Sapphires are among the world’s most valuable gems.
The September birthstone sapphire has traditionally symbolized sincerity, truth, faithfulness, and nobility. For countless centuries, sapphire has adorned royalty and the robes of the clergy. The elite of ancient Greece and Rome believed that blue sapphires protected their owners from harm and envy. Clerics of the Middle Ages wore sapphires because they symbolized Heaven. Also, ancient Persians believed the earth rested on a giant sapphire, making the sky blue.
Corundum is an aluminum oxide next to a diamond in hardness.
They are commonly considered blue because the name sapphire originated from the Greek “sapphirus,” for blue. But the name sapphire refers to any color of corundum other than red, where the red corundum is rubies.
Both rubies and sapphires are gem varieties of the same mineral, corundum, an aluminum oxide next to diamond in hardness. Although commonly thought of as blue because the name sapphire is derived from the Greek “sapphirus” for blue, the name sapphire is given to any color of corundum other than red, where the red corundums are rubies.
To be considered a gem, a mineral must share three essential traits: beauty, rarity, and durability. When it comes to corundums, pure Corundums are colorless, and the gem color is due to small amounts of chemical impurities. For example, traces of titanium and iron cause the color blue, and chromium causes hues of red.
Origins of Best Sapphires
Royal Blue, Peacock Blue, or Cornflower Blue are the most expensive Blue Sapphire color variations. Ceylon Blue Sapphires from Sri Lanka are famous over history for clarity and elegance. All three are at their peak. Its beauty is well known over history, making the finest sapphires come from only three sources: Kashmir (India), Myanmar (Burma), and Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Fine untreated natural sapphires are so rare that less than 2% of the sapphires in the markets. Due to the high scratch hardness that is only second to diamonds, sapphires are one of the most durable stones.
Often, a gem’s worth comes down to the purity of its color, the symmetry of its cut, the extent of its clarity, and, of course, its weight- carats. Those are known as the 4-Cs of sapphires. Gemstones are usually faceted as mixed-cut gems. Star-stones are cut en cabochon.
Blue Sapphires
Pure Corundums are colorless, and small amounts of chemical impurities cause the gem color. For example, blue is due to the traces of titanium and iron, and the hues of red are due to chromium.
Royal Blue, Peacock Blue, or Cornflower Blue are the most expensive Blue Sapphire color variations. Ceylon Blue Sapphires from Sri Lanka are famous over history for clarity and elegance.
“The Sapphire shall be as blue as the great sea.”
– Oscar Wilde-
The most valued blue sapphires are velvety blue to violet-like blue in medium to medium-dark tones. Sapphires with these qualities command the highest prices per carat. The origin of the sapphire adds excellent value due to its rarity and ingrained quality. Best cornflower blue sapphires come from Kashmir, although nowadays, it’s almost impossible to find. Global gem enthusiasts and renowned jewelry makers worldwide love the Royal Blue, Peacock Blue, and Cornflower Blue sapphires from Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon sapphires/ Saphir Ceylan).
With three exceptions, modern terminology uses the word “sapphire” preceded by the stone’s color—for instance, yellow or green sapphire.
Sapphires can be green, yellow, orange, purple, violet, and pink, among other hues.
Two exceptions are the rare pink-orange stones called padparadscha sapphires(Sinhalese /Sanskrit for “lotus blossom”) and sapphire that appears blue in daylight and reddish or violet in artificial light, which is color-changing sapphire. The third exception is blue sapphire, which is called “sapphire.” Colors other than blue are often referred to as fancy sapphires. Many sapphires, whatever their color, have microscopic inclusions.
Sapphires of other Colors
With three exceptions, modern terminology uses the word “sapphire” preceded by the stone’s color—for instance, yellow or green sapphire.
Sapphires can be green, yellow, orange, purple, violet, and pink, among other hues.
Two exceptions are the rare pink-orange stones called padparadscha sapphires(Sinhalese /Sanskrit for “lotus blossom”) and sapphire that appears blue in daylight and reddish or violet in artificial light, which is called alexandrine or alexandrite sapphire. The third exception is blue sapphire, which is called “sapphire.” Colors other than blue are often referred to as fancy sapphires. Many sapphires, whatever their color, have microscopic inclusions.
Key Blue Sapphires in the World
The best 4 came from Sri Lanka
The Blue Belle of Asia
This magnificent gem claimed $17 million at a Christie’s auction in November 2014, setting the record for the most expensive sapphire ever sold at a public auction. The Blue Belle has changed hands several times in its nearly 100-year-old history. It was initially bought in 1937 as a coronation gift for Queen Elizabeth II but never ended up in the Queen’s possession. Recently a Saudi collector purchased the necklace.
Blue Giant of the Orient
The largest faceted blue sapphire in the world at 486 carats and reportedly measuring two and a half inches at the widest point, this aptly named “giant” seems like it would be challenging to lose the record. However, after the gem was discovered in Sri Lanka in 1907, the ring was bought by an American collector and vanished entirely from the public eye. It took nearly a century to resurface at a 2004 Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction. It became the largest faceted sapphire to be auctioned, only to be quickly claimed and hidden away again.
This flawless gemstone is the second-largest known faceted sapphire. The stones eroded from Sri Lanka’s central mountains are still plucked by hand from gravel deposits covering most of the island’s southern half. Sapphires from Sri Lanka are typically light to medium blue, and gemstones that weigh up to several hundred carats have been cut. The National Gem Collection boasts one of the giant fine blue sapphire gems, the 422.99-carat Logan Sapphire from Sri Lanka. It is the heaviest mounted gem in the National Gem Collection. It is in a brooch setting surrounded by twenty round brilliant-cut diamonds, totaling 16 carats. The piece was a gift to the Smithsonian Insitute from Mrs. John A. Logan in 1960.
Source: The National Gem Collection by Jeffrey E. Post.The Star of Adam is an oval-shaped en cabochon blue star sapphire, currently the most prominent star sapphire in the world. It weighs 1,404.49 carats(280.898 g; 9.9084 oz). Before its discovery, the Black Star of Queensland, weighing 733 carats (146.6 g), was the world’s most prominent star sapphire gem.
The blue-colored gemstone has a six-pointed star-shaped reflection or distinctive mark in the center. This gigantic star sapphire was discovered in Ratnapura (known by the nickname “City of Gems”), in southern Sri Lanka, in August 2015. It was named “The Star of Adam” by the current owner.
The Logan Sapphire Brooch
This flawless gemstone is the second-largest known faceted sapphire. The stones eroded from Sri Lanka’s central mountains are still plucked by hand from gravel deposits covering most of the southern half of the island. Sapphires from Sri Lanka are typically light to medium blue and gemstones have been cut that weigh up to several hundred carats. The National Gem Collection boasts one of the most significant fine blue sapphire gems, the 422.99-carat Logan Sapphire from Sri Lanka. It is the heaviest mounted gem in the National Gem Collection and is framed in a brooch setting surrounded by twenty round brilliant-cut diamonds, totaling 16 carats. The piece was a gift to the Smithsonian Insitute from Mrs. John A. Logan in 1960—source: The National Gem Collection by Jeffrey E. Post.
The Star of Adam
The Star of Adam is an oval-shaped en cabochon blue star sapphire, currently the most prominent star sapphire in the world. It weighs 1,404.49 carats(280.898 g; 9.9084 oz). Before its discovery, the Black Star of Queensland, weighing 733 carats (146.6 g), was the largest star sapphire gem in the world.
The blue-colored gemstone has a six-pointed star-shaped reflection or distinctive mark in the center. This gigantic star sapphire was discovered in Ratnapura (known by the nickname “City of Gems”), in southern Sri Lanka, in August 2015. It was named “The Star of Adam” by the current owner.