Guide to buying white sapphire rings

White sapphires belong to the most valuable gemstones in the world. A white sapphire looks a lot like a diamond and because sapphires are also nearly as hard as diamonds, they are sometimes used as an alternative to diamonds, or together with them.

What is white sapphire?

Overview Sapphires belong to the mineral group of conundrums, and a pure natural sapphire (conundrum) is colourless. Most conundrum pieces contain some impurities, usually iron or chrome, and these turn the pure white conundrum into colourful gemstones.
The most common colour in sapphires is blue in all its shades, but sapphires can also be yellow, orange, pink or purple. A conundrum with chrome impurities that have turned its colour red is not a sapphire but a ruby. Sapphires are the second hardest gemstones in the world, second only to diamonds.
The Mohs scale, the international scale used to grade the hardness of gemstones, gives diamonds 10 (the highest number), and sapphires the hardness of 9. They also sparkle in a way that resembles the sparkle and the brilliance of diamonds.

Tips for buying white sapphires

Tips
White sapphires are slightly more affordable than diamonds, although large natural white sapphires are not easy to find and they can be very expensive. The best and most valuable white sapphires are graded VVS (very very slightly included) or VS (very slightly included). The stones in these two categories have only minor inclusions or minor to noticeable inclusions (flaws). How valuable a sapphire is depends on its colour, its size and its transparency, but also on where the gemstone comes from.
Sapphires that are certified as originating from Kashmir in India belong to the most sought-after in the world. Stones from Myanmar (Burma) are also very valuable and Ceylon sapphires (sapphires from Sri Lanka) are a third highly valued group. Ceylon sapphires are usually light or medium blue. Sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September.
In many ancient cultures, this gemstone was believed to have special powers, including enhancing the connection with the divine or with the spirit world. Sapphire is also associated with intuition, perception and clarity, and sometimes with prosperity, and it is a traditional gift for the fifth and the 45th wedding anniversaries.
Final word White sapphire jewellery is a good investment: Because of their hardness, sapphires are durable gemstones and a white sapphire ring is a long-lasting gift. Sources: International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA)