Star Sapphire (ex Marvin Rockey estate)

Item Description

Sapphires come in virtually every color of the rainbow and there are more to Sapphires than simply faceted stones. The most commonly known variety of "Star" gems are Star Sapphires. This phenomenon known as "asterism" occurs when Sapphires are polished into cabochons and oriented in a manner that reflects tiny silk-like inclusions that are trapped inside the Sapphire. The inclusions bend light entering the Sapphire and create the star-like pattern. A six-rayed white star appears in bright lighting and the quality is judged by sharpness of star, symmetry of the rays, and the body color. This gem has sharp "legs" which are best seen under strong light to show off the "star". The color of this gem is a lovely soft smoky blue, but not quite as saturated as the photos might indicate. A good representative stone of this well known material. This stone, as with others we will be presenting here over the coming months, is from the estate of former Phoenix area dealer Marvin Rockey. Rockey's Gems was a significant business in the early days of Arizona lapidary material, and he was a prominent dealer and buyer in the Arizona area of local lapidary and carving material from throughout the state, including Bisbee, the Ray Mine, Miami mines, and the Peridot finds on Indian lands in the 1950s-1970s. This stone was kept back from the retail stock for its quality and beauty, in a tray of special material, and was found in his estate (sold to us only recently). Today, these are not only rarely seen but of a highly desirable old quality, and sought after by collectors and gem / jewelry enthusiasts alike.