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Formula : Al2O 3
Birthstone
For the month of September
For a list of all birthstones, click here
Mineral hardness (Mohs)
Particular hardness: 9
Sapphire can only be scratched by materials that are of equal or higher hardness.
Diamond might scratch a sapphire for example. Due to its toughness a sapphire will not break easily.
Color
Generally when sapphire is mentioned it refers to blue sapphire. Sapphire belongs to the group of minerals called corundum. Corundum occurs in nature in many different colors.
The name sapphire is used to describe those corundum gems that are did not occur in a shade of red (since red corundum gems are called rubies). The blue color of sapphire is the result of the presence of iron and titanium inside the stone. Differently colored sapphires contain different combinations of elements. Often stones are given heat treatments to intensify their color (this is not possible with all gems however).
Origin & History
Sapphires are most commonly found in: Australia, Cambodia, Kashmir in India, Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Montana in the USA.
In the past, the blue sapphire was said to protect chastity and track down fraud or tragedy.
Additionally the stone was said to protect its wearer against poison, plague, fever and skin- related disease.
Care
Like a ruby, the sapphire is resistant to damage from contact or liquids. Still, we recommend taking special care not to damage the precious stone.
Imitation stones
Whereas sapphire and ruby are generally comparable, they remain so when it comes to their imitations. When creating imitation sapphires, just like in creating imitation rubies, many different materials may be used, the main difference being color. For example: blue glass, blue tourmaline, blue spinel.
A quality sapphire may be recognized by its intense color and lack of impurities. The quality stone is clear and displays an intense blue color and a lively shimmer.
Cut
Sapphires may appear in any number of cuts. The most common cut for sapphires is a round faceted cut. In addition to this cut, however, there are many more options ranging from oval facetted cuts to cabochons with a star-like effect in the stone.
Jewelry with sapphire can be found here: