OUR STONES
SAPPHIRE
Sapphire is one of the most known gems, and one of the prettiest ones too. Commonly associated with blue tones, it can also naturally occur in many other colors such as green, pink, yellow or even colorless.
Sapphire belongs to the mineral species corundum, like the ruby. Any corundum that is not red and qualified as ruby can also be called sapphire. Corundum is composed of aluminum and oxygen and it is colorless in its purest form, the trace elements of titanium and iron cause the blue sapphire, and the more iron, the darker the blue.
Its name comes from the Greek word “sappheiros” which refers to blue stones. It has been used in commerce for a very long time, in Ancient Greece and Rome the royalty used sapphires to be protected from envy and harm. During the Middle Ages, the clergy used sapphires as a symbol of heaven, and throughout history, this stone has been associated with truth and justice, purity, peace, and the sky. It has also been associated with royalty and loyalty, making it a stone often used for marriage rings. This idea was reinforced with Lady Diana and her 12 carat sapphire, the engagement ring that Prince Charles gave her in 1981.
When sapphires are cut in cabochon form, they can show a phenomenon called asterism, also known as the start effect. It appears as a star pattern in the curved surface of the stone and it is caused by white light reflection. There also exist sapphires with the phenomenon of color change, where the stone has a different color in daylight and under incandescent light.
With a 9/10 on the Mohs scale, just after the diamond, it is one of the most resistant and hard minerals of the planet. It is also very resistant to thermal shocks and very high temperatures. The main sapphire mines can be found around the Indian Ocean, in Asia, Australia and East Africa. The principal producers are Madagascar, Tanzania, Sri Lanka and India.
From the classic blue to any other shade, sapphire is a stone that has been celebrated for centuries. Its durability makes it suitable for everyday use and it is a symbol of sophistication that combines beauty and strength, the perfect option for your jewels.
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