GEMSTONE SPECIES - INORGANIC

Ruby is a precious gemstone known for its rich red colour, extreme durability, and rarity. It is a variety of the mineral corundum and gets its red colour from the presence of chromium.
Common Treatments:
Heat Treatment --> Common and accepted to improve colour and clarity.
Fracture Filling (glass-filled rubies) --> Less valuable, often requires care.
Synthetic Rubies --> Lab-created rubies exist for industrial and jewelry use. 

Star Rubies is a rare variety of the ruby gemstone that displays a distinct star-like pattern (called asterism) on its surface when viewed under direct light. This optical effect is caused by the reflection of light off needle-like inclusions of rutile (titanium dioxide) inside the stone.
Value Factors:
Sharpness & visibility of the Star -->  Clear, centered, and symmetrical star is most prized.
Colour --> Rich red stones with strong saturation are more valuable.
Transparency --> Some transparency is desirable but not required.
Treatment --> Most star rubies are heat-treated, but untreated stones with strong stars are highly prized. 

Fancy Sapphire is any sapphire that is not blue. While blue is the classic sapphire colour, fancy sapphires come in a stunning variety of hues due to different trace elements within the mineral corundum.

Colour & Trace Element:
Pink Sapphire --> Chromium

Yellow Sapphire --> Iron

Green Sapphire --> Iron and titanium

Purple Sapphire --> Vanadium or iron

Orange Sapphire --> Iron and chromium

Treatments:

Heat treatment --> common to enhance colour and clarity.

Beryllium diffusion  --> used to produce or intensify colours, especially for orange and yellow.

Blue sapphire is the most famous and prized variety of the corundum mineral family. It is known for its rich, deep blue colour, exceptional hardness and stand out as one of the most iconic and revered gemstones in the world.
Colour Details: 
Ideal Color --> A velvety deep blue with strong saturation and minimal zoning.
Cornflower Blue --> Highly prized color associated with sapphires from Kashmir.
Royal Blue --> Deep, vivid blue often seen in Ceylon (Sri Lankan) sapphires.
Treatments:
Heat Treatment --> Common to enhance colour and clarity.
Untreated Sapphires --> Extremely rare and valuable. 

Star Sapphire is a special variety of sapphire that displays a star-like optical phenomenon called asterism. This star appears on the surface of the stone when it's cut as a cabochon (a smooth, rounded shape) and viewed under a direct light source.
Why the Star Appears: 
--> The star effect is caused by rutile inclusions (tiny needle-like crystals of titanium dioxide) within the sapphire.
--> These inclusions are aligned in specific directions and reflect light in a six-rayed star pattern (sometimes 12-rayed in very rare cases).
Treatment:
Most star sapphires are heat-treated to enhance colour.
However, excessive heat can diminish the star effect, so balance is key. 

Colour Change Sapphire is a unique variety of sapphire that changes colour under different lighting conditions, typically shifting between blue in daylight and violet or purplish hues in incandescent light.
Why the Colour Change Happens:
--> The effect is due to trace elements  (vanadium) in the sapphire’s crystal structure, which absorb and reflect light differently based on the light source.
Treatment:
Heat treatment is sometimes used to enhance clarity or colour, but natural, untreated stones are more valuable.
Excessive heating can reduce the colour-change effect. 

Padparadscha sapphire is one of the rarest and most valuable types of sapphire, prized for its unique blend of pink and orange hues. It stands apart from other sapphires in several important ways
 1. Distinctive Colour --> The name Padparadscha (pronounced pad-pah-raj-ah) comes from the Sinhalese word for "lotus blossom", referencing its delicate salmon-pink to orange-pink colour. Other sapphires are usually solid in colour (blue, yellow, pink, etc.), but Padparadscha uniquely blends two colours.
2. Rarity --> Extremely rare, especially in natural, untreated form. True padparadscha sapphires with the ideal pink-orange balance are much harder to find than standard blue or pink sapphires
3. Colour Standards Are Strict --> The exact colour range is narrow and controversial, even experts sometimes debate what qualifies as a “true” padparadscha. Too pink or too orange, and it's classified as a pink or orange sapphire, not padparadscha.
 4. Origins --> Traditionally found in Sri Lanka, with some sources in Madagascar and Tanzania. Sri Lankan padparadscha sapphires are often more prized for their classic hue.
 5. Treatments --> Heat treatment is common, but beryllium diffusion (a colouring treatment) can artificially produce padparadscha-like colour, these are much less valuable. Unheated padparadscha sapphires with ideal colour can be incredibly expensive and collectible.
6. Price & Value --> Generally more expensive than most sapphires except the finest Kashmir blues. Colour balance, origin, size, and treatment status all significantly affect value. 

Parti Sapphire is a unique variety of sapphire that displays two or more distinct colours in a single gemstone: blue, yellow, and green. Unlike traditional sapphires, parti sapphires are valued for their colour zoning or bicolour/multicolour patterns, which are entirely natural and not the result of treatment.
Key Facts:
--> Colour Zone Combinations of Blue, Yellow, Green (sometimes Purple or Pink)

--> Transparent
-->  Vitreous Lustre
-->  Australia (especially Queensland), Madagascar, Nigeria
Treatment:
Untreated in most cases, the colours occur naturally

Mayur Neelam, which means "Peacock Sapphire," is a term used in India to describe a rare type of Sapphire that displays a vivid blend of blue, green, and yellow, mimicking the vibrant hues of a peacock’s feathers. This sapphire is prized for its colour blending, brilliance, and uniqueness.
Key Features:
--> Colour Blue dominant with flashes of green and yellow
--> Transparent to slightly included

--> Origin most commonly from Australia, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar
Treatment:
Typically, untreated or enhanced