Everything You Need To Know About Sapphires

Our latest collection, Light & Dark, is a tale of symbiosis, honouring the space that exists between shadow and light. To capture this, the Natalie Marie Jewellery design team worked with two contrasting stones: diamond and sapphire. The inspiration for the collection developed when we began to identify the beauty in the stark differences between these two precious stones. When pairing these stones together, you begin to see how they only serve to enhance each other.

A sapphire’s beauty lies largely in its versatility. Said to symbolise faithfulness, sincerity and nobility, a sapphire can be paired with any metal, and any stone. It embodies the style of the wearer. Vibrant in colour, it’s the perfect totem to celebrate a special moment in time, propose a promise, honour a vow or mark a milestone. Considering a sapphire for your next keepsake? Here, our Head Designer, Shona Macdonald, explains everything you need to know about purchasing a piece of jewellery imbued with sapphires.

First things first: what are sapphires?

Shona: “Sapphires are formed from the mineral corundum, which produces both sapphire and ruby. Traditionally, sapphires are blue, and the variants of other colours (red/pink/green/purple/orange) are known as ‘fancy sapphires’, except red corundum which we know as ruby. Sapphires can be found all over the world, with the sapphires we use at NMJ predominantly coming from Australia (our Aussie blues) or Sri Lanka (our pale blue ceylons).”

As a stone, what do they convey or represent? What makes them so special?

“Sapphire is known for its links to royalty throughout the ages, with Princess Diana’s engagement ring being one of the most famous sapphire rings in the industry. It has been said to symbolise faithfulness, sincerity and nobility. Sapphire is also the birthstone for September, as well as being the marker for a 5th or 45th wedding anniversary. To us, our Australian blues are so special as they can be treasured as a piece of the country we are privileged to live and work in. A very special token of the beauty produced by the land we are lucky to call home.”

A sapphire’s beauty lies largely in its versatility. Said to symbolise faithfulness, sincerity and nobility, a sapphire can be paired with any metal, and any stone. It embodies the style of the wearer. Vibrant in colour, it’s the perfect totem to celebrate a special moment in time, propose a promise, honour a vow or mark a milestone. Considering a sapphire for your next keepsake? Here, our Head Designer, Shona Macdonald, explains everything you need to know about purchasing a piece of jewellery imbued with sapphires.

First things first: what are sapphires?

Shona: “Sapphires are formed from the mineral corundum, which produces both sapphire and ruby. Traditionally, sapphires are blue, and the variants of other colours (red/pink/green/purple/orange) are known as ‘fancy sapphires’, except red corundum which we know as ruby. Sapphires can be found all over the world, with the sapphires we use at NMJ predominantly coming from Australia (our Aussie blues) or Sri Lanka (our pale blue ceylons).”

As a stone, what do they convey or represent? What makes them so special?

“Sapphire is known for its links to royalty throughout the ages, with Princess Diana’s engagement ring being one of the most famous sapphire rings in the industry. It has been said to symbolise faithfulness, sincerity and nobility. Sapphire is also the birthstone for September, as well as being the marker for a 5th or 45th wedding anniversary. To us, our Australian blues are so special as they can be treasured as a piece of the country we are privileged to live and work in. A very special token of the beauty produced by the land we are lucky to call home.”

Woman wearing the macie wrap engagement ring stacked

Tell us more about the inspiration for this new collection, Light & Dark, and why the team chose sapphires to work with?

“Light & Dark features Australian Sapphires, Laboratory Grown Diamonds and Mined Diamonds, offering our customers the opportunity to make an educated choice on the stone they feel most aligned to. This collection features considered, elegant and timeless designs intended to be treasured for a lifetime. When pairing diamonds and sapphires together in one piece, you can really see one feed from the other, only enhancing its counterpart’s beauty. Almost synonymous with the differences between lovers or friends that can make a bond unbreakable.”

What inspires you about sapphires specifically?

“Sapphires are so special because of their often vivid colouring, they can cast a variety of different hues dependent on the light, giving them such a unique quality. I love to design with sapphires, and particularly complementing sapphires with diamonds, as I feel it only heightens their impact. Something about the range and depth of colour that is achieved in a sapphire makes me marvel at the wonders of the earth. That a chemical reaction deep below the earth's surface—a chance infusion of such specific elements—can result in such deep pigmentation is a wonder. To me, a sapphire emanates the magic of the natural world, much in the way a beautiful flower or a leaf does, but in a more permanent fashion, allowing me to feel closer to nature.”

What should we look for when choosing a piece of jewellery featuring a sapphire?

“Vibrant colour, generally if you are looking for a sapphire piece it’s to celebrate the depths of its colour. Whether it be a sky-coloured Ceylon blue, warm leafy Australian green, or a rare and romantic pink/orange Padparadscha, if possible, look at the piece in sunlight to get the best representation of the stones colour—and watch it sparkle!

Ask about heat treatment. Often, sapphires will be heat treated to alter or enhance their colour. While there is nothing wrong with heat treating, we prefer to use stones that naturally possess strong saturation needing no additional treatment. This ensures we are working with the best quality materials and celebrating the natural process of the stone which is of deep importance to us at NMJ.”

Tell us more about the inspiration for this new collection, Light & Dark, and why the team chose sapphires to work with?

“Light & Dark features Australian Sapphires, Laboratory Grown Diamonds and Mined Diamonds, offering our customers the opportunity to make an educated choice on the stone they feel most aligned to. This collection features considered, elegant and timeless designs intended to be treasured for a lifetime. When pairing diamonds and sapphires together in one piece, you can really see one feed from the other, only enhancing its counterpart’s beauty. Almost synonymous with the differences between lovers or friends that can make a bond unbreakable.”

What inspires you about sapphires specifically?

“Sapphires are so special because of their often vivid colouring, they can cast a variety of different hues dependent on the light, giving them such a unique quality. I love to design with sapphires, and particularly complementing sapphires with diamonds, as I feel it only heightens their impact. Something about the range and depth of colour that is achieved in a sapphire makes me marvel at the wonders of the earth. That a chemical reaction deep below the earth's surface—a chance infusion of such specific elements—can result in such deep pigmentation is a wonder. To me, a sapphire emanates the magic of the natural world, much in the way a beautiful flower or a leaf does, but in a more permanent fashion, allowing me to feel closer to nature.”

What should we look for when choosing a piece of jewellery featuring a sapphire?

“Vibrant colour, generally if you are looking for a sapphire piece it’s to celebrate the depths of its colour. Whether it be a sky-coloured Ceylon blue, warm leafy Australian green, or a rare and romantic pink/orange Padparadscha, if possible, look at the piece in sunlight to get the best representation of the stones colour—and watch it sparkle!

Ask about heat treatment. Often, sapphires will be heat treated to alter or enhance their colour. While there is nothing wrong with heat treating, we prefer to use stones that naturally possess strong saturation needing no additional treatment. This ensures we are working with the best quality materials and celebrating the natural process of the stone which is of deep importance to us at NMJ.”

"To me, a sapphire emanates the magic of the natural world, much in the way a beautiful flower or a leaf does, but in a more permanent fashion, allowing me to feel closer to nature.”

Woman wearing the Tilly Halo Ring with a saphire stone and halo of white diamonds

You mentioned sapphires can be different shades of blue—what does this represent?

“We have our pale blue Ceylon sapphires available in our Lena/Aurelia/Aiona story, as well as our deep Australian blues featured as part of this collection. Sapphires can be found in greens, yellows, oranges and pinks as well as blues. Fun fact: any corundum with a colour other than blue (and of course red—ruby) are known as ‘fancy sapphires’. Some stones, known as Parti Sapphires, feature a blend of these colours giving them an extra special quality. The colour of the sapphire is dictated by the trace elements present when the mineral is formed. Often this can be as a result of where the sapphire was mined as different land areas feature a different chemical makeup in their earth.”

How can we wear sapphires?

“A sapphire's beauty lies largely in its versatility. While personally, I’d pair more warm green/ yellow hues with complementary yellow gold, deep blues can look vibrant in contrasting yellow gold as well as in complementary white gold. It’s all down to personal preference. I love green sapphires paired with champagne diamonds for a warmer, more subtle look, which is what I plan to do with my own engagement ring and wedding band combo! In Light & Dark, we have put focus largely on the combination of blue sapphires with white diamonds. Whether you choose to do this in one piece, like the Tilly Halo Ring, or with the addition of a diamond wedding or eternity band to your existing sapphire engagement ring, there are plentiful opportunities to enhance a piece through this style of contrast. Combining these two opposites on the colour scale can bring you to a place of balance and harmony found in between these two opposites.”

You mentioned sapphires can be different shades of blue—what does this represent?

“We have our pale blue Ceylon sapphires available in our Lena/Aurelia/Aiona story, as well as our deep Australian blues featured as part of this collection. Sapphires can be found in greens, yellows, oranges and pinks as well as blues. Fun fact: any corundum with a colour other than blue (and of course red—ruby) are known as ‘fancy sapphires’. Some stones, known as Parti Sapphires, feature a blend of these colours giving them an extra special quality. The colour of the sapphire is dictated by the trace elements present when the mineral is formed. Often this can be as a result of where the sapphire was mined as different land areas feature a different chemical makeup in their earth.”

How can we wear sapphires?

“A sapphire's beauty lies largely in its versatility. While personally, I’d pair more warm green/ yellow hues with complementary yellow gold, deep blues can look vibrant in contrasting yellow gold as well as in complementary white gold. It’s all down to personal preference. I love green sapphires paired with champagne diamonds for a warmer, more subtle look, which is what I plan to do with my own engagement ring and wedding band combo! In Light & Dark, we have put focus largely on the combination of blue sapphires with white diamonds. Whether you choose to do this in one piece, like the Tilly Halo Ring, or with the addition of a diamond wedding or eternity band to your existing sapphire engagement ring, there are plentiful opportunities to enhance a piece through this style of contrast. Combining these two opposites on the colour scale can bring you to a place of balance and harmony found in between these two opposites.”