Known for its blinding blue beauty, the sapphire stone is considered an emblem of elegance worldwide. People love to own and flaunt this mesmerizing blue goodness that lights up every piece of jewelry it’s added to. But despite being so popular, there’s a lot about sapphires that remains unknown. People only regard the sapphire stone as the brilliant blue gem that reflects light and shines every which way, but there’s so much more to it than just the enthralling hue beauty that allures gem lovers everywhere.

While there’s no harm in touting sapphires as the azure marvels of the gem world, it’s certainly a disservice to such a well-rounded and versatile rock. Keeping that in mind, we decided to put together a comprehensive guide that’ll give all the lesser-known facts about the mesmerizing sapphire stone.

Sapphire Is Among The Top Four Gems

Although the precious and semi-precious classification of gems that was once widely used back is not relied upon much now, some gemstones are still given precedence over the others, namely diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. When these lavish rocks are refined and transformed into precious gems, they become not only exquisite but also super pricey. But that’s not to say that precious stones in their raw form are any less precious; polishing further adds to their value significantly.

Being a member of the precious category, sapphires enjoy a much more estimable position as a gemstone.

Sapphires And Rubies Are Twins  

Sapphires and rubies do not only share the title of precious stones, but they also have the same scientific structure. Aside from their colors, the two gemstones are exactly the same. Because of the same gem composition, rubies in lighter shades, such as pink, are referred to as pink sapphires and not pink rubies.

Sapphires Rank A9 on the Mohs Scale

Besides the striking clarity, cut, and color, stones are also assessed over their hardness. And the metric used to do so is known as the Mohs scale of hardness. Gemstones that lie high up on the scale, i.e., close to ten, are harder than those near the tail end.

With that said, not many gemstones have a high Mohs ranking, but the sapphire is one that lies close to the top of the scale.

It ranks ninth on the Mohs scale of hardness, following a diamond that has the highest rating of ten. Sapphires share their high rating with rubies as both have the same scientific structure.

Having such a place on the Mohs scale means that sapphires are incredibly sturdy and cannot be cut by any stone other than a diamond. If you want to check whether a bluestone is actually sapphire, assess its hardness by trying to slit it using a stone. If it develops a fissure, it’s not a genuine piece because only a diamond can crack a sapphire.

The 4Cs are Used Differently When Evaluating Sapphires

The 4Cs are used to evaluate gemstones based on their color, clarity, carat, and cut. While for most gems, having crystal clarity is considered a testament to their high quality, for sapphires, the said evaluating measure is used differently. Unlike diamonds which are considered more precious if they are clear, sapphires are regarded as of better quality and composition if they have inclusions and carry a rich hue. In sapphires, the color takes priority over all else when assessing the value of a particular piece. If it has high saturation, multiple tones, and shades, it’s considered supremely valuable. In simpler words, what might be looked at as a flaw in other gems is a favored characteristic in a sapphire stone. A dark, shaded, and rich sapphire is much more valuable than one with less color, shades, and hue intensity.

Naturally, the more precious a sapphire stone, the more expensive it’s going to be. But if you have money, always go for a darker shade.

Sapphires Come in Many Colors

Sapphires are mostly pictured as blue-colored gems snugly placed on engagement rings, but they come in many more colors that are equally breathtaking. The many sapphire shades other than blue include green, purple, pink, orange, black and yellow. You may also find colorless sapphires that are excellent and less expensive substitutes of the exorbitant diamonds.

Color-Changing Sapphires

As the name suggests, color-changing sapphires possess a unique ability to shift shades under different lights. A color-changing sapphire will look different under natural light and appear differently under artificial light.

Star Sapphires

Based on how sapphire is formed, it can acquire certain imperfections. Sometimes, these flaws can gather near the center of the stone and create an asterism, making it a star sapphire. Star sapphires are pretty rare and are among the most sought-after sapphire varieties.

Sources of Sapphires

Although sapphires are mined worldwide, some countries enjoy high-quality sapphires more than others. Those include Cambodia, Malawi, Afghanistan, India, Columbia, Kenya, Vietnam, and America.

Sapphires are Used in Tech Industries

Due to their sturdiness, sapphires are used for industrial purposes. The most well-known use of sapphire in an industry other than the jewelry world is the watch sector. Sapphire stones are used in many smartwatches and some Swiss pieces as well.

The History Behind the Name

The name sapphire comes from two words used for blue in Latin and Greek; sapphirus and sappheiros. It is believed that these names might have been used to describe a different gem known for its blue appearance, lapis lazuli, back in the day.

Sapphires Were Considered a Symbol of Royalty

Sapphires have enjoyed an esteemed position with royalties for the longest while. The deep blue stone was used by many medieval kings and queens as it was believed to possess magical healing powers that would ward off evil and restore health.

Expensive Sapphire Stones

One of the most expensive sapphire stones known to the world belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife, Josephine. The emperor gifted the precious gem placed over a gold band alongside a diamond to his wife in 1796.

The ring was recently auctioned for a million dollars

Another expensive sapphire ring belongs to the British royal family. Prince Charles gave the glorious ring to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. It features a 12-carat oval blue sapphire and is now in possession of Princess Catherine.

If you love sapphires as the royals around the world, be sure to get yourself or your partner a magnificent ring with a chunky blue sapphire sitting on top to feel like royalty.