubtlessly, the most sought after one to break down the process of quality analyzation with much ease. Having categorized different quality gemstones in different grades, just how it was in school, our green sapphire buying guide has narrowed down the process for you:
AAA
With only 2 % of sapphire belonging to this category, it is known to be eye clean and more deep in leafy green color.
AA
With only 10 % of Sapphire belonging to this category, it is known to possess some inclusions with medium to dark leafy green color.
A
With top 20 % of Sapphire belonging to this category, it is known to possess slight inclusions along with medium green color.
B
With 50 % of Sapphire belonging to this category, it is a little lesser in value with included clarity and light green color.
Benefits of Green Sapphire
Belonging to the Sapphire family, this September birthstone comes with its share of astrological beliefs. That’s the beauty of a gemstone. It’s hard to look past the beliefs that come attached to it. Let’s give you a glance:
Physical Healing
Just like its vigorous green color, this September birthstone is known to provide strength to the body of the wearer. It is also known to help with veins, throat problems as well as healthy blood circulation.
Emotional Healing
Symbolizing calmness and peace, Green sapphire is known to align the physical, emotional and spiritual planes of an individual. It radiates positivity and peace to the wearer, just like its serene green color. It helps you stay away from negative thoughts and anxiety.
Spiritual Healing
Did you know a green sapphire is even hailed as the stone of fidelity? It brings compassion, trust and loyalty to all your relationships. It promotes spiritual growth and makes your life more disciplines.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Green Sapphire formed?
Green Sapphire belongs to the corundum family of gemstones and the formation of which is owed to the presence of aluminum and oxygen. These two elements are the major ingredients of sapphire crystals. The color of the green sapphire is owed to the presence of iron as the trace element in the corundum.
What is the difference between lab grown and natural Green Sapphires?
Like most of the gemstones, there is an option to choose between natural and lab-created Green Sapphires. One must not confuse “lab grown” with the “fake”. The replica of the natural gemstone when grown in a lab maintaining the necessary environmental conditions.
Green Sapphires whether natural or lab grown are made from the same base elements and hence are indistinguishable by hardness and physical properties.
Do natural and lab grown Green Sapphires have visible differences?
It will be convenient to say that even experts can have hard time telling the difference by just looking with a naked eye. Only inclusions present in the natural Green Sapphire will give away since created ones are free of such inclusions.
As far as physical and chemical properties are concerned, they both tend to show the same properties and only a gemologist is qualified enough to state the difference.
How to take care of Green Sapphire jewelry?
Green Sapphire Jewelry is quite easy to clean due to their hardness and durability. However, a few things must be kept in mind like avoiding contact of the gemstone with make-up, harsh chemicals, abrasives.
While cleaning the jewelry take use of lukewarm water and mild cleaning detergent. Soft toothbrush can be used to clean the underside of the Green Sapphire.
Also, the jewelry must be individually kept to avoid contact with other jewelry to avoid unnecessary scratches.
What is a Green Sapphire certification?
Green Sapphires are certified under the norms and regulations of the IGS and hence must be checked before buying the gemstone.
What is the birthstone of green sapphire?
Green sapphire has long been believed to be a birthstone of september, making it extra lucky for all the September babies out there.
Can green sapphire be worn daily?
Without a shred of doubt! Having a hardness of 9 out of 10 on Moh’s scale, sapphire is doubtlessly one of the most durable gemstones ever discovered and that helps it withstand the wear and tear of regular use with much ease.
Is green sapphire natural?
Yes, belonging to the corundum family of minerals, it comes in a shade ranging from yellowish green to slight leafy green. And that’s all thanks to the presence of iron in its composition.
Green Sapphire Collection
Conclusion
Vigor, uniqueness and elegance, everything combined: that’s green sapphire for you. The hype for this September birthstone is fully justified. Aren’t we all just in awe of this color? That makes us all the more curious to explore this green beauty more. Wondering how to buy green sapphire? Our green sapphire education guide got you covered! Wondering about the history and beliefs of this elegant beauty? Our green sapphire guide got you covered! We hope you had a lot to takeaway from this discussion and sign off wishing you luck in selecting your favorite green sapphire jewelry.
