Sapphires at Baker Brothers

“What’s your favourite gemstone then?” was the question I was just asked. Without skipping a beat my reply was “Sapphire!” with images in my mind instantly of the illustrious sparkling stone.

Of course, Mother Nature did not create all sapphires equal. The sapphires we have in our boutique are unique and stunning in their ability to capture the light in their royal blue dance. As with so many things in life beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some will prefer a darker gemstone while others prefer lighter ones. While catering to all tastes there is no compromise for us on quality so rest assured that your sapphire will be divine.

I would compare my perfect sapphire to the perfect little black dress, or perhaps a better comparison is the perfect pair of blue jeans! Wears perfectly for absolutely any occasion, dress it up, dress it down. Always comfortable, flattering and receives those glances of approval and envy in all the right ways. The right shade of blue works incredibly well with absolutely anything too when it has that glint that brings it to life. Clash it with bright summery oranges and see it pop against sultry autumn or winter tones.

Now, dipping your toe into the world of sapphires may seem a little daunting. It needn’t be; buying from Baker Brothers guarantees you a wealth of experience, knowledge and trust as well as a relaxed fun experience browsing styles and designs.

Your jewellery specialist at our boutique will walk you through as much detail as you would like about your sapphire. For example a sapphire should be able to handle the light in such a way that you see the light bouncing back out of those top facets rather than lost to an inky blue deep. This comes from a combination of different factors- cut, hue, saturation, clarity and tone just to name but a few characteristics. Here is a bit of detail to start you off finding the bright and lively stone made for you!

Cut

Here I am referring to the cutting skill as opposed to the overall shape of the gemstone. The cut of a sapphire isn’t worked out to set parameters or an exact formula. Each and every stone has to be cut for the beauty and potential of that individual rough. Colour gemstones and typically sapphires can be cut deeper than other stones as this helps to give them a good depth of colour when viewed from the top table. 

Hue

The hue of sapphires can vary wildly and have a massive impact on the overall appearance of your sapphire as well as the value. Hue refers to the primary colour of the sapphire, typically we think of blue. However, you may be aware that sapphires come in a variety of colours including yellow, pink, orange and even white to name a few (it’s worth noting that sapphire and ruby are the same family of gemstone with one main chemical difference resulting in the red or blue colour). For simplicity here assuming the primary hue is blue a sapphire could be sub categorized by its undertone. For example a grey undertone will significantly detract from your sapphire. Our buyers work hard to source the best of the blues for your beautiful piece which is easy to see in our show room.

Saturation

In the simplest of terms the saturation is how vibrant the colour is. I think of it like a glass of orange squash. Its orange in colour but how orange? The more squash you pour in the more concentrated the saturation. In the same way you can add too much squash to your drink it is possible for the same in your sapphire. Similarly it can be too weak as well. All these factors will impact the value of a sapphire.

Tone

This is often the first characteristic you may talk about when looking at sapphires and is quite simply how light or dark the stone is. This is where you may hear people talk about colour descriptions such as “Cornflower Blue”. Colour is such a personal thing and as such I always encourage people to go for what they love as opposed to some industry set standard. Lively and rich velvety in colour sapphires will always capture the light and be a piece of jewellery you will always enjoy so bear this in mind when considering what your preference is. 

Clarity

In the same way a diamond is graded for its clarity and how free from other minerals or inclusions it has a sapphire can be too. Types of inclusions can vary as to be expected with a natural stone but an eye clean stone is the most desirable with no inclusions noticeable with the naked eye. A heavily included stone can appear darker but lurking within the stone can be the risk of fracture from setting or even later on repairs or adjustments can equal a fateful fracture. Imagine your beloved piece falling in two in front of your eyes! Similarly a fracture in a sapphire can be filed to improve its colour and overall appearance. These are sapphires we will always reject no matter what.

Another thing to be on the watch for is “windows” within a stone. This is where when moved around one area of the sapphire can appear to lack colour. Poor cutting can result in this effect so as with many things in life the quality of your sapphire is dependent on a balance of many and often all factors that make up its quality.

Whilst not an inclusion, it’s worth mentioning while discussing properties that can be observed in a stone- characteristic of synthetic stones. Synthetic stones are as old as gemstones themselves. The most common type of technique for creating sapphires is the Boule technique where synthetic corundum is collected to form a stone in a similar way to how a stalagmite is formed. This technique leaves tell tale “growth lines” in the stone which would be easily missed without training, a good eye and some magnification. This is another reason to put your trust in the years of training, knowledge and ability of the buyers and specialists at Baker Brothers. Not only do we have years of established training in specialist areas we also continually look to update our training as the industry moves forward and changes with technological advancements. Always at the forefront never on the back foot.

Last of all when shopping for a sapphire it is worth considering going for a slightly smaller stone with the best balance of qualities. A smaller stone with high qualities will always shine its brightest as opposed to the stone that was quantity over quality.

Now, dipping your toe into the world of sapphires may seem a little daunting. It needn’t though. Buying from Baker Brothers guarantees you a wealth of experience and knowledge as well as a relaxed fun experience browsing styles and designs.

Your jewellery specialist at our Boutique will walk you through as much detail as you would like about your sapphire. For example a sapphire should be able to handle the light in such a way that you see the light bouncing back out of those top facets rather than lost to an inky blue deep. This comes from a combination of different factors- cut, hue, saturation, clarity and tone just to name but a few characteristics. Here is a bit of detail to start you off finding the bright and lively stone made for you!

If you want to see a stunning selection of sapphires in all styles and settings make an appointment with our boutique and enjoy the experience!