The sapphire, protector of the innocent, celestial guardian of
truth, bringer of health and youth, symbol of the heavens and
birthstone for the month of September, is in fact the same stone
as the ruby, the mineral corundum.
The blue corundum, ranging in color from the lightest blue to
deep blue and black, is the same stone as the ruby, the only
difference being in the color. The choicest color is the soft
velvety blue, approaching the cornflower in shade and exhibiting
that color vividly by artificial as well as by natural light.
The deeper-colored stones are known as male, and the
light-colored ones as female sapphires. Although choice
sapphires are rare, a much greater quantity of good and large
stones are to be had than of rubies, and therefore the price of
a large sapphire does not advance in the same proportion as the
price of a large ruby.
The word “sapphire” which means blue is of the same form in
nearly all the early tongues, thus showing that they were in use
by the ancients. Sapphires are found in many parts of the world
and are usually found in the same locality as the ruby. The
largest number and finest quality of these stones come from
Thailand and India, and are found and recovered in much the same
way as the ruby.
The sapphire is next to the diamond in hardness and it is this
quality that makes it impervious to wear and insures its sharp
edges and corners against years of use. Like the ruby the value
of the sapphire is determined by its color. The finest stones
are a deep blue and the deeper the color the more highly it is
prized if its translucency is not impaired. Although the
sapphire with its many shades of blue is considered the most
desirable stone, it is also found in other colors such as red,
green, yellow and pink.
The Oriental emerald or green sapphire does not approach the
beryl or true emerald in depth of color, but because of its
superior hardness and brilliancy, added to its extreme rarity,
it is the most valuable of green gems. The Oriental amethyst or
purple sapphire sometimes reflects a red color by artificial
light, and is valued highly as a gem stone; the common amethyst
is softer, less brilliant, and loses by artificial light. The
various other colored sapphires, such as yellow or Oriental
topaz, light green or Oriental aquamarine, greenish-yellow or
Oriental chrysolite, and aurora red or Oriental hyacinth, are
all valuable as gem stones when they are pure, well cut, and
have pronounced colors—in fact, the name Oriental is given to
distinguish the corundums from the less valuable minerals of the
same colors which they resemble, but which they greatly surpass
in beauty and value because of their brilliancy and superior
hardness.
Asterias or star stones are corundums of three different colors;
the star sapphire proper is a grayish blue, the star ruby red,
and the star topaz yellow. These stones are usually cut cabochon
or convex, and display under the rays of the sun, or when
exposed to one candle or other artificial light, a beautiful
star with six points. This star is produced by foreign
substances in the corundum, and the lapidary brings about the
regular effect by cutting a pointed carbuncle so that the center
of the star begins at the apex, and the six bright stripes
radiate to the base of the stone. The bright lines of the star
following the light move over the surface of the stone and
produce a remarkable effect. These stones are amongst the most
wonderful of mineral productions, and good specimens are very
valuable. The corundum cat’s-eye, called Oriental girasol or
sunstone, has a bluish, reddish, or yellowish reflection of
light of a lighter shade than the stone itself, and which moves
on the convex surface of the stone like the lines of a star
stone.
To this day, sapphire is one of the most important members of
the family of gems and is certainly one of the most favored by
jewelry artisans worldwide. Consequently, there is more
“hanky-panky” with treatments, alteration of color and various
other techniques to disguise or improve flaws etc., than almost
any other precious stone. Buyer beware of bargains that look
“too good to be true”. Deal with reputable jewelers both online
and offline. The sapphire is the birthstone for September.