15 interesting facts about Sapphire Gem stones
- Sapphires have been treasured for thousands of years by ancient Romans who polished and wore them as jewellery.
- As most people know sapphires come in a variety of blues, but did you know they also come in pink, yellow, orange and green, they also come in red but are better known as a ruby.
- What changes the colours of the stone is the mineral corundum. A sapphire is turned blue when it contains iron, titanium and chromium.
- The consistency of chromium affects the colour, a little chromium can turn the corundum pink, while a higher level of this element will turn it red (ie. a Ruby)
- The rarest colour of sapphire is the pinkie/orange variety, they are called padparadscha, and the name comes from the Sanskrit word for lotus flower. The word sapphire comes from the Greek word Sappheiros.
- Sapphires are among the most durable naturally occurring elements in the world. Gemstones are rated on their ability to withstand scratching based on a system called the Mohs Scale of Hardness, and sapphires score 9 out of 10. The only natural item that can scratch a sapphire is a diamond. The durability of sapphires makes them an excellent choice for engagement rings and other pieces of jewellery that you plan to wear every day.
- Because of this hardness, sapphire also has industrial uses. The recently announced Apple Watch will feature lab-created sapphire glass in its screen.
- Sapphires are found in many places throughout the world, including Australia, Malawi, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and the United States. Brilliant Earth’s ethical origin sapphires are sourced from mines in Australia, Malawi, and Sri Lanka.
- French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte gave to his beloved Josephine a sapphire engagement ring in 1796. The ring, which sold at auction for close to a million dollars in 2013, features a pear-shaped sapphire next to a pear-shaped diamond, on a simple gold band.
- Throughout history various cultures have attributed mystical powers to sapphires. In ancient times it was believed that sapphires protected their wearers from evil. In the middle ages, Europeans believed that sapphires cured eye diseases and preserved chastity. Sapphires have been used to symbolize nobility and faithfulness.
- Deep blue sapphires have long been associated with royalty (which contributed to the naming of the colour “royal blue”). Sapphires were often worn by medieval kings, who believed that the gemstones would protect them from their enemies.
- The most famous royal sapphire today is the engagement ring given by England’s Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and now worn by Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge. It features an 18-carat oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
- Sapphire engagement rings certainly aren’t only for royals. Before the twentieth century, blue sapphires were the favored gemstones for engagement rings. Sapphires were quite popular in Victorian engagement rings and wedding rings.
- Sapphires can exhibit a phenomenon called the “star effect,” This occurs when needle-like inclusions create a six-ray star pattern on the surface of a cabochon-cut sapphire, often called a “star sapphire.”
- Perhaps the most intriguing type of sapphire is the “colour change” variety. These gemstones exhibit different colours depending on the lighting, often changing from blue in daylight to purple in incandescent light.
If you want a sapphire engagement ring or eternity ring, Goldfinger can offer you a free home consultation and show you a wide range of colours, size and shapes.
