The coloring agents in blue sapphire are iron and titanium, and vanadium in violet to purple colored stones. Star sapphires can range in color from blue in various tones, to pink, orange, yellow, green, lavender, gray and black.

The name 'corundum' comes from the Sanskrit word 'kuruvindam', meaning 'ruby sapphire', while the term 'sapphire' is derived from the Persian word 'safir', which originates from the Greek word for 'blue'.īuying Star Sapphire and Determining Star Sapphire Value Back to Top Star Sapphire Color All corundum has a hardness rating of 9, making it the second hardest material on earth, second only to diamond. Sapphire is a member of the corundum family and is closely related to ruby the red to pink-red gem-quality variety of corundum. Most star sapphire exhibits a white star, but star sapphire from Thailand is famed for its gold colored asterism. The most desirable color is a vivid, intense blue. Star sapphires can range in color from blue in various tones to pink, orange, yellow, green, lavender, gray or black. Medieval Europeans believed that sapphire cured plague boils and diseases of the eye and was also thought to be an antidote to poison.Aligned needles that intersect each other at varying angles produce the rare phenomenon known as asterism. In some cultures it was even reputed to have healing powers as well. Ancient Persians believed the earth actually rested on a giant sapphire, which made the sky blue. Clerics of the Middle Ages wore sapphires because they symbolized Heaven. The elite of ancient Greece and Rome believed that blue sapphires protected their owners from harm and envy. For centuries, sapphire have adorned royalty and the robes of the clergy. Long associated with royalty and romance, sapphires are also said to symbolize fidelity, sincerity, truth, faithfulness, nobility and the soul. Blue sapphire is one of the most popular colored stones but Jemima loves the fact that this birthstone comes in a rainbow of other colors. Which comes from the Greek word sappheiros – cherished for thousands of years the name usually refers to the blue variety of corundum (ruby is the red variety).

Sapphire birth stone