The Five Best Sources of Blue Sapphire

It is a global viewpoint that the countries in Asia have the best stones worldwide, despite the mining of sapphires in various places worldwide. Some of the characteristics of Blue Sapphire include lucid and rich color, as well as versatility. These characteristics make people to consider it as a special stone and make it distinct of all gemstones. Another thing about sapphire is that it is not quite common, even as its rough form has many inclusions and quite opaque or quite translucent.

The mining of sapphire is majorly in Asia in India, Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Based on Moh’s scale of hardness, diamonds are the first followed by sapphires. According to their quality and origin, the following are the ranks of sapphires:

1. Kashmir, India – Various sapphires come from Kashmir. The mining of their majority happened by 1930s, and people are highly attentive to them even nowadays. The attention is such that people have bought and sold the Kashmir sapphires many times and they still have the best prices when it comes to gemstone sales. The Kashmir sapphires are renowned as ‘The bluest of the blue’. They are characterized by distinctive color and clarity in the absence of heat treatment.

2. Mogok, Burma – The common description says they are midnight blue in color. When it comes to the most sought sapphires, the Burmese Sapphires come next after the Kashmir sapphires. They are darker and more transparent than Kashmir sapphires. They are produced in limited quantity and connoisseurs covet them greatly.

3. Sri Lanka - These sapphires from Sri Lanka are also known as the Ceylon Sapphires. They are mostly label as existing in almost all colors. They do not have up to the brilliance of the Kashmir or the Burmese sapphires. However, they exist as beautiful cobalt blue. Sri Lanka has part of the biggest supply of sapphires in the market today.

4. Madagascar - Madagascar sapphires have similar quality as those from Sri Lanka, despite their relatively recent finds. They come in different colors. However, they are often treated with heat to improve color and make them clearer.

5. Australia - The sapphire from Australia has dark blue color and inky. Hence, people covet is less in comparison with the above four. Australia was the largest producer of sapphires before Madagascar took over.