Yellow sapphire, commonly known as Pukhraj is a variety of corundum, the same family as that of a blue sapphire (neelam) as well as a red sapphire (ruby or mani).
Color:
Essentially, as a rule, the more vibrant the color of a pukhraj the better it is considered. You will be looking for a color that reminds you of a canary (bird) slightly orangish-yellow color. Even though it is common to find pale watery yellow colored pukhraj, but the best ones are rich (deep) and very yellow to look at. You can select color on the basis of your budget and personal preference.
Also the color should be evenly distributed throughout the stone. Lighter stone is supposed to grant better effect than a patchy one... so make sure that there is even yellow all over the stone.
Carat/ weight:
The per-carat weight increases as the size of a stone increases. So buy what is recommended or as your budget permits.
Cut:
Something that most people miss out on... it should be symettrical to look at. Look at the oval shape if that is what you are buying. It should not be 'fat' on one side and 'flat' on the other. Look for the depth inside the stone. The cut should be such that there is no 'shadow' in the stone (when you can see directly through the stone and it is cut very shallow) and neither should it be too deep so that the looks like there is no luster in it. Essentially I would recommend that you ask the jeweler to show you a really expensive y.sapphire and compare that with what you want.
Clarity:
The best stones are the ones with least number of inclusions (fogginess and dark particles inside the stone). But for astrological purposes, you may choose to buy one with few inclusions but clean enough for the light to pass through. It should not be 'foggy' and it should not be dense inside itself. Remember it is better to buy a lighter color rather than a stone which does not let light pass though at all. Something to note is that MOST stones will have natural inclusions so you cannot avoid them completely.
Polish:
The surface of the stone should not be scratched. You can move the stone a bit and see the light reflecting off the surface to see this.
Price:
Please do make sure that you hunt around in several stores before you finally go ahead and buy the stone. That is the least you can do to save yourself some money or rather buy some more in the same amount. Most of all, feel free to BARGAIN...
Store:
Wherever you buy it from, make sure that the store is such that they want to build a name and will pay utmost attention to customer service. If they have knowledge about their goods and are willing to share that knowledge with you, then it is worth paying them a bit more for this knowledge and getting the right thing rather than wasting it on someone who is out to cheat you. So since the name game is important in jewelry purchase, try to buy from a local brand if not a big one if possible. But do shop around for prices and quality. Also make sure that they give you a complete idea of their return/ exchange/ upgrade policies.
Online purchase is also not a bad idea if you go to well known stores and they have a good return policy with no obligations.
Questions:
For any clarification on any of the above, please feel free to write to me at surbhi.s.gupta@gmail.com.
To buy directly from me, please send me a mail and details of what you would like to buy at surbhi@jewelsutra.com
Color:
Essentially, as a rule, the more vibrant the color of a pukhraj the better it is considered. You will be looking for a color that reminds you of a canary (bird) slightly orangish-yellow color. Even though it is common to find pale watery yellow colored pukhraj, but the best ones are rich (deep) and very yellow to look at. You can select color on the basis of your budget and personal preference.
Also the color should be evenly distributed throughout the stone. Lighter stone is supposed to grant better effect than a patchy one... so make sure that there is even yellow all over the stone.
Carat/ weight:
The per-carat weight increases as the size of a stone increases. So buy what is recommended or as your budget permits.
Cut:
Something that most people miss out on... it should be symettrical to look at. Look at the oval shape if that is what you are buying. It should not be 'fat' on one side and 'flat' on the other. Look for the depth inside the stone. The cut should be such that there is no 'shadow' in the stone (when you can see directly through the stone and it is cut very shallow) and neither should it be too deep so that the looks like there is no luster in it. Essentially I would recommend that you ask the jeweler to show you a really expensive y.sapphire and compare that with what you want.
Clarity:
The best stones are the ones with least number of inclusions (fogginess and dark particles inside the stone). But for astrological purposes, you may choose to buy one with few inclusions but clean enough for the light to pass through. It should not be 'foggy' and it should not be dense inside itself. Remember it is better to buy a lighter color rather than a stone which does not let light pass though at all. Something to note is that MOST stones will have natural inclusions so you cannot avoid them completely.
Polish:
The surface of the stone should not be scratched. You can move the stone a bit and see the light reflecting off the surface to see this.
Price:
Please do make sure that you hunt around in several stores before you finally go ahead and buy the stone. That is the least you can do to save yourself some money or rather buy some more in the same amount. Most of all, feel free to BARGAIN...
Store:
Wherever you buy it from, make sure that the store is such that they want to build a name and will pay utmost attention to customer service. If they have knowledge about their goods and are willing to share that knowledge with you, then it is worth paying them a bit more for this knowledge and getting the right thing rather than wasting it on someone who is out to cheat you. So since the name game is important in jewelry purchase, try to buy from a local brand if not a big one if possible. But do shop around for prices and quality. Also make sure that they give you a complete idea of their return/ exchange/ upgrade policies.
Online purchase is also not a bad idea if you go to well known stores and they have a good return policy with no obligations.
Questions:
For any clarification on any of the above, please feel free to write to me at surbhi.s.gupta@gmail.com.
To buy directly from me, please send me a mail and details of what you would like to buy at surbhi@jewelsutra.com
