Sapphire is the
official birthstone for the month of September as adopted by the
American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also
one of the birth stones for the Zodiac signs of Pisces, Taurus,
Virgo and Sagittarius. See the birthstone tables for additional
references to this stone. Sapphire is given as a gem for the
5th, 23rd and 45th wedding anniversaries while a star sapphire
is given on the 65th wedding anniversary. Sapphire is 9.0 on the
Mohs scale of hardness, the second hardest natural mineral.
Sapphires are mined in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Australia and
Cambodia. The United States, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, China and
Madagascar also produce some Sapphires. The deposits in Montana
produce a range of fancy colors, and deep blue sapphires come
from one of the world's largest deposits at Yogo Gulch, where
Sapphires are small in size but have a beautiful blue. Some of
the most famous sources for Sapphires are Kashmir and Burma. The
Kashmir Sapphire, which was discovered over 100 years ago, has a
rich velvety color prized by professionals. Burma Sapphires,
from the same region that produces excellent rubies, are also
very fine. Unfortunately, today these two countries produce very
small quantities of Sapphires. Most fine Sapphires on the market
today come from Sri Lanka, which produces a wide range of
beautiful blues from delicate sky blue colors to rich saturated
hues. Kanchanaburi in Thailand and Pailin in Cambodia are
renowned for deep blue sapphires. Two relatively new mining
localities are showing promise: Madagascar, which has produced
some exceptionally fine stones in small sizes but has no
organized mining yet, and Tanzania, which has long produced
sapphires in other colors but is starting to produce blue colors
as well from a new deposit in the south.
Click here for a picture in natural form.
Click here for more faceted and natural specimens.
Description:
Blue is by far the most popular color for Sapphires, but they
can be almost any color, including yellow, green, white,
colorless, pink, orange, brown, and purple. Padparadscha is the
name for a rare orange-pink variety of Sapphire and has a higher
value than blue Sapphires. Heating colorless and very pale blue
Sapphires to high temperatures is done to give them an intense
blue color. This treatment can also improve the clarity of the
stones by removing tiny inclusions. A rare variety of Sapphire,
known as color changing Sapphire, exhibits different colors in
different light. A color change Sapphire is blue in natural
light, and violet in artificial light. A similar effect is also
seen in Alexandrite. Sapphire was first created synthetically in
1902 and is hard to distinguish from natural Sapphires except by
gemologists. Lab grown Sapphires range in price and smaller
stones are frequently used in less expensive jewelry. The name
Corundum comes from the ancient Sanskrit "kuruvindam", while the
name Sapphire comes from the Persian word "safir", meaning
"beloved of Saturn", (or Greek sapphiros). It is noted in
several texts that Sapphire was the Lapis Lazuli of the ancient
world, probably because the stones both have the same intense
blue coloring.
Chemistry:
The formula for Sapphire is a variety of Corundum, Al2O3,
Corundum-Aluminum Oxide. Sapphires with inclusions of tiny,
rutile needles exhibit an optical property called asterism. This
is the star shaped effect seen in Star Sapphires and is usually
only seen in cabochon cuts. Star Sapphires usually have six ray
stars, but twelve ray stars are also known. Rarely, when
Sapphires are cut en cabochon, they can demonstrate a cat's eye
effect. This effect displays a thin band of light down the
center of the stone and is known as chatoyancy.
Legends, Myths and Healing
Properties:
 Sapphire,
gem of the heavens, or the divine gemstone, has been cherished
for thousands of years. The ancient Persians believed that the
earth rested on a giant Sapphire and its reflection colored the
sky. Sapphire symbolizes sincerity and faithfulness, and is an
excellent choice for an engagement ring. When Prince Charles
gave Princess Diana a Sapphire engagement ring, couples all over
the world were inspired to revive this ancient tradition. Its
powers include spiritual enlightenment and inner peace. Sapphire
is believed to offer healing properties for rheumatism, colic,
and mental illness. It is also considered an antidepressant and
an aid to psychokinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance and astral
projection. |
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