Sapphires

Rough Sapphire The sapphire is one of the most sought after gemstones, and it's actually just one variety of the corundum. The other variety is the red ruby, and a sapphire is any corundum that is not red. While the blue sapphire is really what we all think about as we envision a sapphire stone, there are also sapphires in various other shades and hues, including yellow, orange and pink among others. The differences in colors are due to trace impurities of other elements.

The corundum mineral is crystallized aluminum. Specifically, a sapphire is an aluminum oxide and as mentioned, any corundum that is not a red ruby is a sapphire, although the rare pink-orange corundum is known as the padparadscha.

Two other main variations of the sapphire include the star sapphire and the color change sapphire. A star sapphire contains a visible asterism, caused by thin lines of included minerals such as titanium dioxide. Classically this produces a cloudy white 6-spoke star shape on the sapphire. A color change sapphire will appear differently depending on the form of light that it receives.

Corundum is exceedingly hard, only being outdone by the diamond in this regard. This means that in addition to being used in wonderful jewelry pieces, sapphires are commonly used as components for watch crystals, infrared optics and a variety of other applications as well. Although for these applications typically synthetic sapphire is used.

History of the Sapphire

Sapphires have been known to exist for many thousands of years and their importance was prevalent in a variety of different cultures and societies dating at least as far back as 800 BC. The etymology of the word sapphire is believed to come from the Greek sapphiros or sapheiros and the Hebrew sapir, and sapphires are actually mentioned in several locations in the Bible. Other potential origins for the term sapphire include the ancient Sanskrit word Sanipriya, which means precious to Saturn.

The Roman Empire and the Persian Empire both prominently cultivated and enjoyed sapphire gemstones. The Romans however originally did not distinguish the sapphire as being its own gem, and at first thought it was merely a form of jacinth. They are believed to be the first to acknowledge sapphires as their own separate entities. Prior to this disambiguation, the Greek word sapphiros was a blanket term used for all blue gems, not specifically for the sapphire itself.

The Persians actually believed the entire Earth was essentially locked into place inside of one massive sapphire stone and that the sky was blue as a reflection of sapphires. Buddhist culture believes that sapphires lead to prayer and in many religions sapphires represent the heavens and holiness. In the Middle Ages, sapphires were believed to ward off many diseases and ailments, and were seen as a symbol of purity.

Sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September. Additionally, the 45th wedding anniversary is known as the sapphire anniversary. Sapphires take on a variety of meanings, including honesty and loyalty, friendship and a constant, reliable presence, harmony and peace and much more.

There are many famous sapphires and star sapphires. These include the 733 carat Black Star of Queensland, the 563 carat Star of India, housed in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the 423 carat Logan sapphire, kept at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C and the 182 carat Star of Bombay kept at the Smithsonian Institution. The Logan sapphire, Star of India and Star of Bombay were all taken from mines in Sri Lanka.

The Sapphire Today

There are mining locations throughout the world that produce high quality sapphires, although a few countries produce a dominant share. The global leader today is Madagascar, while other major producers include Australia and Sri Lanka. As mentioned, many of the massive, famous sapphires on display in museums today have come from Sri Lanka. Other sapphire mining locales include Pakistan, India, Tanzania, China, Thailand, Myanmar, Kenya and even the United States.

Sapphires can be treated or enhanced in several different ways. The most common of which is a heating process, which brings clarity, transparency and brighter colors to the mineral. The majority of sapphires you will find today have been heated to some degree. Heating can be performed either in a nitrogen deficient "atmosphere" for a week or longer, or to temperatures of up to 1800 degrees Celsius for a period of just a few hours.

When a sapphire has not been heated, it will typically be noted and may also come with certificates of authenticity. It is estimated that less than 1% of all mined sapphires are gem quality without being heated and evidence of heating sapphires dates as far back as the Romans themselves.

Additionally, some sapphires undergo a diffusion process where particular amounts of specific elements are worked into the mineral in order to change or enhance the color. The most common example of this is the use of beryllium to create a wide range of brightly colored sapphires. Any gem that has been altered in such a fashion must be disclosed as such.

The most expensive sapphires are untreated, gem quality stones. As previously mentioned they are exceedingly rare and therefore bring the highest value. They are followed by sapphires which have been heated, and then diffused sapphires with altered colors or qualities. Of course synthetic sapphires are far cheaper than the real gemstones themselves.

In addition to the above criteria, sapphires are judged and graded upon several different factors as are all gemstones. These include transparency, size, color, their cut and any imperfections.

The sapphire has been beloved and renowned for thousands of years and it's easy to see why. The beautiful gemstones have come to symbolize many different things for different people and cultures, from loyalty and friendship to harmony and a constant presence. Whether you enjoy the classic deep blues that sapphires are synonymous with, or the wide range of other colors that they are available in, they can make a great centerpiece for jewelry of all kinds and for all occasions.

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