Blue-green or teal sapphires are steadily rising to join the leagues of mainstream sapphires, especially amongst millennials for engagement rings. In a poll conducted early in 2020 by Navneet Gems and Minerals, 90% of women under thirty wanted their engagement ring to be unique, of whom 35% of women who want sapphires as their center stone see teal sapphires as a great possibility.

Now, what if we tell you that your big day could be sanctified with a  gemstone that combines the depth of the blue oceans with the vivacity and energy of the green earth? Yes, the stunning teal sapphires at their best could be the exact something special that you were looking for to elevate your special day. 
Presenting the mermaid sapphire, a match made in heaven that reflects the most precious of the earth’s elements – the oceans and the forests.

THE STORY OF THE MERMAID SAPPHIRE:

From ancient deities to one of the most iconic corporate coffee logos, mermaids have long held the fascination of generations since their first perceptible mention in Assyria around 1000 BC. Creatures of indubitable beauty, mermaids have been the center of aquatic lore, particularly sea-faring people. Their half-human, half-fish disposition, mythically makes them the aquatic equivalent of humans. Thus perhaps we were destined to fall in love with the mermaid sapphires.

The beautiful mermaid sapphires spin a story unto themselves. Explorers of the vast unknown that is the ocean, a beautiful mermaid dived deep into the sea, looking for hidden treasures. She surfed through the colorful reefs and asked many schools of fish to guide her to the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. Tired from her search, she sat down to rest for a while. Just then, a vein of sunlight caught a small opening in an inconspicuous mollusk and something sparkled within.

The curious mermaid went over and prised the shell open, only to be dazzled by something she had never seen before, a stunning perfect blue-green gemstone that reminded her of the dazzling blue of her beloved ocean and the vivacious greens of the first above.

She held it carefully and swam up, to look at it closer in the sunlight. The green peeking through the blue of this beautiful sapphire made her heart yearn for the earth and all its wondrous gifts – love being the foremost of them. She had heard stories about legendary love that blurred the line between land and water and as she sat there, she felt like this beautiful gemstone was calling out to her one true love.

Little did she know that she was being watched by a man who had fallen so in love with her at first sight that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her cascading locks and her mesmerizing blue-green scales that seemed to change colors with every beam of sunlight made her the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He approached her with caution, scared that he might frighten her away. She gasped in surprise as soon as she saw him and something fell from her hands. It looked like a piece of herself, it was magical just like her! He picked up the gemstone and murmured,” Mermaid sapphire”, in acknowledgment of her. At that moment, he posts this stone was the harbinger of their own unique love story and he offered it back to her, proposing an eternity together.


This imagery inspired us to continue the eternal tale of love in the form of unique teal sapphire engagement rings. Every story of true love deserves to be celebrated every day, for eternity. While mermaids don’t exist, sapphires do. Mermaid sapphires just bridge that gap between that fantasy and reality.

Mermaid sapphires are that subset of teal sapphires that present a perfect ratio of 50-50 blue and green colors. So it is important to understand that mermaid sapphires are a very select group of teal sapphires that fall in this narrow band in the teal spectrum. Remember: while every mermaid sapphire is a teal sapphire, every teal sapphire is not a mermaid sapphire. Let us explore why.

A point to note is that no two sapphires are alike. Each teal sapphire has a distinct personality of its own, owing to its unique color combination. Like we have discussed before, the perfect mermaid sapphire has a 50%-50%ratio of blue and green but this shouldn’t distract from the beauty of teal sapphires which can be classified roughly into 6 categories depending on the balance of blue, green, yellow, and grey components.

While teal sapphires do not technically show a color change but reflection patterns in natural and artificial lights produce a different degree of a show of blue or green color, which is a very subtle change. If the stone changes completely to a different color in some lights, this color change might make it even more valuable. However, you must ensure that the primary color in most lighting conditions is teal, whatever combination of blue and green qualifies.

Various permutations of the range of teal sapphires. Picture Courtesy: Navneet Gems and Minerals, Thailand.

MERMAID SAPPHIRES V/S PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRES:

Let us today compare the mermaid sapphires with the exquisite Padparadscha Sapphire. The latter is one of the most sought-after gemstones today for two reasons; firstly, its beautiful color scheme that imbibes the delicate pink of a lotus and the glorious reddish-orange of a sunset, and secondly because of its limited geographical availability. Many jewelry enthusiasts have drawn parallels between mermaid sapphires and Padparadscha due to their unique color blends. The blue is in direct comparison to the pink of the latter, while the green is compared to the orange.

When these colors are broken down into single hues, it is interesting to note that “generally” blue sapphires are more expensive than pink sapphires. However orange sapphires are x`x`more expensive than green sapphires. Logically, the summation of blue and green therefore should amount more than that of pink and orange. However, that is not the case as mermaid sapphires are yet to gain public favor as Padparadscha which has been around since the first mining records in Sri Lanka. The perfect 50-50 pink-orange Padparadscha can cost up to 50000 USD. It has been speculated that teal sapphires have the potential to be scaled up similarly and thus make for the perfect investment for jewelers and wholesalers.

MERMAID SAPPHIRES V/S PARAIBA TOURMALINE/TURQUOISE:

A strong competitor for the blue-green mermaid sapphire in the market is the Paraiba Tourmaline or the more elusive lagoon tourmaline from Afghanistan. The Paraiba tourmaline has long held the reputation for being THE blue-green gemstone on the market. However, experts will clarify that the Paraiba tourmaline has been popularly nicknamed “neon-blue tourmaline” because while the color is more open, they are definitely less saturated than teal sapphires. Teal sapphires, on the other hand, have a natural intensity that lends this stone a more mystical appeal.

Another prominent physical difference is the presence of minimal or no inclusions in the teal and mermaid sapphires. Paraiba tourmalines have a high rate of inclusions which lend them to high-intensity heat treatment to improve their color. Teal sapphires are naturally blessed with the least amount of inclusions and do not have to be heat treated routinely, making them more valuable as natural stones.

If looked at from the perspective of hardness, which is critical to the choice of gemstones while considering daily wear jewelry and engagement rings. Like all sapphires teal has a hardness of 8-9 Moh, making them second in hardness only to diamonds while tourmaline has a hardness of 7 to 7.5 Moh, making them more vulnerable to scratches and wear. So when it comes to durability, teal sapphires are definitely the way to go. 

MERMAID SAPPHIRES V/S PARTI SAPPHIRES

Frequently mermaid sapphires are confused with parti sapphires because of the similar blue and green basic coloration. Additionally, the fact that the mine sources are similar in Australia doesn’t help the case. However, it should be remembered that parti sapphires, stand for partition sapphires that exhibit a clear color zoning between the blue and green colors that are clearly absent in teal mermaid sapphires.

Parti sapphire, Courtesy: Navneet Gems and Minerals

The major source of teal sapphires, before its discovery in other parts of the world, was in Montana USA. Due to the strict mining regulations imposed over every mining operation in the USA, teal sapphires sourced from Montana were the hallmark of an ideal, ethically sourced gemstone. When an abundance of teal sapphires was discovered in Australia, where most of the mining that takes place is mechanical mining, it was another testimony to their ethical sourcing.

Australian teal sapphire

With a major portion of consumers trying to move away from diamonds that come from an unverifiable source, teal sapphires present a unique opportunity in terms of a gemstone that is not just unique in its aesthetics but also in its sourcing. It is interesting to note that while Africa has long held a bad reputation for unethically sourced” blood diamonds” and other gemstones, the major sources of teal sapphires are Gombe in Nigeria and IIkaka in Madagascar where the mines are family owned and artisanal, benefitting the local community economically, socially and culturally.

For Navneet Gems and Minerals, we primarily source teal and mermaid sapphires from verified mines in Australia, ensuring that we receive proper documentation of every source. We also source from other mines like Montana, Nigeria, and Madagascar which we have personally inspected and have made sure that they are devoid of local conflict, child labor, and slavery.

Since most millennials are middle-income earners, looking for something unique within their budget, teal sapphires perfectly fit that bill. Teal and mermaid sapphires can be 50-60% lesser than their more conventionally popular counterparts like the cornflower blue sapphires or Padparadscha sapphires in a comparable quality and size. The presents as an exciting alternative for one-of-a-kind engagement rings that symbolize the calmness and depth of blue with the reposting energies of the green – all within a reasonable budget.

Comparison of average Wholesale prices* of sapphires with teal sapphires (USD per carat)

*(Please note that the above-stated prices are average representations and vary from seller to seller.)

A point to be noted here is that while mermaid sapphires are a subset of teal sapphires, their prices might be comparatively higher than their teal counterparts of comparable size and quality. This is due to their rare 50-50 blue and green color composition.

A stunning step cut oval 6.11-carat mermaid sapphire, Courtesy: Navneet Gems and Minerals

While purchasing wholesale teal blue-green sapphires, we recommend buying from a verified source like Navneet Gemstones who have been dealing with this stone exclusively, almost obsessively! If you have made a purchase and are doubtful about the nature and treatment of your stone, we recommend you check out with a reputable laboratory, regardless of the worth of the sapphire. A certification does two things: Gives you confidence in your purchase and gives you documentation for insurance or resale purposes.

 

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Another pro-tip that we like to recommend is to appraise the gemstone for insurance purposes, as opposed to getting a certificate for the gemstone. Part of an appraisal process is the identification of the gemstone.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN YOU ARE BUYING MERMAID SAPPHIRES:

COLOR:

The most important factor when it comes to buying any sapphire is its color and the same stands true for teal sapphires. Color is a matter of subjection, but we can tell you that mermaid sapphires with their perfect ratio are just exquisite. If they happen to exhibit the color-changing phenomenon in different lights, their value increases marginally.

CLARITY:

Mermaid sapphires form the creme-de-la-creme of teal sapphires and rarely come with large inclusions that are visible to the naked eye. So if you are going to have to look through a jeweler’s loupe to spot inclusions, you have got yourself a great piece! Then again, if you think inclusions make your teal sapphire look exotic and unique, go for it!

CUT:

In mermaid sapphires, we recommend our buyers to go for a classic brilliantly cut round or oval. However, there is no absolute rule that you shouldn’t invest in any other unique cut. Just follow a few ground rules:

• Look for symmetry and smooth surfaces. These are easier to set and restore.
• Look for a lot of light activity on your stone, meaning make sure your stone reflects light differently on different angles, making it look “sparkly” and “bright”
• Stay away from large opaque windows at the center of the stone that makes it look dull. This happens when while cutting the stone, the weight gains priority over the beauty of the stone.
  
  
• Another Stock From Round, Brilliant Cut Mermaid Sapphire Round, brilliant-cut mermaid sapphire, Courtesy: Navneet Gems and Minerals

CARAT:

Like the color again, the carat is subject from person to person. Most youngsters these days invest modestly between 1.3 to 2.5 carats, which is about 6mm to 8.5mm. However, if you are looking for something statement to stand apart from the crowd, you could go for a bigger mermaid sapphire, which is definitely rarer and will cost you marginally higher, although lesser than conventionally popular sapphires.

CONCLUSION

As wholesale gemstone retailers, we believe in the immense capacity of the mermaid sapphires when it comes to changing the buying trends around sapphires and other precious gemstones. With more and more people looking to move away from conventional options, this is the perfect opportunity to invest in an alternative gemstone that presents with all the positive characteristics regarding unique color, extreme durability, ethical sourcing, and natural state.

For more inquiries regarding this gemstone, write to us at info@navneetgems.com or speak to our chief gemologist directly at navneet@navneetgems.com. Alternatively, you could visit us at our store in Silom, Bangkok Thailand, or also contact us at (+66) 985498500. We would love to show you our range of beautiful teal and mermaid sapphires.