Color-change sapphires are gemstones in the corundum family that display different colors under different types of lighting. But are color-changing sapphires real? Shockingly, yes! (Although, they can also be created synthetically).
Sapphires can display multiple, natural optical effects including asterism (star sapphire), chatoyancy (cat’s eye sapphire), bi-coloring, and of course, color-changes.
How rare is a color-changing sapphire? They’re pretty rare, though not the rarest sapphires (that honor goes to cornflower blue and Padparadscha sapphires). Still, color-change sapphires are quite valuable!
Eager to know more about color-changing sapphires? Stick around as we uncover this gemstone’s multitude of colors, properties, prices, and more!
Color-change sapphires are phenomenal precious gemstones that have different colors under different light sources like daylight and incandescent light.
What is the color-changing sapphire called? Some call alexandrite-like (red to green) color-change sapphires “alexandrium.” The main differences between color-change sapphire vs alexandrite are their species and rarity: alexandrite is a chrysoberyl variety and much rarer.
As such, you can use color-change sapphire as a more affordable June birthstone alternative to alexandrite. Of course, sapphire is already a September birthstone, as well as the 5th, 45th, and 75th wedding anniversary gem.
You can even give the traditional a modern twist with a color-changing sapphire engagement ring — after all, sapphires were the gem-of-choice before diamonds became the standard for engagement rings.
As corundum varieties, the color-change sapphire formula is Al2O3. The stone’s base colors include virtually anything but red, which is ruby.
All corundum colors come from impurities, but gemologists think the actual color-changing effect often comes from certain impurities, notably vanadium and chromium.
The first colors appear in daylight, fluorescent light, or daylight-balanced LED light. The other colors appear in incandescent light, tungsten light, or candlelight. Many artificial lights are used today, but the initial color should be observed under sunlight.
The color-change is also different from pleochroism. Pleochroism depends on viewing angles (not type of lighting), and color-change sapphires are often also pleochroic.
Another important distinction is color-change vs bi-color sapphires.
Bi-color (or parti-color) sapphires like peacock and mermaid sapphires have two colors at the same time, similar to watermelon tourmaline. This is called “color-zoning,” where color is unevenly distributed because the color-causing elements change as the crystal forms.
Color-change sapphire properties listed:
Color: Daylight/Fluorescent: Usually blue to violet; rarely green or red; Incandescent: Usually purple, pink, or reddish-purple; Rarely red, reddish-brown, brown, yellow-green
Crystal structure: Hexagonal (trigonal)
Luster: Vitreous, subadamantine, or adamantine
Transparency: Transparent to opaque
Refractive index: 1.757-1.779
Density: 3.99-4.10
Cleavage: None
Fracture: Conchoidal
Streak: White
Luminescence: Fluorescence often present - Natural fancy color: red in LW-UV & red to orange in SW-UV; Natural blue: weak light red in SW-UV; Synthetic (all colors): orange to red in LW-UV & SW-UV or red in LW-UV & mottled blue in SW-UV; X-ray colors in some specimens - dull red or yellow orange
Pleochroism: Present and strong, varies by sapphire color (see individual sapphire color guides for specifics)
Birefringence: 0.008-0.009
Dispersion: 0.013-0.018
Optical phenomena: Color-changing; Very rarely combined with asterism or chatoyancy
It’s unclear when the first color-change sapphires appeared.
One of the earliest recorded color-changing gems was alexandrite, discovered in Russia in the 1830s. It set the standard for future color-changing gems, sometimes said to exhibit the “alexandrite effect.”
In fact, the first synthetic color-change sapphire was created to imitate alexandrite. These were popular in the early 1900s.
However, one fictional example precedes these: the titular Le Saphire Merveilleux, French for “The Miraculous Sapphire.”
French writer Madame de Genlis wrote this story in the 1800s about a sapphire that changed colors to indicate whether someone was adulterous, though choosing for her to wear the sapphire at day or night could skew the verdict.
According to the August 1919 edition of The Jewelers’ Circular, the fictional stone was inspired by a real color-change sapphire displayed at the South Kensington Museum in the collection of Polish nobleman Count de Walicki.
Color-change sapphire’s meaning reflects its properties as a healing stone: the stone can symbolize and facilitate balance, transformation, and wisdom. Plus, color-change sapphires can be effective chakra stones for every chakra.
The crystal is also said to dispel anxiety, jealousy, and unhealthy attachments.
Are color-change sapphires valuable? It depends on their quality.
When grading color-change sapphire value, the standard properties like color, cut, clarity, and carat weight matter, but the strength of color-change is also important — in fact, color-change strength is the top value factor.
Most color-change sapphires shift from blue or violet in daylight to violet, pink, or reddish-purple in incandescent light, with most going from blue to purple.
Rarer shifts include:
Red to brown
Greed to reddish-brown
Green to yellow-green
Grayish- or greenish-blue to brownish-red
One fascinating discovery from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is that some orange, yellow, or pink sapphires shifted to pure orange or Padparadscha-like colors during color stability testing (a few hours under intense incandescent light).
The ideal shift is from a warm to cool color, which brings us to our next factor…
The most important value factor for these gems (followed by color) is the strength of their color-change, broken down into the percentage and degree of color-change.
Percentage: How much of the stone’s area changes color (viewed face up).
Degree: How dramatic the difference in colors is, ideally complementary colors.
For example, blue to violet or red to purple aren’t as dramatic as shifts from green to red or violet to orange. Higher saturation also boosts value.
The percentage can reflect the stone’s value, as a sapphire with a 40 percent color-change (a little less than half of its area) will be 40 percent as valuable as an equivalent stone with a 100 percent color-change.
The degree of color-change is often expressed as weak, moderate, or strong.
Color-change sapphires are often faceted. Calibrated sizes and uniform cuts aren’t as common, but the potential shapes overlap with regular sapphires. Common ones include oval, cushion, pear, and trillion shapes.
The stones may also be cut into cabochons, particularly the very rare color-changing and asteriated or chatoyant sapphires.
Color-change sapphire has Type II clarity, so minor visible inclusions are expected.
Potential inclusions in color-change sapphires include:
Rutile (needles, particles, platelets, arrowheads)
White particle clouds in stacked patterns
Zircon crystals
Boehmite tubules or needles
Fingerprints, sometimes reflective & iridescent
Two-phase inclusions
Color-zoning, sometimes in hexagonal growth patterns
Clarity isn’t a major factor here, as eye-clean specimens are super rare.
Most color-change sapphires are small (under 2 cts). The color-change strength usually diminishes in larger sizes, so a large stone with strong color-change is exceedingly valuable. Price-per-carat rates can increase above 1 carat.
Treatments aren’t common for color-change sapphire, but some are fracture-filled or diffusion-treated.
More often, you’ll see synthetic color-change sapphires, usually created with the Verneuil (flame fusion) method.
How can you tell if a color-changing sapphire is real (natural) or synthetic?
Under a spectroscope, synthetic color-change sapphires show an absorption line at 4740.
Flame-fusion synthetic color-change sapphires sometimes have curved striae and air bubbles inside.
Flame-fusion sapphires usually glow red under a blacklight.
Synthetic color-change sapphires often have more “pure” colors and a more flawless appearance.
How do natural color-change sapphires form, though?
Color-change sapphires form just like other sapphires inside igneous or metamorphic rocks.
The only difference is that certain impurities, like chromium and vanadium, must be present to eventually cause color-changes.
The top source of color-change sapphires is Tanzania. Other major sources are:
Sri Lanka
Kenya
Madagascar
Minor sources include:
Australia
China
Cambodia
Nigeria
Thailand
USA (Montana)
Now, what is the price of color-change sapphire?
Faceted color-change sapphire price per carat ranges are broad, depending on their quality and size. How much is a carat of color-change sapphire? Let’s look at the general breakdown:
0.5 to 1 carat: Around $100 to $3,000 per carat
1 to 7 carats: Around $300 to $5,000 per carat
Many blue to violet options are around $100 per carat. Opting for synthetics can decrease the price significantly, with some as low as $2 per carat, plus rings and necklaces around $40-$80.
Color-changing star sapphire cabochons are usually about $300 per carat, though some reach over $2,000 per carat.
Luckily, gemstone care for color-change sapphires is pretty easy. You can clean them with warm, soapy water and a soft microfiber cloth. Rinse well.
Just keep the stone away from:
Extreme heat
Extreme temperature changes
Hydrofluoric acid
Bleach
Store separately from other gems.
Change is inevitable, so why not embrace it? Color-changing sapphires aren’t only a cool party trick, but a reminder that it’s all about balance. With natural and synthetic options for any budget, you’re sure to find one for you!
變色藍寶石是剛玉家族中的寶石,在不同類型的光照下會呈現出不同的顏色。但是變色藍寶石是真的嗎?令人震驚的是,是的! (雖然,它們也可以綜合創建)。
藍寶石可以顯示多種自然光學效果,包括星光(星光藍寶石)、貓眼藍寶石、雙色,當然還有變色。
變色藍寶石有多稀有?它們非常稀有,儘管不是最稀有的藍寶石( 矢車菊藍和帕帕拉恰藍寶石獲得了這一榮譽)。儘管如此,變色藍寶石還是很值錢的!
渴望了解有關變色藍寶石的更多信息?當我們發現這顆寶石的多種顏色、特性、價格等時,請留下來!
變色藍寶石是一種非凡的珍貴寶石,在日光和白熾燈等不同光源下會呈現出不同的顏色。
變色藍寶石叫什麼?有些人將類似變石(紅色到綠色)的變色藍寶石稱為“亞歷山大變石”。變色藍寶石與亞歷山大變石之間的主要區別在於它們的種類和稀有性:亞歷山大變石是金綠寶石的一種,更為稀有。
因此,您可以將變色藍寶石用作比亞歷山大變石更實惠的六月生日石替代品。當然,藍寶石已經是 九月生辰石,也是 5 週年、45 週年和 75 週年結婚紀念日的寶石。
您甚至可以通過變色藍寶石訂婚戒指為傳統增添現代氣息——畢竟,在鑽石成為訂婚戒指的標準之前,藍寶石是首選寶石。
作為剛玉品種,變色藍寶石的分子式為Al2O3。石頭的基色幾乎包括除了紅色以外的任何顏色,紅色是紅寶石。
所有剛玉的顏色都來自雜質,但寶石學家認為實際的變色效果通常來自某些雜質,尤其是釩和鉻。
第一種顏色出現在日光、熒光燈或日光平衡 LED 燈中。其他顏色出現在白熾燈、鎢絲燈或燭光中。今天使用許多人造光,但最初的顏色應該在陽光下觀察。
變色也不同於多色性。多向色性取決於視角(而非照明類型),變色藍寶石通常也是多向色性的。
另一個重要的區別是變色藍寶石與雙色藍寶石。
雙色(或雙色)藍寶石如孔雀藍寶石和人魚藍寶石同時具有兩種顏色,類似於西瓜碧璽。這被稱為“顏色分區”,其中顏色分佈不均勻,因為導致顏色的元素隨著晶體的形成而變化。
列出的變色藍寶石屬性:
莫氏硬度:9
顏色:日光/熒光:通常為藍色至紫色;很少是綠色或紅色;白熾燈:通常是紫色、粉紅色或紅紫色;很少有紅色、紅棕色、棕色、黃綠色
晶體結構:六方晶系(三角晶系)
光澤: 玻璃質、亞金剛石或金剛石
透明度: 透明到不透明
折射率:1.757-1.779
密度:3.99-4.10
乳溝:無
斷口: 貝殼狀
條紋:白色
發光:經常出現熒光 - 天然花式顏色:長波-紫外線中為紅色,短波-紫外線中為紅色至橙色;自然藍:SW-UV中的弱淡紅色;合成(所有顏色):LW-UV 和 SW-UV 中的橙色到紅色或 LW-UV 中的紅色和 SW-UV 中的斑駁藍色;一些標本的 X 射線顏色 - 暗紅色或黃橙色
多色性:存在且強烈,因藍寶石顏色而異(具體請參閱個別藍寶石顏色指南)
雙折射:0.008-0.009
色散:0.013-0.018
光學現象:變色;很少與星號或聊天相結合
目前尚不清楚第一顆變色藍寶石是何時出現的。
最早記錄的變色寶石之一是亞歷山大變石,它於 1830 年代在俄羅斯發現。它為未來變色寶石樹立了標準,有時據說會表現出“亞歷山大變石效應”。
事實上,第一顆合成變色藍寶石是為了模仿亞歷山大變石而創造的。這些在 1900 年代初期很流行。
然而,在這些之前有一個虛構的例子:名義上的 Le Saphire Merveilleux,法語為“神奇的藍寶石”。
法國作家德讓利斯夫人在 1800 年代寫了這個關於藍寶石的故事,藍寶石會改變顏色以表明某人是否通姦,儘管選擇讓她在白天或晚上佩戴藍寶石可能會扭曲判決。
根據 1919 年 8 月版的The Jewelers' Circular ,這顆虛構的寶石的靈感來自南肯辛頓博物館展出的波蘭貴族 Count de Walicki 收藏的一顆真正的變色藍寶石。
變色藍寶石的含義反映了它作為治療石的特性:這種石頭可以像徵和促進平衡、轉變和智慧。此外,變色藍寶石可以成為每個脈輪的有效脈輪石。
據說水晶還可以消除焦慮、嫉妒和不健康的依戀。
變色藍寶石值錢嗎?這取決於它們的質量。
在對變色藍寶石價值進行分級時,顏色、切工、淨度和克拉重量等標準屬性很重要,但變色強度也很重要——事實上,變色強度是最重要的價值因素。
大多數變色藍寶石在日光下會從藍色或紫色變為白熾燈下的紫羅蘭色、粉紅色或紅紫色,其中大多數會從藍色變為紫色。
罕見的轉變包括:
紅色至棕色
貪婪到紅棕色
綠色至黃綠色
灰藍色或綠藍色至棕紅色
美國寶石學院 (GIA) 的一項引人入勝的發現是,一些橙色、黃色或粉紅色藍寶石在顏色穩定性測試(在強白熾燈下幾個小時)期間轉變為純橙色或類似帕帕拉恰的顏色。
理想的轉變是從暖色到冷色,這將我們帶到下一個因素......
這些寶石最重要的價值因素(其次是顏色)是其顏色變化的強度,分解為顏色變化的百分比和程度。
百分比:石頭有多少面積會變色(正面朝上看)。
度數:顏色差異的顯著程度,最好是互補色。
例如,藍色到紫色或紅色到紫色並不像從綠色到紅色或紫色到橙色的變化那樣引人注目。更高的飽和度也提升了價值。
百分比可以反映寶石的價值,因為具有 40% 顏色變化(略小於其面積的一半)的藍寶石與具有 100% 顏色變化的同等寶石價值 40%。
顏色變化的程度通常表示為弱、中或強。
變色藍寶石通常有刻面。校準尺寸和均勻切割並不常見,但潛在形狀與普通藍寶石重疊。常見的有橢圓形、墊形、梨形和萬億形。
這些寶石也可能被切割成凸圓形,尤其是非常罕見的變色藍寶石和星光藍寶石或貓眼藍寶石。
變色藍寶石中的潛在內含物包括:
清晰度在這裡不是主要因素,因為眼睛乾淨的標本非常罕見。
大多數變色藍寶石都很小(不到 2 克拉)。變色強度通常隨著尺寸的增大而減弱,因此變色強烈的大石頭非常有價值。每克拉價格可以增加到 1 克拉以上。
變色藍寶石的處理並不常見,但有些經過裂隙填充或擴散處理。
更常見的是,您會看到合成變色藍寶石,通常是使用 Verneuil(火焰熔化)方法製造的。
如何判斷變色藍寶石是真(天然)還是合成?
在分光鏡下,合成變色藍寶石在 4740 處顯示出吸收線。
火焰熔合成變色藍寶石內部有時會有彎曲的條紋和氣泡。
火焰融合藍寶石在黑光下通常會發出紅色光。
合成變色藍寶石通常具有更“純淨”的顏色和更完美無瑕的外觀。
那麼,天然變色藍寶石是如何形成的呢?
變色藍寶石就像火成岩或變質岩中的其他藍寶石一樣形成。
唯一的區別是某些雜質,如鉻和釩,必須存在才能最終導致顏色變化。
變色藍寶石的主要產地是坦桑尼亞。其他主要來源是:
斯里蘭卡
肯尼亞
馬達加斯加
次要來源包括:
澳大利亞
中國
柬埔寨
尼日利亞
泰國
美國(蒙大拿州)
現在,變色藍寶石的價格是多少?
刻面變色藍寶石的每克拉價格範圍很廣,具體取決於它們的質量和尺寸。變色藍寶石多少錢一克拉?讓我們看一下一般細分:
0.5 至 1 克拉:每克拉約 100 至 3,000 美元
1 至 7 克拉:每克拉約 300 至 5,000 美元
許多藍色到紫色的選擇每克拉大約 100 美元。選擇合成材料可以顯著降低價格,有些價格低至每克拉 2 美元,而戒指和項鍊則在 40-80 美元左右。
變色凸圓形星光藍寶石通常每克拉 300 美元左右,但有些甚至超過 2,000 美元每克拉。
幸運的是,變色藍寶石的寶石護理非常簡單。您可以用溫肥皂水和柔軟的超細纖維布清潔它們。沖洗乾淨。
只要讓石頭遠離:
極熱
極端溫度變化
氫氟酸
漂白
與其他寶石分開存放。
改變是不可避免的,為什麼不擁抱它呢?變色藍寶石不僅是炫酷的派對把戲,還能提醒人們一切都與平衡有關。有適合任何預算的天然和合成選擇,您一定會找到適合自己的!
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