Blue Sapphire Gemstone

When people mention the word sapphire,

they generally mean natural blue
sapphire gemstone. The
sapphire stones actually exists in various other
brilliant colors like yellow, orange, pink, purple and
green. These sapphires are called fancy sapphires.
The word Sapphire is derived from Sapphirus, which
is Latin for blue. In India it is believed that wearing a
sapphire ring or a sapphire bracelet or any other
sapphire ewelry item can have either of the two
effects ! either the wearer reaches great heights in all
aspects of life or is completely destroyed. This is the
reason why this gemstone is fairly unpopular in the
Indian market. Blue Sapphire is the
birthstone for september month.
There are numerous beliefs, superstitions
and folklore that is associated with the blue
sapphire gemstone. It is believed to give the
wearer everything that he or she desires "
health, wealth, longevity and happiness. This gem
also restores lost wealth and property, counteracts the
envy of enemies and removes the evil eye, protects
one from dangers and mental unrest and alleviates
long"term misfortune. It is also believed to improve
fertility in women.
#or therapeutic or holistic purposes, the blue
sapphire must be set in silver or white metal and
worn in the middle finger. The ring should be set
with an authentic natural sapphire to be effective.
$ue to the strong beliefs associated with
the stone, ewelers in India often suggest
this gem be tested %by wearing it next to the
skin or keeping it under the pillow while
sleeping& for at least one week before final purchase
is made.
The blue sapphire gem is one of the 'avagraha
stones %stones that represent the nine planets that
have a cosmic influence on all earthlings&. It
represents the planet Saturn %Shani& and is related to
duty and salvation.
(ven though blue sapphire gemstones are not so
popular in India, they are currently the world)s most
popular colored gemstone, with the *S registering
the highest purchases.
The gems natural blue color has always
been associated with royalty. +nd for
centuries the vivid blue sapphire has been a
symbol of nobility, sincerity, faithfulness,
truth and peace. It is believed to protect its
owner from all evils and to also attract divinity. Some
communities also believe that this gem has the power
to influence spirits and that it protects the owner from
witchcraft.
Composition of Blue Sapphire Gemstone
The chemical formula of ,lue sapphire is
aluminium oxide %+l - ./&. The specific
gravity ranges between /.00 and 1.22 and
the refractive index range is between 3.452"
3.456 and 3.442"3.440. The hardness on the 7ohs
scale is 0. It is the next hardest mineral, diamond
being the hardest.
Varieties of Corundum
Blue Sapphire belongs to the gemstone family of
corundum. The most pure form of corundum is
colorless, but trace elements add color to a corundum
gem. While the word 8sapphire9 is derived from the
Latin word 8sapphirus9, the word :corundum; is
derived from hindu word <urand or <uruvinda.
Physical Properties of Blue Sapphire
Blue Sapphire Color
#ine medium"dark blue sapphires of rich tone come
from <ashmir in India. With their cornflower blue
color and a slight milky appearance, <ashmir
sapphires of are considered to be the most beautiful
gemstones. =olor >oning %the uneven distribution of
coloring in a gemstone& in a blue sapphire of natural
origin is a very common phenomenon. Thus, a rough
sapphire stone needs to be cut and faceted in a well
planned manner to obtain a beautifully colored
finished gem.
Sapphires get their beautiful color tone from the trace
elements iron and titanium. The blue sapphires that
are found in the basaltic rock have a better color as
compared to the others as basalt is rich in iron.
Cut
+ natural blue sapphire is commonly cut
into a oval shape to retain maximum weight
and obtain a high carat polished sapphire gem. ,ut
other shapes like round, cushion, octagonal and
rectangle are also not uncommon and depend on the
native cut that is provided. 'atural blue star sapphires
has to be cut in cabochons to display the asterism in
the gemstone.
Carat
+ large number of famous sapphires have
been listed in history. ?arry Winston, the
famous +merican gem dealer, possesses a
//4.32 carat gorgeous sapphire. + @/5 carat star
sapphire known as the Star of India, probably the
largest such gem in the world and a smaller gem of
335cts called the 7idnight star, both reside at the
+merican 7useum of 'atural ?istory in 'ew Aork
=ity. While the 'ational 7useum of 'atural ?istory,
Washington $.=. houses the 1--.00 carat Logan
sapphire and the 36- carat Star of ,ombay. +nother
example of a huge"si>ed sapphire is the -/2- carat
sapphire that was carved by 'orman 7aness into the
form of +braham Lincoln9s head.
The =eylon blue sapphire, the ,ismark
sapphire is 06.52 carats and another
reminder of the beauty of the Sri Lanka
blue sapphire. $ue to the rare nature of the
large sapphire gems, gems above 3@ carats with good
color and clarity grade are considered extremely
exotic.
Clarity
=olor >oning and silk %included in rutile
needles& are the most striking features of
the sapphire gem. .ther visible inclusions
that are commonly found are crystals and feathers.
loupe clean sapphires are very expensive as
compared to the slightly included or eye"clean
sapphires.
Price, Cost and Buying of Blue Sapphire
Gemstone
The price of the blue sapphire depends mainly on
the color of the gem. +lthough the gem cut and gem
clarity also affect price, the influence that the color
has on the price is far more significant. +nother
aspect that is extremely important is clarity. This is
so because a blue sapphire with no natural inclusions
is a rarity. +nd therefore a blue sapphire gem with a
high clarity generally fetches an extremely high
price.

Kashmir blue sapphire gemstones are best
blue sapphires and are the finest among
those that can be found and they can fetch
a very eotic price in the market. + royal
blue untreated <ashmir sapphire can
exceed B 3@22 per carat in price. The natural
unheated and untreated blue ceylon sapphire %'ow
Sri Lanka& is sold in the regular range of B322 to
B122 per carat.
$epending on the Cuality of the stone, sapphires can
also be found beyond this range. +ustralian sapphires
are dark blue in color with very less transparency and
cost is around B4@ to B3-@ per carat.
Markets and Producers of Blue Sapphires
The cornflower blue sapphires from <ashmir are the
most preferred gems. ?owever political tension in the
region has reduced the miners from doing any mining
activity in this region and the gemstone has not been
mined for many years. The brilliance of the blue
sapphires from ,urma %now 7yanmar& and Sri Lanka
also fetch an exotic price in the market.
The so"called 8Deuda9 white non"transparent rough
sapphire from Sri Lanka was found to produce
magnificent transparent gems on enhancement.
,esides the ,urmese and Sri Lankan mines, there are
others that produce special good Cuality sapphires,
like the mines in =ambodia, 7adagascar, Thailand,
+ustralia, *S+, 'igeria and <enya.
Synthetic Sapphires and Treatments done on Blue
Sapphires
Treatments or enhancements on the
sapphire gemstone are done to either
make the color light or dark or to improve
the clarity and transparency. This is obviously done
so that the sapphire gemstone can fetch a better price
in the market. ?owever, it is ethically important for a
dealer, to disclose whether the sapphire is heated or
unheated or whether a treatment has been done on the
gemstones while trading.
=lose inspection by an expert can also reveal the
treatment that has been done and other faint natural
inclusions. !lmost "#$ of the blue sapphires sold in
the market today are treated.
%eat treatment and surface diffusion are the
treatments that are commonly done on these gems.
The type of heat treatment done is different based on
the Cuality and gem9s natural origin of the
gemstones. ?eat treatment involves the heating of a
gemstone at a temperature that ranges between 1@2=
to 3022= for a certain period of time %about 3 hour to
31 days&. +fter being heated, the stone then goes
through a cooling process to ensure that what comes
out is a deep blue sapphire gem.
Surface diffusion treatment is mostly done
if the heat treatment is not able to improve
the color of the gem. Surface diffusion
involves heating the gemstone slightly
close to its melting point. This is done along with
chemicals like aluminum oxide, iron and titanium.
The chemicals that are absorbed into the stone form a
thin layer of color on the surface of the gem, thus
enhancing the over all color of the gemstone.
Synthetic man made or lab sapphires are produced
in many countries in large &uantities. In 3014, the
Linde =ompany introduced synthetic red and blue
star corundum. This star sapphire gem is particularly
used to make men9s star sapphire rings. These gems
are now also produced in West Dermany, Eapan, and
Israel for mens sapphire rings and other sapphire
ewelry. Linde also utili>ed similar technology to
develop a method for enhancing both color and
asterism in natural sapphires, but the company ceased
production long ago.
Simulants of Blue Sapphire
Spinel, aCuamarine, cobalt glass, tourmaline, >ircon,
kyanite, >oisite, synthetic sapphire, benitoite and
iolite are gemstones that closely resemble the blue
sapphire.
Interesting Trivia and other saphire facts
The royal blue colored sapphire
gemstone and the beautiful red colored ruby
gemstone belong to the same family of
gemstones ! the corundum. They have the
same chemical composition " aluminum
oxide. The cause of the red color in the ruby
gemstone is chromium and the blue color of the
sapphire is caused due to the presence of iron or
titanium.
Blue sapphire birthstone is for people born in the
month of September. It is also called as the
September Birthstone.