Fancy That! Orange Sapphires

Corundum's most famous colors are blue, called sapphire, and red, called ruby. But sapphire is found in a rainbow of naturally occurring colors, all grouped together as fancy sapphire.There are violets, greens, even black shades of sapphire.

The most sought after sapphires are pinkish-orange, called Padparadsha. All bright orange sapphires are exotic and avidly collected by jewelry lovers who understand what drives the value of these gemstones. Because the straighter hues--those lacking a noticeable secondary color, and the more vivid, or intense the hue, the greater the stones' value.

Designers find that pure Popsicle Orange sapphire is a big hit with their style conscious customers once they learn about them. Designer Nan Fusco has to be personally enthused about a stone to include it in her original collections. "Not many designers opt for fancy orange sapphires because they're not as well known or appreciated . . . as the common blue sapphires, but these look amazing on practically every skin tone, and the sparkle is to die for."

September babies have a distinct advantage in the birthstone department, since sapphire can mean anything from blue to the fancies, including these seductive orange varieties. Just as exotic as their looks, orange, yellowish-orange and pinkish-orange fancy sapphires come from mystical lands like Thailand, Madagascar, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka.

22kt Yellow gold, Orange sapphire & Baroque pearl necklace Courtesy: Nan Fusco http://www.nanfusco.com/