Untreated rubies are very, very rare and I’m always excited when a new one is added to our inventory.  After a trip to Sri Lanka, Michael and Kevin F. returned home with a ton of new rubies just in time for summer.  These rubies are super hot!

Click the link for the video from each ruby’s details page to see how absolutely gorgeous they are in real life.

U3187 is an amazing 2.06ct natural untreated ruby

U3145 is a beautiful .62ct natural untreated cushion cut ruby

If you’re looking for a slightly darker color, U3216 is a fantastic choice

We’ve recently released an update for our customer account section with a lot of useful functions!

In the new My Account section, you can change your email and password, billing and shipping information, and enter any special dates or events you might have.  If you enter an event (a birthday for example) into your Special Dates section, we can notify you of any promotions or offers that might coincide with your event.

You can now log in and view your order’s status, track your package once it has shipped, and view all of your past orders.

For orders that have been placed, there are two status categories: pending and shipped.

Orders with a ‘pending’ status are currently being processed by our sales staff.  Once your item has been picked up by the shipping carrier, its status will change to ‘shipped’ and a link to track the package will appear.

The Shopping Resources section has one of our most important updates – the new Wish List and Compare Lists.

To add an item to either your Compare List or your Wish List, you can click the buttons below the item’s photo from the details page.

Both lists function similarly – they allow you to compare a number of items side by side.  However, there is one big difference between the two.  In the Wish List you can compare up to 100 items and all of your items are saved.  In the Compare List you can only compare up to 5 items and your selections cannot be saved.

If you want to just do a quick comparison between a couple of stones, you can use your Compare List (you also don’t have to be logged in our have an account set up to use this function).  But, if you want to compare more than 5, or you want to save all of your items, using the Wish List is the best way to go.

For both the Compare and Wish List, the items are grouped by tabs so stones have their own tab, settings have their own tab, jewelry has its own tab, etc.  Just click the tab to flip back and forth between categories.

Traditionally, June has always been the most popular month for couples to get married. That is where the term “June bride” comes from.  The month of June derives its name from Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage.  It was anciently thought that couples who married in June would be blessed with prosperity and happiness.

Another wedding tradition that is popular to this day is the saying “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”.  These four things are objects that symbolize very important aspects of marriage.  Something old represents continuity; something new offers optimism for the future; something borrowed symbolizes borrowed happiness and something blue stands for purity, love, and fidelity.

A blue sapphire is the perfect symbol of purity and love.  What would be more perfect than a lovely pair of diamond and blue sapphire earrings?  These remarkable earrings will surely compliment any bride on her wedding day and perfect symbol of the union of marriage.

J1744: Natural Untreated Blue Sapphire and Diamond Earrings

Another well beloved wedding tradition is the bridesmaid gift.  As the bride you will want your bridesmaids to remember this day and it is certainly appropriate to give a lovely gift showing your appreciation.  Blue is also a color associated with friendship and support.  A blue sapphire pendant would be a classic symbol and perfect bridesmaid gift.

J2135: Natural Untreated Blue Sapphire Pendant

Blue might be the most well-known sapphire color but it is by no means the only sapphire color.  Some of my favorite stones are located in our ‘unique’ color section.   With colors ranging from rose to golden, you can pretty much find any color you’re looking for in this category.

Two of my favorite unique colors are our green sapphires and our purple sapphires.  One of the rarest sapphire colors, green sapphires can be found in a variety of different shades from bluish green to yellowish green and even olive.

U2943 is an amazing 1.08 carat round green sapphire – and a great deal too!

My personal favorite is U2953.  Simply stunning.

U2960 is a beautiful bluish green radiant cut sapphire.

Purple (and its variations of lilac, violet, and lavender) can be one of the prettiest sapphire colors.  Like green sapphire, purple sapphires also can be found in so many shades that you’re bound to find a color you love.

U3018 is beautiful round violet sapphire.

My favorite purple sapphires are U99 and U2286.  Play the videos to see how sparkling and beautiful these stones really are.

U99 is an alluring Natural Oval Purple Sapphire

U2286 is a gorgeous Natural Oval Violet Sapphire

We’ve been looking for some reputable charities in Sri Lanka to support for some time, yet haven’t found any that we feel are well established.

So, on my last trip to Sri Lanka I decided to visit a few orphanages myself and see if we might be able to support them with a direct contribution.

It was difficult to see so many young children without proper health care, clothing and even a comfortable place to sleep.

Yet I was very encouraged to learn more about how to try and help these children.

I was told by some trusted advisors who I was traveling with that I shouldn’t make a monetary donation directly to any orphanage.

Rather I should talk to the children directly and see what it is that they need or want.

I was warned that if I showed up with a truck of papaya or other food related donation, there was a chance that the truck might be diverted to the local town market place where the donation would be sold in the open market for cash!  In short: I was told that if I wanted to make a donation to help the children I would need to literally show up with whatever I felt was needed for the children and then directly hand them the items (shoes, food, books etc).

Not all of the charity organizations or orphanages in Sri Lanka are corrupt, but to be sure that a donation is going to go directly to the children it’s best to hand them the donation directly.  This is troubling yet also a very rewarding opportunity to really help out the ones in need.

We are currently working with some trusted people inside Sri Lanka who will be purchasing items for us and delivering them to the children at a few orphanages that we visited.

We hope to expand this company donation program in Sri Lanka if we can confidently see its success at work.

Sri Lanka provides our company and the rest of the world with many beautiful precious sapphires!

It’s very important to us that we provide this wonderful country with some gifts in return.

Boys at a local orphanage near Beruwala Sri Lanka

They asked us if we could buy them shoes.  I promised we’d return with some soon.

A universal symbol of love, the heart, has held meaning for centuries.  In early eras, it was thought to be the center of emotion and symbolized love, warmth and courage.  The heart signifies the selfless act of giving everything to someone you love.

This spring, The Natural Sapphire Company celebrates the magic of love that captivates hearts by setting up Heart Jewelry.  Each custom made jewelry item features a heart symbol adorned with natural sapphires and glittering gold.

A beautiful collection of Natural Sapphire Heart Shaped Jewelry

Love blooms when two hearts meet, and blossoms like the sakura flower in spring time. Love endures and lasts a lifetime. Nothing symbolizes love and romance quite like the heart and these beautiful sapphire jewelry pieces communicate this sentiment wonderfully.

The Natural Sapphire Company has a large selection of Ceylon blue sapphires. Ceylon sapphires are known for their prized blue cornflower color tone.  However, if you desire a richer and deeper blue color tone, then the rich royal blue of our Thai blue sapphires will be ideal for you.

Thai blue sapphires have been known throughout the gem market as being of inferior quality and inky dark blue.  However, we have sourced a beautiful array of blue sapphires of Thai origins that have a prized blue color tone and brilliant appearance.

Sapphire mining within Thailand occurs primarily within the Chanthaburi and Trat provinces, located in the southeastern part of the country bordering Cambodia, and near the northern border with Myanmar in the province of Kanchanaburi.  One must remember that origin is not a statement of quality.  It is the fact that these sapphires have achieved this highly sought after color tone and clarity without enhancements that make them so remarkable.

1.24ct Natural Untreated Round Thai Blue Sapphire

Natural, untreated gems represent rarity as well as purity and hold the capability to maintain their timeless value throughout its existence.

When you buy a sapphire or ruby, you sort of expect that what you see is what you get, right?  Perhaps you have a distant vision of the stone being dug out of the earth by reverent hands, carried carefully to the workshop of a skilled cutter, meticulously polished, and shipped straight to you.

If you shop with The Natural Sapphire Company, your mental image is actually pretty accurate.

However, if  you buy uncertified sapphires … there might have been a few stops along the way.  99% of sapphires in the market today are 99% of sapphires on the market are treated with processes like color diffusion, fracture filling, or being heated to extremes.

So what does all of that mean?

Well, if you buy a color diffused sapphire, you’re buying a once-colorless stone that’s been transformed to a beautiful blue … at least to the depth of half a millimeter.  You see, sapphire’s main chemical composition derives from aluminum oxide, but its color comes from trace elements like iron and titanium.  Those same chemicals are combined in the diffusion process in a pan, and the stones are added to it, and subjected to intense heat.  This process “bakes” the sapphire, bringing a high concentration of its trace elements to the surface.  Color diffused sapphires can be beautiful … so long as you never repolish them, as it would quickly be revealed that the Emperor had no brightly colored sapphires.

Fracture filled or “composite” gemstones have been much in the news recently: afflicting rubies in particular, this practice consists of superheating rubies and packing their cavities with lead glass, which possesses a very similar refractive index.  The fracture-filling process can be relatively minor and an incidental byproduct of the more common heat treatment, or it can be deliberate and result in a hugely altered ruby … and a hugely altered price-tag.   However, now there’s an additional element: some rubies being sold on the market are “multiple pieces of typically low-quality corundum, fused together by colored glass and often containing more glass than corundum.” (National Jeweler Network)  To use a potentially unpalatable metaphor, if natural rubies are a treat along the lines of the best filet mignon, composite rubies are like hot dogs from a street vender’s cart: mysterious in their contents, highly unnatural, and more than likely to leave you with a bad case of indigestion.

Heating is the most common treatment, dating back before the Classical period: as with many things, it’s as much a question of degree as anything else.  While mild heat treating may moderately improve a stone’s color or clarity, high heat literally melts the inclusions within the stone, producing a characteristic “dead” appearance.  And, of course, any heat reduces the value and rarity of the stone in question: it’s up to the buyer to decide how that affects their desire for a bigger, more affordable stone.

Luckily, there are alternatives … like our wares.  We disclose all information, provide extensive testing and full certification, and concentrate on providing the rarest, best, and most beautiful. Who could resist goods like these natural sapphires and untreated rubies?

Natural blue sapphire B3637, unique rubies U2353 and U559, and natural blue sapphire B2767: it’s a spectrum of natural delight

Within our Unique Sapphire section, we have a few stones that might be of particular interest for true gemstone collectors and enthusiasts.  Bi-color sapphires are extremely rare and each stone has a color combination you will never find again.

For those of you looking for a sapphire that is truly one of a kind, bi-colored sapphire U2985 with its blues, greens, and yellows might be the perfect stone for you.

U2985 is an amazing blue, green, and yellow bi-colored sapphire

Looking for a warmer color tone?  U2452 is a beautiful purple and pink heart and would look stunning in a rose gold setting.

U2452 would make the perfect gift for your sweetheart

If you are inspired by the bi-color sapphire idea, U2360 is perhaps one of the most striking sapphires we have in our inventory.   Weighing an impressive 7.56 carats, U2360 is absolutely stunning.

U2360 is a bi-color emerald cut sapphire with yellow, blue, and purple tones

And if you’re wondering what setting options we have to highlight these beautiful stones, here are a couple of suggestions for inspiration.

U22985 set in JS21, a bezel set ring, and JS212, a classic three stone diamond ring

U2452 set in JS86, a beautiful rose gold pendant setting, and in JS493, a white gold or platinum 3 stone ring

U2360 set in JS100, a timeless and classic pendant setting

The Natural Sapphire Company sells blue sapphires, pink sapphires, yellow sapphires and uniquely colored sapphires.

Our most basic combination is that of the blue-hued sapphire in combination with a ring of white metal, most commonly white gold,  but sometimes palladium or platinum.

I love this combination, and I believe you can never get bored with it.

However, if you want to accentuate this ring’s beauty,  a matching band couldn’t hurt ….

Just take a look at the picture below:

Antique-inspired ring JS10 (featured here with natural blue sapphire B3064) now has a matching band.  This version is curved, but if you want to go straight, your wish is our command.

Here is one more antique design with a matching band:

Antique-inspired ring design  JS16 (featured with natural blue sapphire B3245) has now got a new matching band, too: this set can also be produced with a curved band or a straight one, as the customer desires.

And if these aren’t quite what your heart desires, why not search through our gallery of ring settings - or even our custom jewelry settings?  Here at NSC, the customer’s wish is our command.

With Mother’s Day on the horizon, thoughts turn to the question of appropriate gifts to celebrate motherhood.  The same issue can arise throughout the year with the custom of the push present, but in spring, young or old, a father’s fancy lightly to thoughts of how to best express his love.

It can be easy to feel a little limited by social expectations, and at odds with them: if you have two sons whom you want to celebrate with your wife but you know she hates the color blue, what do you do?  Well, for one, you can take comfort in the fact that the whole idea of blue being for boys and pink being for girls, while it may appear to be so ingrained as to be natural to the species,  is actually kind of nonsensical ….

Up until WWII, the common associations were actually reversed: pale blue, associated with the Virgin Mary, was seen as being a demure color, appropriate for baby girls (let’s not go into the social expectations there, so as to avoid apoplexy), whereas pink was seen as the baby version of powerful, passionate red, eminently suitable for baby boys (see also, avoiding apoplexy).   So all in all, rather than having to adhere to a falsely-constructed set of expectations, follow  your bliss and get the mommy in your life whatever you think she’ll love best.

Natural pink sapphire ring J391 is a classic piece, irresistible for a classically elegant woman … and perfect to someday pass down to your daughter, or daughter-in-law when you become grandparents.  And J582, featuring a natural pink sapphire marquis in an Etruscan-inspired asymmetrical setting, is perfect for the mother with a sense of style that’s equal parts ancient and modern ….

A blue star sapphire ring like J291 will put stars in her eyes … while a gorgeous floral-inspired natural sapphire and diamond cluster ring like J1750 will last long after more fleeting bouquets have faded.

And, frankly, why choose?  Have it all with pink and blue sapphire ring J1165.

The sun is shining … the birds are singing … your heart is overflowing with joy, because you’re in love.  Getting married is the inevitable next step!  That said, there might be a few … hindrances.  Like, for example, the recession, especially when it comes up against some of the marital traditions, concluding with the Big White Wedding, but starting out with (da-da-dum!) the ring.

The recession really serves to highlight the inherent difficulty of the tradition of the diamond engagement ring (well, one of them).  On the one hand, there’s the beauty of the gesture, and the symbolism of the ring: on the other hand, there’s the reality that when you’re starting your life together, the cost of a diamond can be a bit of a bitter pill … especially when you consider the fact, common knowledge, that diamonds are not especially rare, that their prices are artificially inflated.

So what’s a happy new couple to do?  There are many alternatives out there, but a lot of them seem … unpalatable.  Synthetics can be lovely, but their connotations – “fake” as opposed to natural, the potential for their being seen as deceptive if anyone assumes them to be “real,” etc. – can be distasteful.  The world is full of beautiful colored stones, but many of them are considerably softer than diamond, and unsuitable for daily wear on the hand (I myself love opals and moonstones … a little too much to subject them to the daily abuse they’d get from someone who makes a habit of working with her hands!) , or, alternately, are subjected to the kinds of treatment that make them into unfortunate hybrids.   So where does that leave you, the loving couple?

Natural sapphires are a perfect solution.  Sapphires are traditional symbols of fidelity, with a tradition as engagement rings that far predates the diamond’s early-20^th c. roots: natural sapphires are rare and precious, a nice association with your feelings for your partner; and, in this economy, best of all, they’re affordable.

Affordable is in the eye of the beholder … but behold some of our engagement ring fashions, and see if they might not be right for you:  where else could you find a gorgeous white sapphire solitaire of almost a carat like J2033 … for less than $1000?  Or a rare natural orangish-pink sapphire, of the hue known as padparadscha, the marriage of the lotus and the sunset, like J1376, for but a little more?

And if your eye leans towards something a little more extravagant, we can most certainly accommodate you: from the perfect simplicity and breathtaking rarity of ruby ring J1568 to the old-world glamour of 6-carat natural blue sapphire J387.

The recession may have inspired a renewed interest in sapphires as an alternative to diamond, but whatever the initial reasoning, the reminder that natural sapphires are worthy of serious consideration is priceless.  Now that the economy is looking up (hallelujah!),   that’s no reason to turn away from sapphires and back to the tried, the true, the overpriced: I’d call it a reason to examine your broadened horizons, and consider going for the sapphire of your dreams ….

While it feels a little like picking one’s favorite child out of a thriving brood, I have to admit, out of all of the jewelry pieces out there in the world, my favorites, now and forever, are earrings.  There’s something undeniably appealing about a piece of jewelry that isn’t just intrinsically flattering in its own right, but which also serves to decorate and adorn the focal point of one’s person … the face.

It appears that earrings are a rising trend right now: observing the Oscars, JCK Online’s Jennifer Heebner notes that one of the biggest trends to emerge from the red carpet this year was the oversized earring, donned by actresses such as Rachel McAdams (late of “Sherlock Holmes” fame).

The visual balance between the dress and the earrings is sheer perfection, and a good model for a season that’s shaping up to be all about the exaggerated silhouette ….

If you’re interested in recreating the look for yourself, why not explore spring’s palette in natural sapphires?  As my esteemed colleague Wakako pointed out, this season’s colors offer a lot of options.   And there’s really nothing quite as satisfying as twisting fashion to suit your own tastes ….

Natural padparadscha earrings J170 provide the perfect pop of color to usher in the spring

Natural sapphires in pink and yellow are paired with a half- carat of colorless diamonds for an effect that would have the Easter Bunny himself thumping a foot in approval – J1482

Or, if you want to craft your own, a pair of unique color-change sapphires like PR982-U would make for an excellent starting point for the custom jewelry settings of your choice

Jewelry packs a strong punch, impression-wise, for something that’s rather small, proportionally speaking: even a wide-band ring is unlikely to measure more than 20 mm (at most), or 2 mm in thickness at the average.  However, this small world is a sensitive one: if you want to change a design by even half a millimeter, the design of the ring could be altered immensely.

For example, please take a look the JS258 in two variations: first as a straight white sapphire band and then as a curved white sapphire band.

I used exactly the same pattern in creating these two designs: however, the shape of the band differs very slightly, for a very different effect.

The curved band looks more soft and shapely, doesn’t it? Something about this curvy shape strikes me as being ultrafeminine.

On the other hand, the straight band looks more streamlined to my eyes.  I think this straight band could suit a man or a woman – anybody with a contemporary aesthetic with a touch of vintage flair.

The Natural Sapphire Company is very flexible when it comes to custom jewelry settings: we want you to have what you want.

Please feel free to ask us about your own idea or design.  We will be pleased to work with you to create your very own one-of-a-kind custom-made natural sapphire ring.

It’s that time of year once more … the Oscars have come round!

While the Oscars are putatively a celebration of cinematic achievement, it’s pretty well accepted that right after the honor of being nominated and the victory of receiving an award comes the cachet of making the Best-Dressed List, or the glorious ignominy of making the Worst-Dressed List.

One lady who’s always at the top of the Best-Dressed List?  Victoria Beckham.  Once again wearing her stunningly beautiful oval sapphire ring, the Artist Formerly Known as Posh is resplendent in a beautifully modern take on the classical Grecian garment, designed by no other than … Posh Spice herself!  Well played, madam.

If you crave a ring like Posh’s, you might like J1697 ….

Hollywood up-and-comer Elizabeth Banks is making all the Best-Dressed Lists in her dove-grey Versace.  Banks channels old-Hollywood glamour masterfully, with just a little help from her vintage sapphire-and-diamond earrings, courtesy of Fred Leighton.

A good pair of earrings can really put the perfect finishing touch on even the most beautiful outfit … just consider natural sapphire and diamond earrings J621

Cheryl Hines is timelessly beautiful in an elegantly plunging black dress by Pamella Roland: it’s the perfect foil for her opera-length diamond and sapphire pendant.

Love the look?  Recreate it with something like diamond and sapphire necklace J1481

Congratulations to all the nominees and to all the winners, regardless in which arena they were competing!