HISTORY, PROPERTIES AND VIRTUES OF SAPPHIRE

‘Morning Dew’ ring with pink sapphire. The symbol of the blue sapphire has been built over time. It was first the symbol of integrity, then that of love and finally that of fidelity. It has also become quite popular for engagement rings. Prince Charles gave Lady Diana a wedding ring featuring a blue sapphire during their wedding. The British have become attached to the royal couple. The magical side of their marriage has launched a fashion and dreams of young girls around the world. All little girls have dreamed of receiving a sapphire the most day of their life. Usually, it is offered by the man for the 5th and 45th year of marriage. If you were born in September, blue sapphire is your birthstone.

FAMOUS SAPPHIRES

Large sapphires are rare and therefore, they are generally associated with myths and legends. However, it is possible to cite a few:

1. Black Star of Queensland and was quarried from a large rough stone of 1156 carats. It is the largest specimen of star sapphire known to date. Discovered in Australia, it is exhibited on a white gold plinth. Since 2007, it has been owned by an individual and no one knows what the stone becomes.
2. Louis XIV’s Grand Saphir has 6 faces and a diamond shape. In 1669, King Louis XIV bought it and made it a crown jewel of France. As with many stones, it was imported and it was cut manually into rhomboids.
3. The Edward the Confessor sapphire is the oldest jewel in the British crown. In 1043, King Edward the Confessor wore it on a quality ring for his coronation ceremony. Then it was added on the crowns of the royal family. The king was buried with his ring, but it was recovered in 1163 when it was transferred to another chapel. Until 1649, the crown of the sovereigns included sapphire. Oliver Cromwell destroyed all of the Crown Jewels. Finally, the stone was cut in 1660 for the coronation of King Charles II and for the imperial ceremonial crown of Queen Victoria.
4. Commoners sapphire is the engagement ring that is adorned with a Ceylon sapphire. It was offered to Lady Diana by Prince Charles. Today it is possible to see it on the hand of Kate Middleton.
5. The Logan sapphire is the second largest discovered in size. It was cut into a cushion and it was mounted on a spit. It can be seen today at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
6. The ‘Water lily in the rain’ necklace with a colourless sapphire.
7. The Nertamphia sapphire which has 216 carats.
8. The Rockefeller Sapphire, a magnificent rectangular gemstone set in a ring, was auctioned by Christie’s in 2001, and purchased by an anonymous private collector for nearly $ 3 million.
9. The made Bombay Star was given as an engagement ring to Mary Pickford who decided to bequeath it to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
10. The Star of India is the largest of its type with a weight of 112.67 grams. It was stolen by Jack Murphy, but it can now be seen in the American Museum of Natural History.
11. The Midnight Star has a purple pigmentation that draws towards the black. It is also exhibited in Washington.
12. Millennium Sapphire has a weight of 13 kilograms. Alessio Boschi, an Italian artist, paid homage to the men of this world who had considerable importance such as Martin Luther King, Christopher Columbus or Mozart.

ORIGIN AND COMPOSITION OF BLUE SAPPHIRE STONE

The name of the stone finds its source in the Latin word “sapphirus” which is a derivative of the Greek “sappheiros”. Some authors and historians claim that the word actually comes from the Hebrew “sappir” which can be translated as “noble stone”. Others think, on the contrary, that it comes from the Sanskrit “sani priya”. This last hypothesis is credible since in Indian astrology, the blue sapphire is associated with Saturn, mainly cashmere. Some experts have been able to prove that the Greek term designates lapis lazuli and not corundum. In Ancient Greece, it appears that sapphire was actually called hyakinthos. Blue sapphire can be found in different pigmentations because the gems are allochromatic, that is, they are nuanced by foreign substances. These are determined by iron, titanium and chromium. Originally, Ceylon was the most classic of the light blue sapphires. It is found in the main natural deposits in Sri Lanka. If we are to believe the Romans and the Greeks, as early as 480 BC, blue sapphires already came from that part of the world. Historically and to prove the antiquity of natural deposits, we must remember that King Solomon seduced the Queen of Sheba by offering her a stone that came from Sri Lanka.

Traditionally, blue sapphires have also come from Burma. They are then produced in Cambodia, China, Laos, Australia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, United States, Madagascar and Vietnam. Moreover, in the 1980s, 70% of the world’s sapphires produced came from Australia. However, sapphire from Australia does not enjoy an excellent reputation. It is claimed that it is too green and that its ink is too pronounced. Since the 1990s, Madagascar has entered the market. While Madagascar has the reputation of a Third World country, it is now found at the head of a real trade in quality precious minerals. Today, 20% of the world’s sapphires have been produced in Madagascar.

At the base, blue sapphires are transparent like tanzanite. However, they can have different light blue complexions. It can go from green to purple or even combinations. They are pleochroic in the sense that the shades change depending on the angle. Under the fluorescent light, sapphires shine everywhere. White light is not known to bring out the beauty and shine of the stone. Rubies, like sapphires, are Type II gemstones, but sapphires are purer than the former. Usually, the standard is pure to the eye. Some stones may be velvety or drowsy due to the microscopic inclusions. The value of these stones is priceless. When we speak of sapphire quite simply, we are really talking about blue sapphire. But there are other sapphires like fantasy. Depending on the elements that make up the stone, it can turn orange, yellow, green, etc. Some stones have the power to change pigmentation over time and depending on the light.

The other sought-after variety is star sapphire. Asterism has its source in the reflection of light on parallel inclusions. The blue sapphires have six-pointed stars. There may be some that have 12 branches. The Padparadasha sapphire is the only one that has its own variety denomination. The others are called only by their hues. The rarity of its elements gives the stone sublime pigmentations that oscillate between pink and orange. Stone collectors all dream of owning one of these specimens. Blue sapphire and water sapphire should not be confused. This is a cordierite which is also called Iolite. It is common to confuse it with a blue sapphire because of its appearance, but the value is not at all the same.