Sapphire

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Sapphire is the corundum family in every color but red—red corundum being ruby—though the most coveted stones show a velvety cornflower blue produced by iron and titanium. Kashmir sapphires, mined from a remote Himalayan valley, are regarded as the world's finest for their distinctive sleepy blue, while excellent material also comes from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar. Sharing corundum's Mohs hardness of 9, sapphire is exceptionally durable and well suited to daily wear. It is the birthstone for September and the traditional gift for a forty-fifth wedding anniversary, and it ranks among the most enduringly prized gems in history. Corundum crystallizes in the trigonal system with a specific gravity near 3.95, and star sapphires displaying asterism owe the effect to oriented rutile inclusions within the stone.

Physical & Optical Properties

Category Precious Gems
Mohs Hardness 9.0
Specific Gravity 3.95 – 4.03
Refractive Index 1.762 – 1.788
Crystal System Trigonal
Luster rutile
Cleavage None
Color blue
Birefringence 0.008
Dispersion 0.018
Pleochroism Pink sapphires - strong: pink - pinkish-red; Orange/brown stones - distinct: brownish-orange - orangy to colorless; Yellow sapphires - weak: light yellow - yellow-(orangy); Violet/purple sapphires - distinct: bluish-purple - yellow-brown/orange; Blue sapphires - strong: dark (violetish) blue - greenish-blue; Green sapphires - distinct: yellow-green - green to blue-green

Mohs Hardness

1 Talc 2 Gypsum 3 Calcite 4 Fluorite 5 Apatite 6 Orthoclase 7 Quartz 8 Topaz 9 Corundum 10 Diamond Sapphire
Mohs hardness of Sapphire shown against the ten reference minerals, from talc (1) to diamond (10).
Mohs Reference mineral Sapphire
1 Talc
2 Gypsum
3 Calcite
4 Fluorite
5 Apatite
6 Orthoclase
7 Quartz
8 Topaz
9 Corundum ●
10 Diamond

Crystal System

a a a Trigonal (Rhombohedral) a = b = c, α = β = γ ≠ 90°

Value & Market

Price Tier Investment ($5,000+/ct)

Where to Buy Sapphire

Blue Nile Fine jewelry retailer
James Allen Gemstone jewelry
Brilliant Earth Ethically sourced gems
Amazon Wide selection

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Cultural Significance

Birthstone Month 9 (modern)

Treatments

Some imitations are made from doublets-blue cobalt glass with a crown of garnet or a crown of green sapphire and a pavillion of synthetic blue sapphire. Lately doublets have appeared using 2 small natural sapphires. - Gemstones of the world, Walter Schumann, 2001, p 86 9Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references 3.95 to 4.03Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references BrittleMichael O?Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) NoneMichael O?Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) Uneven,ConchoidalMichael O?Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) 1.762 to 1.788Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references Uniaxial/-Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references 0.008 to 0.009Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references Pink sapphires - strong: pink - pinkish-red; Orange/brown stones - distinct: brownish-orange - orangy to colorless; Yellow sapphires - weak: light yellow - yellow-(orangy); Violet/purple sapphires - distinct: bluish-purple - yellow-brown/orange; Blue sapphires - strong: dark (violetish) blue - greenish-blue; Green sapphires - distinct: yellow-green - green to blue-greenHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references 0.018Michael O?Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) Star 6 - (rare)12Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) Blue in various tones, colorless, pink, orange, yellow, green, purple, blackWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references In artificial incandescent light, some sapphires can appear to be ink-colored or black-blue.Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) Green synthetic: usually red. Pink: reddish.Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) The coloring agents in blue sapphire are iron and titanium; and in violet stones, vanadium. A small iron content results in yellow and green tones; chromium produces pink, iron, and vanadium orange tones.Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) Transparent,Translucent,OpaqueWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) Subadamantine,Vitreous,PearlyMichael O?Donoghue, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) Pearly on parting surfaces Green synthetic: commonly orange to dark red. Yellow/orange: inert to strong orange. Pink: inert to orangy-red; synthetic: commonly strong orangy-red.Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) Colorless: mostly inert, sometimes dark red-(orangy), synthetic: common (chalky) blue. Green: inert to weak orangy-red. Yellow/orange synthetic: (very) weak yellowish-orange to pinkish-red. Blue: weaker if any; Synthetic: mostly chalky blue-(green). Heat-treated blue: the colorless portions of the gem may fluoresce chalky blue-(green)Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) Colorless: inert to orangy-red; colorless synthetic: inert. Green: inert. Yellow/orange synthetic: strong yellowish to reddish orange. Blue: inert to orangy-red.Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) TrigonalHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) Doubly pointy, barrel-shaped, hexagonal pyramids, tabloid-shapedWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references Host rocks of sapphire are dolomotized limestones, marble, basalt, or pegmatite. It is mined mainly from alluvial deposits or deposits formed by weathering, rarely from the primary rock.Walter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) Sapphire - Locality: UnknownSapphire - Locality: AfghanistanSapphire - Locality: KenyaSapphire - Locality: MozambiqueSapphire - Locality: Tunduru, TanzaniaSapphire - Locality: Unknown (possibly Australia)Sapphire - Locality: Unknown Partially healed fractures ("fingerprint", "fly's wing"), rutile needles ("silk") intersecting at 60�-120� and other guest crystals. For pink stone: cluster of transparent rounded or angular crystals (zircon) - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p. 2 Sapphire information at mindat.org Afghanistan&nbsp; Bowersox et al. (2000) Australia&nbsp; McClure and Smith (2001) Pecover, 1987 McClure and Smith (2001) gemexplorer.org Sutherland and Abduriyim (2009) Sutherland and Abduriyim (2009) Sutherland and Abduriyim (2009) Cambodia&nbsp; mindat.org mindat.org Ngu and Ngoc (1986), Sutherland et al. (1998) Canada&nbsp; Wilson (2007) E.Ya. Kievlenko (2003) Geology of gems, p. 49 China&nbsp; Li (2009) Galibert and Hughes (1995) Galibert and Hughes (1995), Li (2009) Guo et al. (1992) Colombia&nbsp; Sutherland et al. (2008) Czech Republic&nbsp; India&nbsp; Gemexplorer.org McClure et al. (2005) Kenya&nbsp; Simonet et al. (2004) Kyrgyzstan&nbsp; Laos&nbsp; Sutherland et al. (2002) Madagascar&nbsp; Milisenda et al. (2001) Milisenda et al. (2001) Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Madagascar - extraLapis English No.1, 2001, p. 90 Milisenda et al. (2001) Gonthier (1997) Milisenda et al. (2001) Milisenda et al. (2001) Milisenda et al. (2001) Rakotosamizanany et al. (2009) Malawi&nbsp; Emmett (2000) Myanmar&nbsp; Thein (2008) [var: Star Sapphire] Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok [var: Star Sapphire] Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Mitchell et al. (2007) Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Ted Themelis (2008) Gems & mines of Mogok Hlaing (2008) Hlaing (2008) Nepal&nbsp; Skalwold (2013) Smith et al. (1997) Nigeria&nbsp; Pakistan&nbsp; Russia&nbsp; Pakhomova et al. (2006) E.Ya. Kievlenko (2003) Geology of gems, p. 62 Sri Lanka&nbsp; Dissanayake et al. (2000) Dissanayake et al. (2000) Dissanayake et al. (2000) Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Dissanayake et al. (2000) Joseph A. Freilich.; Econ Geol (1981) 76:733-738 Dissanayake et al. (2000) Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Gems and Gemology, Summer 2012 Pardieu and Senoble (2005) E.G. Zoysa (1999) Switzerland&nbsp; gemexplorer.org Tanzania&nbsp; Gemexplorer.org http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/tanzania-mines.htm Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Gemexplorer.org Michelou (2006) Michelou (2006) Thailand&nbsp; Hughes (1997) Schlussel (1991) UK&nbsp; E.Ya. Kievlenko (2003) Geology of gems, p. 48 USA&nbsp; Mychaluk (2001) Mychaluk (2001) Berg (2004) Garnier et al. (2004) White (2010) White (2010) mindat.org White (2010) Vietnam&nbsp; Nguyen et al. (2007) Nguyen et al. (2007) Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Pardieu and Senoble (2005) Gemexplorer.org Zimbabwe&nbsp; L.F. Marsh and F. Mugumbate (2009)

About Sapphire

蓝宝石是刚玉的蓝色品种，但几乎涵盖除红色以外的所有颜色（红色品种称为红宝石）。最珍贵的矢车菊蓝蓝宝石产自克什米尔，深受赞誉，此外缅甸、斯里兰卡、马达加斯加和澳大利亚也出产优质蓝宝石。蓝宝石与红宝石同属四大名贵宝石，具有极高的硬度和经久耐用性，历史上一直象征忠诚、尊贵与天国。

Compare With

Sapphire vs Aquamarine Sapphire vs Cordierite (Iolite) Sapphire vs Lapis lazuli Sapphire vs Ruby Sapphire vs Diamond
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Origins

Jewelry Use

Durability 10/10

Suitable for daily wear

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sapphire?
蓝宝石是刚玉的蓝色品种，但几乎涵盖除红色以外的所有颜色（红色品种称为红宝石）。最珍贵的矢车菊蓝蓝宝石产自克什米尔，深受赞誉，此外缅甸、斯里兰卡、马达加斯加和澳大利亚也出产优质蓝宝石。蓝宝石与红宝石同属四大名贵宝石，具有极高的硬度和经久耐用性，历史上一直象征忠诚、尊贵与天国。
What is the hardness of Sapphire?
Sapphire has a Mohs hardness of 9.0, making it excellent for use in jewelry.
What color is Sapphire?
Sapphire is primarily Blue.
Where is Sapphire found?
Sapphire is found in Mogok (Myanmar), Kashmir (India), Sri Lanka (Ceylon) (Sri Lanka), Pailin (Cambodia), Ratnapura (Sri Lanka).
How much does Sapphire cost?
Sapphire falls into the Investment ($5,000+/ct) price range. Prices vary based on color, clarity, cut, and origin.

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