SUITABLE FOR DAILY WEAR
Corundum (gem material of sapphire and ruby) is the second hardest gem material in the world, second only to diamond, which means sapphire can only be scratched by another sapphire or a diamond. This also means that unlike many other coloured gemstones such as tanzanite, contact with dust (which contains high quantities of silica) will not scratch a sapphire.
Corundum also has excellent toughness and no cleavage (tougher than diamond). This means that sapphires are not prone to chipping, cracking, or breaking.
Unheated sapphire is also stable under normal wearing conditions such as heat, light, and common chemicals. However, even mild acids like lemon juice can damage fracture-filled and some treated sapphire.
These qualities make natural unheated sapphire a highly durable gemstone suitable for daily wear.
CLEANING
Easiest and safest way to clean sapphire is to wash it in warm soapy water and wipe it with a gem cleaning cloth. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are usually safe for untreated sapphires, but you do not need to use chemicals to clean your stone. Due to its hardness sapphire can take a high quality polish and therefore washing in soapy water is more than enough.
STORING SAPPHIRE JEWELLERY
In general, when storing loose gemstones or jewellery, take a good care not to let them touch one another and that each piece is stored separately. As a hard gem material, sapphire can scratch softer gemstones, other sapphires or precious metal such as gold or platinum. And as diamonds are harder than sapphires, it can scratch sapphires.
This article has been reposted from Deliqa Gems (Copyright 2013 Deliqa Gems) Hope this helps you to look after your precious unheated sapphire.
No comments :
Post a Comment
What do you think?