While diamonds may be the standard bearer in the jewelry world, there is little doubt that sapphires are a close second. Here is an introduction to this much desired gem.

An Introduction to Sapphire Jewelry

Sapphires are some of the world’s most beautiful gemstones. Their characteristic dark blue color, along with their extreme hardness and excellent light catching properties make sapphires a great choice for any gemstone gift. There are also other colors of sapphire to consider – including light blue, yellow, green, white, pink, orange, brown and purple – but blue sapphires are by far the most popular.

Sapphires are the second hardest stones (substance) in the world, behind diamonds. Sapphire is one of the two types of corundum (the red version is ruby) and it is highly prized in the world of gemstones. The sapphire is also the birthstone for the month of September, as adopted by the National Association of Jewelers in 1912. Sapphires also correspond to several signs of the Zodiac – Pisces, Taurus, Virgo, and Sagittarius all have associations with this stone. A further significance of the sapphire is its association with certain wedding anniversaries; this stone is generally given for the 5th, 23rd and 45th wedding anniversaries.

While blue sapphire is the most highly prized of the sapphire’s colors, there is one type that is even more rare and valued. Known as the padparadscha, this sapphire is pink-orange in color and very hard to find. Some sapphires exhibit inclusions known as asterism, which makes it look as if there is a star inside the stone. These are usually six or twelve ray stars, and they create the phenomenon known as a star sapphire.

There is also a rare variety of sapphire known as color changing sapphire – this stone can change its appearance from blue to violet in different lights. Some light blue sapphires are heat or chemically treated, in order to create a darker blue look, and there are also lab created sapphires, which are not worth nearly as much as the real stone. These lab created stones were first made in 1902, and they are often used in cheaper jewelry, as they are not distinguishable from real sapphires to the naked eye.

Sapphires are one of the most interesting stones in the world. Their beauty and eye catching color make them a favorite of many men because of the masculine connotation of blue, and women love them as well. Mythically, sapphires are said to possess the power to enhance telepathy and clairvoyance, and even have some telekinetic properties, making them a handy stone to have around if you’re working in magic!

About the Author
Arsene Bergkamp is with JewelryStoresforYou.com - a directory of jewelry stores.