Fossil in a Sapphire?

[JimFL]

I have a small insect wing in my Ceylon Sapphire that can be seen under 25x magnification and is about .3 mm in size. Has anyone ever seen or heard of such a thing?

 

[Linda W]

Well that is really strange... I have never heard of such a thing.

Linda

 

[JimFL]

I thought at first that maybe this was a man made stone and I was being taken, but I did see the classic "silk" inclusions and have no doubt it is natural.

 

[colormyworld]

Jim fl Are you saying you have an inclusion in your sapphire that looks like an insect wing?

 

[JimFL]

I am saying it is a wing, or god is playing a very good trick. Even the jeweler could not beleive it and had everyone in the store come over to look at it, no one had ever seen anything like it!

 

[colormyworld]

I have never heard about anything like that before. I think the conditions corundum form at would eliminate any such objects. Are you sure your stone is not a doublet.

 

[JimFL]

They assure me it is a Sapphire from Ceylon and I agree with you about the conditions this needs to be formed, but everything else about it makes me beleive this is real.

That is why I came to this site to find out if it is even possible...if everyone tells me no, I may have it looked at by an expert. I have already contacted Sarasota gemlab to get their opinion.(waiting on a response)

 

[JimFL]

Sorry I should check my spelling before posting, here is a picture of the sapphire ring if it helps...

I will try to get one of the "wing" next time I go to the jeweler.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Oh the ring is very very pretty!!!

What size is the center stone and what size are the two RB sides?

I really like the setting. And the color of the Sapphire. How long have you owned it?

 

[JimFL]

Thanks,

I bought it when my son was born several years ago and never thought about the wing (thought it was something different)

It is a 1.33 Medium blue w/Violet highlights
Side diamond .3 carat each
Small but nice on her hand.

Tried one more picture...

 

[eac]

You do not have a fossil insect wing in your sapphire. It is a crystal inclusion of some kind, not a fossil. Please allow me to explain.

To turn a piece of a plant or animal into a fossil, it either needs to be preserved in soft, undisturbed sediment that is later compressed into stone, or captured in amber. Most fossils are formed from shells and bones, because these hard parts tend to stay intact long enough to be preserved. A small insect wing is delicate tissue. Even under the best fossil preserving circumstances, it is unusual for insects to be preserved in stone; this is why insects in amber are of great interest to scientists and fossil-lovers. Amber is considered to be a gem, but it is not a mineral. Amber is really hardened tree sap from pines or other evergreen trees.
About fossils:
http://www.discoveringfossils.co.uk/Whatisafossil.htm

A sapphire is a mineral - a very pure one. It is the gem-quality form of a hard crystal called corundum. I found a web page that accurately describes how sapphires are created: To quote from this page, sapphire…

“is formed by both volcanic processes deep in the earth and the high pressure and temperature, conditions of metamorphic processes. As liquid magma deep within the earth slowly cools the minerals dissolved within cool into crystals. The purest and most translucent forms of corundum are created by recrystallization of minerals during the metamorphosis of rocks that are of igneous origin.”

Full text is here.
http://www.extremescience.com/gemstones.htm

The geologic processes that create a sapphire and that preserve a fossil are direct opposites. Crystals come from heat and volcanism deep beneath the earth. Fossils are preserved in gentle sedimentation on the surface of the earth. The end result is that....your sapphire doesn't have bug parts in it!

Did this help?

 

[Chrysoz]

Date: 8/17/2007 1:19:11 AM
Author: eac
You do not have a fossil insect wing in your sapphire. It is a crystal inclusion of some kind, not a fossil. Please allow me to explain.

To turn a piece of a plant or animal into a fossil, it either needs to be preserved in soft, undisturbed sediment that is later compressed into stone, or captured in amber. Most fossils are formed from shells and bones, because these hard parts tend to stay intact long enough to be preserved. A small insect wing is delicate tissue. Even under the best fossil preserving circumstances, it is unusual for insects to be preserved in stone; this is why insects in amber are of great interest to scientists and fossil-lovers. Amber is considered to be a gem, but it is not a mineral. Amber is really hardened tree sap from pines or other evergreen trees.
About fossils:
http://www.discoveringfossils.co.uk/Whatisafossil.htm

A sapphire is a mineral - a very pure one. It is the gem-quality form of a hard crystal called corundum. I found a web page that accurately describes how sapphires are created: To quote from this page, sapphire…

“is formed by both volcanic processes deep in the earth and the high pressure and temperature, conditions of metamorphic processes. As liquid magma deep within the earth slowly cools the minerals dissolved within cool into crystals. The purest and most translucent forms of corundum are created by recrystallization of minerals during the metamorphosis of rocks that are of igneous origin.”

Full text is here.
http://www.extremescience.com/gemstones.htm

The geologic processes that create a sapphire and that preserve a fossil are direct opposites. Crystals come from heat and volcanism deep beneath the earth. Fossils are preserved in gentle sedimentation on the surface of the earth. The end result is that....your sapphire doesn''t have bug parts in it!

Did this help?

I am pretty sure this guy is right...That is what I have heard too

 

[DiamondExpert]

eac has is right - geology 1: fossil 0 - pics, however, would be of interest for discussion.

 

[eac]

Thanks for confirming, Chrysoz and DiamondExpert!

Also, while I call my gal pals "guy" all the time, kindly note that I''m a woman.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Date: 8/16/2007 10:26:19 PM
Author: JimFL
Thanks,

I bought it when my son was born several years ago and never thought about the wing (thought it was something different)

It is a 1.33 Medium blue w/Violet highlights
Side diamond .3 carat each
Small but nice on her hand.

Tried one more picture...

It looks just perfect to me. Lovely proportions between the stones and FAB color. I certainly wouldn''t call it small!

Lovely way to mark the birth of your son.

 

[pyramid]

The wing description sounds like a fracture which looks like a halo.