New Factory Cuttings – Gold Sheen Sapphire

The latest batch of Gold Sheen Sapphires from the factory are showing some remarkable characteristics.

Gold Sheen Sapphire cabochon
Gold Sheen Sapphire cabochons, yet to be graded.

First, we are seeing vivid asterism in the cabs.  All gold sheen sapphires cabs have some degree of asterism, but usually it is quite faint.  The rough we are cutting now seems to have more rutile, which gives them both a ‘sleepier’ look, and the much more prominent star:

Gold sheen sapphire cabochons vivid star
Prominent star features on gold sheen sapphire cabochons

You can see the rutile silk under multiple light sources (with a single light source, these would have a prominent star)

Gold Sheen Sapphire cabs softer silk look
Gold Sheen Sapphire cabs showing softer silk look due to greater rutile inclusion

Then, there was this incredible find – for the first time we have seen completely transparent gold sheen sapphire with full sheen and star effect.  The smartphone snapshot does it no justice, but imagine the transparency of a vivid blue medium tone sapphire, but instead of blue, the colour is golden sheen.

transparent star gold sheen sapphire
Incredibly beautiful star gold sheen sapphire, completely transparent, very very rare.

Out of 200,000 carats cut, we have found less than 20 carats of stones like this. We know how to cut is as cabochons, so that is what the factory did.  But what I am thinking is, what if we faceted it with a brilliant cut?  I’ll run it by Tanzim and see what he thinks.

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