Sapphire

Take good care…

Sapphire is extremely tough and one of the most durable of gems.  You can clean your sapphire with a few drops of mild washing up liquid in water.  Use a toothbrush to gently scrub behind the stone, removing the dust and debris that can build up. 

Try to avoid…

Always avoid storing your sapphire next to harder gemstones such as diamond which may scratch it – as a general rule store your piece in the box it came in.

About your stone…

Sapphires are traditionally blue but also come in pinks, yellows, oranges and purple colours.  In fact, you can get a sapphire in any colour except red – a red sapphire is indeed a ruby with both gems being from the mineral corundum.  Coloured sapphires are known as fancy sapphires and the most sought after and most rare is the padparadscha sapphire which is a pink-orange gem reminiscent of an exotic sunset usually found in Sri Lanka.  Sapphires are mined in various locations in the world including Kenya, Thailand and Australia.  Producers of Sapphires often heat blue sapphires to almost 2,000 degrees to intensify the colour and improve the clarity.

Sapphires occur readily in 2 carats but it’s not unusual to see stones of up to 15 carats!  Sapphires are most commonly cut into cushion and oval shapes but you can get sapphires in a range of different cuts depending on your preference.

Pearls of Wisdom…

Sapphire comes from the Greek word ‘sappheiros’ meaning blue.  Ancient Persian myth has it that the earth rested on a sapphire which reflected into the sky making it blue.  Sapphires are associated with fidelity and a gift of sapphire suggests trust, honesty and loyalty which why it is commonly used as a stone for engagement rings.

Sapphire is the birthstone for September.