Sapphire is the September birthstone as well as the accepted anniversary gem for the 5th and 45th years of marriage. The Sapphire derives its name from sapphirus , a Latin term meaning blue. Sapphire owes its deep blue color to a small mixture of iron oxide and traces of titanium oxide. Because of its hardness (corundum is the hardest mineral known next to diamond), Sapphires are one of the best of all jewelry stones. Ancient priests and sorcerers honored sapphire above all gems, for this stone enabled them to interpret oracles and foretell the future. Ancients believed the Ten Commandments were written on a sapphire tablet. Marriage partners put great faith in the stone. If its luster dimmed, one knew his or her spouse had been unfaithful. Sapphire refused to shine when worn by the wicked or impure. Prince Charles chose a blue sapphire for Princess Diana's engagement ring. The choice of sapphire, as a traditional engagement stone in England, has been used for hundreds of years.

     The finest sapphires are considered to be the blue variety - specifically those from Burma and Kashmir, which are closest to the pure spectral blue. Fine, brilliant, deep blue Burmese sapphires will surely dazzle the eye and the pocketbook, as will the Kashmir, which is a fine velvety-toned deep blue. Many today tend to be too dark, but the deep blues can often be treated to lighten the color. The Ceylon sapphires are a very pleasing shade of blue, but are a lighter tone than the Burmese or Kashmir, often on the pastel side. Australian sapphires are frequently seen. These are often a dark blue with a slightly green undertone, as do those from Thailand, and sell for much less per carat. They offer a very affordable alternative to the Burmese, Kashmir, or Ceylon, and can still be very pleasing in their color. Ancient Persians believed the Earth rested on a giant Sapphire and it was the stone's reflection that colored the sky. 

     Sapphires also come in virtually any color, excluding medium to dark red (which would be ruby). These less common colors are known as fancy sapphires. Pink Sapphire gets its red coloring from small amounts of chromium.  While colored Sapphires owe their colors to varying chemical combinations, White Sapphires are pure corundum and therefore colorless. Compared to the cost of blue sapphire and ruby, these stones offer excellent value and real beauty. 

    Techniques have been developed to heat treat natural sapphires to improve the clarity, by removal of a certain type of inclusion called "silk", and to change the color. Some material called "gouda", which is mined in a yellow color, can be cured, by heat, to a more desirable blue. Other heat diffusion processes will enhance the color of the outer "skin" of the sapphire to a deeper blue. In the 1980's the technique for infusing blue (and more recently red) color into the surface of Sapphire was perfected. This process is known as diffusion treatment. The chemicals that cause the blue color in Sapphire (iron oxide and titanium oxide), are induced into the surface layer of Sapphire by heating the stone almost to its melting point (about 1800 C). Natural white Sapphire has become very scarce in the marketplace since "treaters" have consistently outbid gem dealers for the larger sapphire rough. Hence larger natural white sapphire has become more and more valuable and scarce, which might continue as technology advances. While many reject these altered gems as artificial, when properly disclosed, they can be an affordable alternative to the much more rare and expensive unenhanced counterparts.

     As with all gemstones, care should be taken to protect it from scratches and sharp blows.

     Sapphire is found in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Kashmir, Australia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Madascar, China and the U.S.

TREATMENT: Commonly heat treated to intensify or lighten color and improve clarity

MOHS HARDNESS: 9 (a very durable stone)

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: Al 2 O 3

REFRACTIVE INDEX: e=1.76 o=1.77
(The angle light is bent traveling through a gemstone)

DENSITY (SPECIFIC GRAVITY): 3.99-4.1 (usually near 4.00)
(The number of times heavier a gemstone is compared to water)