The sapphire belongs to the corundum group, the members of which are characterized by their excellent hardness (9 on the Mohs scale). Indeed their hardness is exceeded only by that of the diamond.
Their value depends on their size, color and transparency. With stones of very fine quality, these are, however, not the only main criteria, the origin of the gem also playing a major role. Neither is the color itself necessarily a function of the geographical origin of a sapphire, which explains the great differences in price between the various qualities. The most valuable are genuine Kashmir stones.
The gemstones in the corundum group consist of pure aluminum oxide which crystallized into wonderful gemstones a long time ago as a result of pressure and heat at a great depth. The presence of small amounts of other elements, especially iron and chrome, are responsible for the coloring, turning a crystal that was basically white into a blue, red, yellow, pink or greenish sapphire. However, this does not mean that every corundum is also a sapphire. For centuries there were differences of opinion among the specialists as to which stones deserved to be called sapphires. Finally, it was agreed that the ruby-red ones, colored by chrome, should be called 'rubies' and all those which were not ruby-red 'sapphires'.
Sapphires are found in India, Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa. From the gemstone mines, the raw crystals are first taken to the cutting-centers where they are turned into sparkling gemstones by skilled hands. When cutting a sapphire, indeed, the cutter has to muster all his skill, for these gemstones are not only hard, they also have different colors and intensities of color depending on the angle from which you look at them. So it is the job of the cutter to orientate the raw crystals in such a way that the color is brought out to its best advantage.
Specialists and connoisseurs regard the Kashmir color with its velvety shine as the most beautiful and most valuable blue. These magnificent gemstones from Kashmir, found in 1880 after a landslide at an altitude of 16,000 feet and mined intensively over a period of eight years, were to have a lasting influence on people's idea of the color of a first-class sapphire. Typical of the Kashmir color is a pure, intense blue with a very subtle violet undertone, which is intensified yet more by a fine, silky shine. It is said that this hue does not change in artificial light. But the Burmese color is also regarded as particularly valuable. It ranges from a rich, full royal blue to a deep cornflower blue.
The oldest sapphire finds are in Ceylon, or Sri Lanka as it is known today. There, people were already digging for gemstones in ancient times. The specialist recognizes Ceylon sapphires by the luminosity of their light to mid-blue colors Having said that, most blue sapphires come either from Australia or from Thailand.
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.
It is said to have been one of the stones in the Breastplate of Aaron, the High Priest.
There was a time when people believed that the firmament was an enormous blue sapphire in which the Earth was embedded. Could there be a more apt image to describe the beauty of an immaculate sapphire? And yet this gem comes not in one but in all the blue shades of that firmament, from the deep blue of the evening sky to the shining mid-blue of a lovely summer's day which casts its spell over us. However, this magnificent gemstone also comes in many other colors: not only in the transparent greyish-blue of a distant horizon but also in the gloriously colorful play of light in a sunset – in yellow, pink, orange and purple. Sapphires really are gems of the sky, although they are found in the hard ground of our 'blue planet'.
The Sapphire is know as a "Stone of Prosperity", sustaining gifts of life, eliminating frustration, and fulfilling the dreams and desires of the consciousness. Sapphires tend to focus, eminate and radiate energy without conscious initiation.
(Astrological Signs of Virgo, Libra & Sagittarius)
Vibrates to the number 2
The Sapphire has been used in treating disorders of the blood, to combat excessive bleeding and to strengthen the walls of the veins. This gemstone has also been used in the treatment of cellular disorders, bringing the energy of cooperation to the cellular level.
