Sapphire - September                Paradise Jewelry Home Page

SAPPHIRE is a form of corundum. Any color of corundum except red is called sapphire. Red corundum is called RUBY.  Some sapphires even change color like an Alexandrite does.

Normally, if someone says sapphire, blue is the color referred to. Any other color would be referred to as green sapphire, orange sapphire, etc.

At present there is a big dispute in gem trading circles about what the exact difference is between a ruby and a sapphire. We've already said that one is red and all other colors are sapphire, however, how red is red? At what point does a pink sapphire become a red ruby? Ruby is more expensive than pink sapphire, so most often a seller will be convinced that a strong pink is really red, and a buyer will argue that the stone in question is the less expensive pink. The dispute rages on, but at present it looks like it may go in favor of having pink rubies. In other words, rubies would go from light pink all the way to bright red.

Virtually all sapphires on the market have been heat treated. When they are mined, many sapphires are white, many have "silk" in them, making them cloudy, some are too dark. Proper heating will improve these problems.

Thailand and Australia are very well known for sapphires. Burma and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) are known for the finer stones and some of the most famous came from Kashmir in India.

Star sapphire (and ruby) results from needle-like inclusions of titanium oxide. If the stone is cut properly, the light reflecting from these needles is gathered into lines, or the rays of a star at the top of the stone. these stars usually have six points.

Sapphire is the birth stone for September and also for Autumn. It's also the birth stone for 10 a.m. and star sapphire is the gem of Tuesday.

Sapphire was thought to preserve the wearer from envy, from being taken prisoner, and was also supposed to be an antidote for poison. Besides serving as a key to understanding the sayings of oracles, it would attract divine favor.  Sapphire is the symbol of Truth and Constancy. The Persians believed that the earth rested on a great Sapphire. It’s color reflected to give us our blue sky.  Princess Di’s engagement ring was a gorgeous Sapphire surrounded by Diamonds.

When choosing Sapphires, avoid the ones that are too dark. Pick a lively, intense blue that shows it’s beauty at a distance.

Sapphires are found here in the U.S.A. in North Carolina and Montana. Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Zambia are well known for Sapphire production, and Australia is also a major producer.

Ruby was considered by the Hindus to be "the king of precious stones" and a fine one was capable of boiling water. A fine ruby would give perfect safety to it's owner, even living among his enemies. Greeks believed that a ruby would melt wax when impressed upon it. Burmese believed that embedding a ruby under the skin would cause the owner to be invulnerable to spear, sword, or gun. In medieval times, rubies were thought to guard a mans house, vineyards, and orchards against storm damage. They controlled passion, amorous thoughts, settled disputes and could even stop bleeding.

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