Hey! Look at that, isn’t it dazzling? What sheer brilliance and radiance, the envy and attraction it evokes is something very special. What are we talking about? It’s about a gemstone called Sapphire. A gemstone which has good wordings, attached to its name and for good too and to top it off is referred to by many sobriquets. They are stone of stones, gem of the heavens and the divine gemstone. It has been cherished for thousands of years. Life is an ongoing process, which occasionally looks back to a glorious past built on tales, which are either fiction or reality. Those, which are fiction, evoke derisive laughter and those, which are reality, evoke just pure exclamation. The gemstone Sapphire belongs to the latter category. And the feeling has remained the same to this very day.

The name Sapphire originates from two sources – Greek “Sappheiros” and the Latin “Sapphirus”. Ancient Priests used these gems to help them interpret Oracles and were regarded as such a powerful talisman that even when sold to another, the original owner was still protected by the influence of the gem.

It is found in Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Tanzania, Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Malagasy Republic, Malawi, Pakistan, Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), U S A (Montana, North Carolina).

It has a hardness of 9 and is the second hardest natural mineral known to science. Its gemstone totally diamond is hailed as the hardest mineral. The hardness of sapphire can be partially attributed to the strong and short oxygen-aluminium bonds, these bonds pull the oxygen and aluminium atoms together, making the crystal not only hard but also quite dense for a mineral made up of two relatively light elements.

It comes from the same mineral family of rubies, another fine and popular gemstone. A perusal of this gemstone will reveal as to why it evokes that admiring gasp of feelings.

History
The ancients from the land of Persia believed very strongly that our planet Earth; a rotund ball has its resting place on a giant sapphire. The prized ones among the gemstone Sapphire are deep blue in colour and it was this colour, which led the ancients to believe that vast sky above us its colour.

• Historian of bygone era Damigeron had written that sapphire was worn by ancient kings to protect them from harm and was also believed to protect the wearer from envy and attract divine favour.
• Esteemed greatly by the ancients, because of its beautiful deep blue colour, the Greeks dedicated this gem to their sky-god Zeus.
• The gem was regarded as a symbol of truth, sincerity and constancy. And also as the symbol of chaste love and was associated with the goddess Venus. It was said that if an unfaithful husband or wife wore the gem, the shine and lustre would dim. The magical properties of the sapphire prevented its wearer from wicked and improper thoughts. The powers of its rays could kill all noxious and venomous creatures. The stone would not shine for the wicked or impure.
• Tales of legend speaks out 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 recording as an antidote against poison.
• The blue colour of any gemstone was at one stage of history was linked with Sapphire.
• This fine gemstone is coloured in rich and velvety cornflower blue, is called “Kashmir” out of deference to the traditional source of the finest quality. Today, the area of Kashmir, India is not generally mined because of its physical inaccessibility.
• The production of this gemstone comes from Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Montana, Australia and Africa. The majority of them come from Sri Lanka, which produces a wide range of beautiful blues from delicate sky blue colours to rich saturated hues. Two other areas, Kanchanaburi in Thailand and Pailin in Cambodia are renowned for deep blue, even colours.
  Two latest entrants are Madagascar and Tanzania.
• The Sinhalese of Sri Lanka believed the star sapphire would protect them against witchcraft and the three intersecting rays were thought to represent faith, hope and destiny.
• A sapphire weighing 958 carats was found when lightning uprooted a tree in the jungle, was bought by an American dealer for over $1,00,000/- and cut into 9 stones, the largest weighing 66 carats.
• The most famous stone is the “Star of India”, a rare star sapphire of 565 carats. After a long and turbulent history, the jewel is now in Morgan-Tiffany Collection in the American Museum of Natural History, New York. A fabulous sapphire carved in the likeness of Buddha is exhibited in the British museum in London.
• The Bible names sapphire as the stone on which the Ten Commandments were engraved and given to Moses for the Laws of his people.
• Buddhists believed that blue sapphire urged a desire to pray thereby giving rise to peace of mind, tranquillity, happiness and spiritual enlightenment.
  Characteristics
  Colour
  The gemstone is like a rainbow present in colour of almost every hue, it occurs in colours ranging from very light to dark blue to violets-blue, bluish-green, yellow, slightly reddish-orange, brown, nearly opaque black, colourless, pink and violet.

Cut
Sapphires are most often cut in a cushion shape – a rounded rectangle – or an oval shape. One can also find smaller sapphires in round brilliant cuts and a wide variety of fancy shapes, including triangles, squares, emerald cuts, marquises, pear shapes, baguette shapes, and cabochon cuts, or smooth domes.

Clarity
Sapphires possess higher clarity values than emeralds and rubies. Flawless sapphires are found rarely. To get the best value, moderately priced sapphires should be sought out for Enhancements.

Sapphire is always heat treated to produce, intensify or lighten colour and/or improves colour uniformity and appearance. Heat treatment of sapphires is performed at the sapphire mines, and is an industry-wide accepted practice.

Composition
Sapphire basic material is known as Corundum, which is a colourless material, formed from aluminium oxide. The colour blue results due to the addition of titanium and iron during the formation of the sapphire crystals. Crystals of sapphire are found as hexagonal bi-pyramids. Raw sapphire gemstones are usually water-worn, which gives them the appearance of miniature barrels.

Usage and Other interesting Details
Those who are fastidious about their dress appearance and other such trivia use the gemstone in many ways. A sample of the same are:

• It makes for a perfect addition to one’s wardrobe. It is either faceted or cabochon (dome-shape) for use in rings, pendants, earrings and pins. Sapphires are set into the simplest of designs as well as the most elegant of pieces.
• Subtle differences in quality can make large differences in beauty (and price) and as such it is important to select one’s jewellery from a professional. This principle holds good for this gemstone.
• It is the traditional and modern birthstone for September, mystical birthstone for May and Ayurvedic birthstone for August.
• In addition to being used as a gemstone, it is also sued as an abrasive and as refractory material in high temperature kilns.
• It is the accepted anniversary gem for the 5th and 45th years of marriage.
  Benefits of Sapphire
  This gemstone has lots of benefits and can be classified as follows:
• Its is said to give peace of mind, tranquillity, happiness and spiritual enlightenment.
• If the planet Saturn happens to be your weak friend according to your horoscope, then the gemstone blue sapphire is your perfect gemstone. You can also wear blue sapphire if you encounter problems related to one’s mind and body.
• Sapphires were prominent in early medical practices. Ground and powdered, they were believed to stop bleeding, cure eye problems, boils and wounds.
• A sapphire pendant was used as a cure for fever, seizures and delusions. It strengthened the heart, counteracted poisons, purified the blood and corrected defective vision.
• A ring with a sapphire stone was alleged to bring wisdom and compassion to its owner. When disaster was near, the stone took on a chalky appearance, which lasted until the danger passed.
• The planet Saturn indicates one’s longevity and death, wearing a blue sapphire will increase your life span.
• Sapphire symbolizes sincerity and faithfulness, and is an excellent choice for an engagement ring. When Prince Charles gave Princess Diana a sapphire engagement ring, couples all over the world were inspired to revive this ancient tradition.
  Care and Treatment Details
  The gemstone should be of a minimum size of 2 carats.
• It should be set in silver.
• It should be worn on the middle finger of the right or left hand.
• Its specific gravity is 4.00 and its refractive index is 1.76-1.77.
• There should be no black inclusions on this gem and it should not be damaged physically.
• It should be protected from cracks and chipped edges.
• Blue Sapphire set on silver should be worn particularly on a Saturday and also only when the moon is in the waxing stage.
• The gemstone must be immersed in milk for one hour during the first hour from sunrise starting from one Saturday to the next Saturday. After which it should be kept in rose water until the chosen date.

Sapphire indeed is a many splendour gemstone, which is versatile in its many offerings, benefits and above all gives the aura, which a wearer seeks. It is truly one of a kind.