Burmese Sapphire

Burmese sapphires are among the most coveted coloured gemstones in the world. Blue sapphire is coloured by a combination of iron and titanium. Three important quality factors that affect value in sapphire are colour, clarity and quality of cut. The highest value stones have a good rich colour, they are relatively free from inclusions and have a bright, lively appearance. Preferred sapphires have strong to vivid colour saturation, regardless of hue. Sometimes giving a lit from within appearance.

The Ancient Greeks believed sapphire gave guidance to the wearer while Buddhists believed it brought spiritual enlightenment. Sapphire can be found across the globe from the mountains of Montana, USA to Australia to Madagascar. Blue was a colour that had connotations to wealth, regality and power. Lazurite was the one the most expensive natural dyes, regularly imported from Asia across the Silk Road dating back 6.000 years.

They have been synthetised since the late 19^th century with the Flux method and the early 20^th century, when French chemist Auguste Verneuil developed a process now called The Verneuil Flame Fusion process. Sapphire, like diamond, has some industrial applications as the jewel bearings in mechanical timepieces. Cartier also use synthetic sapphires as a decorative feature on the crowns of their watches.

Due to its relative hardness, a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, it has long been enjoyed enjoyed as an engagement ring. Arguably one of the most famous sapphire engagement rings was the 12 carat sapphire and diamond cluster ring given to Lady Diana by the then Prince Charles. His son, Prince William also proposed with the same ring to Kate Middleton in 2010.

Sapphires from Burma, (Myanmar)  are of good colour but sometimes rather dark. Inclusions may be long needles of rutile, convoluted feathers, silk, hexagonal colour zoning present in some stones. One of the highest results at auction was an un-mounted Burmese Sapphire weighing 114.739 carats sold in Sotheby’s for $7.2M 2013.

Both heat treatment and diffusion treatment are common in sapphires so to find a sapphire of this size and no indications of heat treatment makes it a very special stone and investment quality. As a gemmologist, I love inclusions found in all gemstones, some of my favourite are found in sapphire. They make a gemmologists job easier as they can assist to indicate whether a stone has been treated or not.

Flanked by two baguette cut diamonds either side, the setting is simple accentuating the Burmese sapphire. Weighing 36.83ct, it is an exceptional stone with good overall colour saturation and a very attractive ‘cornflower blue’ hue.

Lot 316 AN EXCEPTIONAL ART DECO BURMESE SAPPHIRE RING, the cushion cut stone to diamond shoulders, mounted in platinum. Together with a GRS Cert stating the stone to be: 36.83 ct, Burma, no heat, size I €56,000 - €59,000

Natasha Bernon FGA