Southern Jewelry News

Purple haze

10:26

January

2008

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Article Autor: Diana Jarrett

The Story Behind the Stone

Which came first - the value of a gem or the gemstone lover? While the jury is still out on that one, it’s clear in some cases that the enthusiasm for an adored gemstone by a designer can trigger an upsurge in collecting by the public. And when a jeweler adores a particular gemstone, it’s bound to become identified with their brand.

So it is with Judi Anderson of Bijoux Extraordinaire. Anderson’s appreciation for the assortment of colors produced in purple sapphire fuels her inspiration for original designs where each unique shade of purple sapphire owns the spotlight. Anderson insists that much of her clientele is colored sapphire savvy. And they may owe that acquired taste to Anderson, who raves, “It’s the hue! I personally am a huge fan of violet and purple colors. I also love the durability of sapphire, so for us, it’s a great combination.”

Certain colored gemstones have always had seemingly global recognition. Still, other gems of rarity and beauty find their way into the international spotlight over time. Such is the case with purple sapphire.

While natural purple sapphire is not a recent discovery, it is gaining momentum as a standout amongst fancy colored sapphires. Fancy purple sapphires in fact, have been found as old European cuts in Edwardian jewels, notes Suzanne Martinez, buyer for Lang Antiques, San Francisco. The red-violet sapphires appear more often in vintage pieces, Martinez finds.

Colored gemstone pricing guide publisher, (The Guide) Richard Drucker’s annual “Best Buys in Tucson” presentation at the Tucson Gem & Mineral shows provide a much anticipated industry update. Designers want to know what they should buy to satisfy a sometimes fickle buying public. Retailers, and designers need to know on what they should be spending their time creating.

At the 2007 Tucson Shows, Drucker noted a curious shift among leading colored stones sold the previous year. Sapphire earned first place, with the number 5 slot going to fancy colored sapphire. Drucker specifically pointed to the increasing demand for purple sapphire, commenting that it is not as yet readily available.

The species corundum may actually be found as a clear crystal, and then it is marketed as white sapphire. Impurities found in corundum create colors, such as chrome, which colors the stone red, creating ruby. When used alone, sapphire specifically means the blue variety. The rainbow of other colors are labeled “fancy colored sapphire”, including extraordinary lilacs to blue-violets of purple sapphire.

Purple sapphire is produced in Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Vietnam, Thailand, Brazil along with other locales. Since the 1990s, Madagascar has produced an enormous quantity of fancy colored sapphire including purple, and this has contributed to its broader recognition. And the frenzied obsession for colored diamonds celebrities are seen wearing along the red carpet has actually created a greater call for fancy colored sapphire.

On rare occasions, purple sapphire exhibits a natural occurring color-change. The optical phenomenon in certain purple sapphires becomes evident when the stone moves from natural daylight to incandescent lighting and is the result of selective light absorption. Pala Gems recently showed an example of this curiosity on their website, with images of a 3.75 carat violet-blue radiant cut Madagascar fancy sapphire changing to purple under different lighting conditions.

Lately, purple sapphire is finding its way into the most luxurious of goods. Tony designers are recognizing purple sapphire’s charm when creating spectacular jewels; for both starring and in supporting roles with deluxe jewelry. The much sought after Parisian jeweler, Lorenz Baumer, acknowledged for his flair of unusual ‘gem’ choices, such as meteorites and pebbles, mixes purple sapphire alongside other intensely saturated bold gemstones like rubellite and amethyst with dazzling results, in his current collection. At Zeira in New York, Sami Zeira, hand-fashions high carat gold, custom jewels reminiscent of exceptional old world craftsmanship.

Fancy colored sapphire features prominently in his current colored gemstone picks, as evidenced with his 22kt yellow gold and diamond “Sunshine” pendant showcasing a vivid brilliant cut purple sapphire.
The predominant attribute with purple sapphire is the endless array of purple, lilac, violet, reddish-purples and blue-violets to be found, Bijoux Extraordinaire’s Anderson reflects. “With amethyst for example, you pretty much know what the color will be.” Since nature creates the infinite color combinations found in purple sapphire, Anderson envisions an enduring future for this jewel which has yet to reach broad public exposure.

Graduate Gemologist Diana Jarrett is also a Registered Master Valuer, and a member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. Her regular columns appear in the NY Mineralogical Club Bulletin and Colored Stone Magazine. Contact her for appraisals or personal appearances at info@dianajarrett.com. Learn more by visiting her web site www.dianajarrett.com.