Pink Sapphire (rare "Trapiche" form)

Item Description

Sapphires are certainly ranked among the most valuable gems in the world. I've seen notably large (yet completely opaque) Sapphire crystals from multiple world localities, but transparent crystals are incredibly few and far between. If you consider how few Corundum crystals are gem quality, the incredibly rare "Trapiche" habit is only found in a tiny percentage of those actual crystals. Recently we were able to obtain a parcel of attractive "Trapiche" Ruby and Sapphire crystals from a good friend in Myanmar. This cabochon cut stone is a polished cross section (slice) of a "Trapiche" Sapphire crystal with great form, color and gemminess. I would describe the color in this piece as more pink than red, which is why I'm calling it a Sapphire as opposed to a Ruby. When it's backlit, you can see six individual sharp, distinct, well-formed "legs" inside. The term "Trapiche" is actually in reference to Emeralds from Colombia, as the Trapiche emeralds display six spoke-like carbon "rays" emanating from a hexagonal center with the areas in between filled with lively green. These rays appear much like asterism, the only difference being that they are fixed and do not move. A Trapiche gems is the result of the hexagonal shape of the crystal (both Beryl and Corundum are hexagonal), where the darker impurities interrupt the growth of the crystal and are pushed to the center of the crystal and then radiates out in the six directions of the corners as the crystal grows. To find this phenomenon in a Sapphire is rather rare in the mineral world, and it's a great example of something that few people have seen outside of the Myanmar material. A friend who attended the Hong Kong Show told me that he saw some these little beauties selling for up to $2,500 per carat, so don't miss out on this one for a great price. Specimen weight is 0.80 carats