Pink Sapphire Diamond Ring
Diamonds. What picture comes to mind? Pure, clear crystal casting a rainbow of iridescent light. Right? Well, did you know that the rarest, most valuable diamonds in the world are actually pink? Recall the Peter Sellers movie, "The Pink Panther"? At the center of that film was the world's largest pink diamond.
And what of sapphires? Deep, scintillating, royal blue stones set in crown jewels the world over, right? Would it surprise you to know that sapphires actually come in a variety of colors, including shades of pink that make them look remarkably like pink diamonds.
The epitome of femininity in precious stone jewelry, pink diamonds and sapphires are the latest thing in female fashion. Often set with classic white diamonds, both pink sapphires and pink diamonds are making a flashy splash in the world of fashion. And regardless of your budget, you can have the latest look to hit the runways of Europe and New York!
While it's a trend in the making, pink diamonds have long been regarded as one of the most sought after of all precious gems. Pink diamonds are also among the rarest of all gemstones, which makes them among the most valuable, more expensive than white diamonds.
Much rarer than white diamonds, only a very small number of natural pink diamonds are mined each year. Additionally, white diamonds can be irradiated in the lab to produce various shades of pink diamonds are therefore significantly more expensive than white diamonds.
But all of the traits which make pink diamonds so sought after and valuable also put them out of reach of most jewelry lovers.
And that's why luxurious pink sapphires are often substituted in fine settings as an affordable alternative to pink diamonds, one with a very similar aesthetic.
What are Pink Diamonds?
Are pink diamonds real diamonds? Indeed they are. Diamonds actually occur naturally in a wide range of colors including white, yellow, champagne or cognac, brown, black, and pink, the rarest and most prized. Of all of the natural diamond colors, pink is the rarest color. Pink is far more rare than all of the other natural diamond colors.
Natural pink diamonds come from earth and mineral deposits that are red in color, and so the tint infuses the carbon crystals of the diamonds. They come from only one place in the world, however, the Argyle diamond mine in Australia. And to help keep the price up by way of limited supply, this mine extracts only a very small number of large pink diamonds each year. The majority of the these pink diamonds are exported to the most prestigious international jewelry houses and those that specialize in rare colored diamonds. But additionally, there are also irradiated pink diamonds, artificially colored by exciting the atoms of diamond carbon. Like artificial diamonds, these are considered lesser in quality and so have a lower price tag.
What is a Pink Sapphire?
Pink sapphires are a form of gemstone called corundum, which has been colored by very small quantities of the mineral chromium. Depending on the chromium content, the color of a sapphire can vary from pale pink to near red. But once the corundum shifts to the red spectrum, they are no longer classified as sapphires at all, but rather rubies!
Second only to diamonds in hardness, sapphires of all colors are very hard gemstones. And as was alluded to above, pink sapphires are suitable to be worn in engagement rings, wedding rings, dress rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets, and are being substituted for pink diamonds much to the satisfaction of women all across the world. They do tend to be more expensive than classic blue sapphires.
Pink Sapphires - The Affordable Alternative to Pink Diamonds
Because the majority of pink sapphires are priced much lower than pink diamonds, the beautiful and desirable combination of crystal white and iridescent pink are finding themselves in affordable, precious stone arrangements. Pink sapphires are the perfect enhancement to an engagement ring, dress ring, or modern wedding ring.
