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Gemstone Infocenter
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Comprehensive Gemstone
Information
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Sapphire - The Most
Popular Colored Gemstone
Introduction
History
Location
Scientific Description
Sapphire Varieties
Valuing Sapphires
Jewelry Design with Sapphire
Therapeutic Properties of Sapphire
Sapphire Identification
How to Buy Loose
Sapphire Gems
From time immemorial, the allure of sapphires has made them the most popular
of all colored
gemstones. Sapphires have been linked to royalty and nobility throughout history.
It is
the most widely recognized of all colored gemstones. Capitalizing on their
beauty and value, the
modern era has seen blue sapphires become America’s #1 selling colored gem.
Sapphire's beauty and mystique continues to enchant buyers from all over the
world.
The stunning engagement ring and matching Sapphire-cut pendant Prince Charles
gave to Princess
Diana featured blue sapphires.
The prices for fine quality large sapphires can be higher than diamonds. The
highest price ever
attained for a sapphire was $48,871 per Carat paid for the 62.02 Carat
Rockefeller Sapphire in
2001.
Sapphire is the birthstone for September. It is given as a gem for the 5th,
23rd and 45th
wedding anniversaries. A star sapphire is given on the 65th wedding
anniversary.
Since medieval times, sapphire has been associated with the majesty and
tranquility of the
heavens. It was thought to dispel evil thoughts and to bring peace to its wearer.
The word for sapphire comes from the Latin "sapphirus" meaning "blue." Sapphire
hails from the family of Corundum. It is second only to Diamond in hardness. The red
variety of corundum
is Ruby.
Sri Lanka holds one of the earliest
records for the mining
of Sapphires. Ancient people believed that the power of wisdom is contained
within this precious
gemstone. They believed that when the wearer of a Sapphire faces challenging
obstacles, the
stone's power enables them to find the correct solution.
Sapphires are generally thought as being blue. But in actuality, sapphires can
come in nearly any color
except red. (The red corundum is called ruby.) The
blue color is the most popular color for sapphire but orange-pink, golden,
white, and even black
sapphires are available. Sapphires that sport colors other than blue are
referred to as "Fancy
Sapphires".
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.
Next:
Location
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See Also:
Products with Sapphire
Therapeutic Properties of Sapphire
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