Thirteen Things About Sapphires

Thirteen Things About Sapphires Blue is the main colour of the sapphire. The sapphire belongs to the corundum group, the members of which are characterised by their excellent hardness (9 on the Mohs scale). Indeed their hardness is exceeded only by that of the diamond – and the diamond is the hardest mineral on Earth! The star sapphires are half-dome-cut sapphires with a starlike light effect which seems to glide across the surface of the stone when it is moved. Sapphires are found in India, Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa. Specialists and connoisseurs regard the Kashmir colour with its velvety shine as the most beautiful and most valuable blue. The sapphire is beautiful beyond blue, in every colour but red, red being the domain of the ruby. A variety of orangish-pink sapphire is called padparadsha, which means "lotus flower." In 1865, the first U.S. sapphires were found in the gravels of the Missouri River in Lewis and Clark County, Montana. Sapphires have an esteemed history. Tradition holds that the tablets containing the Ten Commandments were composed of sapphire, so strong that a hammer swung against them would be smashed to pieces. The ancient Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant sapphire whose reflection gave the sky its color. Damigeron, a historian of old, wrote that sapphire was worn by kings to protect them from harm. It was also believed that sapphire would protect the wearer from envy and attract divine favor. The gem was regarded as a symbol of truth, sincerity and constancy. Legend has it that if a poisonous snake were put into a vessel along with a sapphire, the rays from the gem would kill it. Our ancestors interpreted this to mean that sapphire was an antidote against poison. At one time any blue gem material was called sapphire. References to a blue-flecked stone led mineral experts to realize that some of what had been called "sappheiros" was actually lapis lazuli. "Sappheiros" is Greek for "blue." A rare variety of sapphire, known as color changing sapphire, exhibits different colors in different light. A color change sapphire is blue in natural light, and violet in artificial light. A similar effect is also seen in alexandrite. Since sapphire symbolizes sincerity and faithfulness, it is an excellent choice for an engagement ring. Sapphire is given as a gem for the 5th, 23rd and 45th wedding anniversaries while a star sapphire is given on the 65th wedding anniversary. Its powers include spiritual enlightenment and inner peace. Sapphire is believed to offer healing properties for rheumatism, colic, and mental illness. It is also considered an antidepressant and an aid to psychokinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance and astral projection.