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Locations: Australia, Cambodia, China, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Vietnam  Colors Found: Fancy  Family:  Corundum  Hardness:  9.00  Refractive Index:  1.76 - 1.77  Relative Density:  3.90 - 4.10

Sapphires derive their name from the Latin word “sapphirus”, meaning blue, and are often referred to as the “gem of the heavens” or the “celestial gem” as their colors mirror the sky at different times of the day.

The word Sapphire, stated without a prefix, implies Blue Sapphires only. Sapphires of all other colors are assigned a color prefix or are collectively termed “Fancy Sapphires”.



Blue is one of the favorite colors of both men and women and is a color psychologically linked to the emotions of sympathy, calmness and loyalty.

Legend has it that the first person to wear Sapphire was Prometheus, the rival of Zeus, who took the gemstone from Cacaus, where he also stole fire from heaven for man.

The ancient Persians believed Sapphires were a chip from the pedestal that supported the earth, and that its reflections gave the sky its colors.

Sapphire is mentioned in the Bible as being one of the twelve “stones of fire” (Ezekiel 28:13-16) that were given to Moses and set in the breastplate of Aaron (Exodus 28:15-30). Sapphire is also one of the twelve gemstones set in the foundations of the city walls of Jerusalem (Revelations 21:19) and associated with the Apostle St. Paul.

The guardians of innocence, Sapphires symbolize truth, sincerity and faithfulness, and are thought to bring peace, joy and wisdom to their owners. In ancient times it was believed that when the wearer of a Sapphire faced challenging obstacles, the gem's power enabled them to find the correct solution.

In India it was believed that a Sapphire immersed in water formed an elixir that could cure the bite of scorpions and snakes. Alternatively, if it were worn as a talisman pendant, it would protect the wearer against evil spirits.

The following legend is Burmese in origin and highlights Sapphires’ connection with faithfulness: “Eons ago Tsun-Kyan-Kse, a golden haired goddess with Sapphire blue eyes, presided lovingly over the temple of Lao-Tsun. Everyday, the temple’s chief monk Mun-Ha, meditated before the golden goddess accompanied by his devoted companion, a green-eyed cat named Sinh. One day the temple was besieged by a group of terrible outlaws. When they threw Mun-Ha to the floor, Sinh leapt fiercely at the bandits, jumping up on his master’s chest to protect him. The wrong doers fled screaming in fear, never to return and in gratitude for his courage, the golden goddess awarded Sinh with her Sapphire blue eyes. To this day, Sinh’s ancestors guard over the temple.” The temple still stands and is populated by Siamese cat’s with striking blue eyes (typically this breed has green eyes).

For hundreds of years Blue Sapphires were the popular choice for engagement and wedding rings.



The modern popularity of Padparadscha and Pink Sapphires aside, Blue Sapphires are traditionally the most coveted members of the Sapphire family. Coming in a wide variety of hues, Sapphires range in color from pastel blues all the way through to the depths of midnight blue. Sapphires are identical to Ruby (the red variety of Corundum), except for one key component, their color. Sapphires are “allochromatic” (other colored) gems and obtain their colors due to the presence of trace elements including iron and titanium. The crystalline form of aluminum oxide, the name Corundum is believed to be derived from three ancient Tamil, Hindi and Sanskrit words for Rubies and Sapphires, “kurundam”, “kurund” or “kuruvinda” respectively.

While personal preference should always be your primary concern when purchasing colored gemstones, Sapphires that sit in the middle of the blue color range are historically the most coveted.

Sapphires are one of the toughest gemstones, second in hardness only to Diamonds. Corundum is primarily mined from alluvial deposits and only occasionally from host rock deposits just beneath the earth’s surface.

Asterism or the “star effect” is a reflection effect that appears as two or more intersecting bands of light across the surface of a gem. This rare phenomenon is found in both Sapphires and Rubies.



As Sapphires from different locations can vary slightly in appearance, we have detailed some of our main sources and varieties below.

Ceylon Sapphire

The island of Ceylon (known as Sri Lanka since 1972) holds the earliest records for the mining of Sapphires. Noted for their cornflower blues, Ceylon Sapphires are synonymous with top quality Sapphires and are highly coveted. A classic source of quality Sapphires throughout history, mining occurs in the gem rich alluvial gravels found beneath the tea-covered slopes of Elahera and Rathnapura.

Ceylonese Sapphires received a boost in their popularity in 1981 when Prince Charles gave Lady Diana an engagement ring set with a stunning 18 carat Ceylonese Sapphire.

At GemsTV, we use the prefix “Ceylon” to denote a quality as well as an origin (not all Sri Lankan Sapphires can be called “Ceylon”).

Madagascan Sapphire

Today, Madagascar also provides some of the highest quality Sapphires. Sapphires were first unearthed on this island in the early 1990's. The Madagascan gem fields now account for approximately 20% of the world’s Sapphires. The majority of Madagascar’s Sapphires come from the prolific gem fields of Ilakaka and Antiermene.

Pailin Sapphire (Cambodia)

The Cambodian city of Pailin (the ancient Khmer word for “Blue Sapphire”) is steeped in local folklore regarding its precious treasures: “Long ago when the men folk sharpened their spears to go out hunting, the gods feared for the local wildlife. The gods told the townsfolk to lay down their arms, explaining that if they promised not to hunt the beasts of the forests they would find something of far greater value in the streams and rivers. Sure enough, they found Sapphires in abundance”.


Kanchanaburi Sapphire (Thailand)

The sleepy province of Kanchanaburi, renowned for the bridge over the River Kwai, rests among the jungle clad valleys of western Thailand. Kanchanaburi’s Bo Ploi Sapphire mines were discovered in 1919 and today remain one of world’s premier sources of Blue Sapphires. The Sapphires of Bo Ploi are mined from alluvial deposits spread over 2 square miles. The miners of Bo Ploi must unearth over 50 tons of alluvial soil to extract just 1 carat of Sapphire crystal. Sapphires have been heavily mined from the Bo Ploi mines in the last ten years and are approaching depletion. This increasing rarity makes these Sapphires a must for any jewelry collection.

Australian Sapphire (Australia)

Some of the finest Sapphires in the world herald from this sun-burnt country. Top quality Australian Sapphires exhibit brilliant cornflower blues usually associated with those from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Sapphires have been mined in Australia for over 100 years. The majority of Australian Sapphires come from three fields; the Anakie fields in central Queensland, the Lava Plains in northern Queensland and the New England fields around Inverell in the northeast of New South Wales.

During the 1980's Australia produced about 70% of the world's Sapphires and although production has decreased, the demand from the international market for Australian Sapphires remains very high. Sapphires found in Australia originate from similar geological conditions to those of Thailand and Cambodia, and thus possess similar characteristics.

Nigerian Sapphire (Nigeria)

Nigeria plays a key role in supplying the world with some of the most popular gemstones. Nigerian Sapphire is mined at Nisama Jama'a in Nigeria’s Kaduna State.

Umba River Sapphire (Tanzania)

On the Great North Road in Tanzania, between the plains of the Serengeti and the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro lies Arusha, the gateway to the beating heart of Africa and home to the fabled gemstone mines of the Umba Valley. Collecting in rich alluvial deposits that run the course of the valley, Umba River Sapphire is sourced using age-old mining techniques by Waarusha and Wameru miners whose knowledge of gemstones has been handed down for generations.

Midnight Blue Sapphire

Midnight Blue Sapphire combines deep rich colors and a spellbinding luster all in one gemstone. Blue and black intermingle in Midnight Blue Sapphire as if to reveal the secret of the sky at night. This accentuates their luster and is one reason for its enduring popularity. Mined in a wide variety of countries including Madagascar, Australia, Nigeria, Thailand, Vietnam and China, Midnight Blue Sapphire is a gemstone whose colors are beyond vivid. But there is nothing black about Midnight Blue Sapphire. To visualize this, think of the color of a desert sky shortly after the sun has set, with stars rising in the distance. This is the color of Midnight Blue Sapphire, an intense azure hue unmatched in the gem kingdom.

Royal Sapphire

As larger Sapphires increase in scarcity exceptionally, regardless of locale, we clearly identify these for you in our product descriptions. At GemsTV, “Royal” denotes Sapphires 2 carats and over.
 

Since the dawn of time, Sapphires have captivated and mesmerized jewelry connoisseurs the world over. From hot pink to forest green, Sapphire’s spectrum of colors is truly kaleidoscopic.

Fancy Sapphires get their unique colors from the iron, chromium, titanium and other trace metals present within the Corundum.

Chanthaburi Sapphire (Thailand)

Black Star Sapphires have only ever been found at one place on Earth – Ban Kha Ja, Chanthaburi (located approximately 245 kilometers east of Bangkok close to the border of Cambodia). From these mines, no more than 7 kilometers from the GemsTV workshops, stunning bluish green, green and yellow Sapphires are also unearthed. Displaying, gorgeous golden tangerine hues, a stunning Sapphire variety we aptly called “Chanthaburi Sapphire” from a new alluvial pocket at Ban Kha Ja proved hugely popular in 2005. Today, mining in Chanthaburi is very limited making top quality Sapphires from this town exceedingly rare.

A town steeped in gem lore, Chanthaburi has been a center of gem mining and cutting in Thailand for generations. Chanthaburi first gained its gemstone reputation as early as 1407 when the intrepid Chinese traveler Ma Huan wrote of a special place near Chanthaburi where hundreds of families sold bright clear Rubies. Thanks to its skilled artisans, Chanthaburi continues to garner international recognition as a global headquarters for colored gemstone faceting and trading. Known specifically for its expertise in processing Rubies and Sapphires, Chanthaburi is responsible for processing more than 80% of the world's supply of these gemstones. If you own Ruby or Sapphire jewelry, there is a very good chance your gems once visited Chanthaburi! With GemsTV being the biggest jeweler in the province, it is easy to understand why we are one of the world's largest handcrafters of high quality gemstone jewelry.

Color Change Sapphire

While Color Change Sapphires come from a variety of locations, the gem gravels of Tanzania is the main source. Color Change Sapphires present gem lovers with an opportunity to own the rare and stunning color change effect in a gem other than Alexandrite or Garnet.

Green Sapphire

Green Sapphire display a range of green hues, from tropical limes to wine bottle greens.

Padparadscha Sapphire

While Sapphires have mesmerized jewelry connoisseurs since the dawn of time, there is one Sapphire variety that mesmerizes above all others, the mysterious and coveted Padparadscha Sapphire.

Padparadscha Sapphire derives its name from its resemblance to the beautiful and famed pinkish orange red lotus flower known to the Sri Lankan people as “Padparadscha” or in botanical terms Nelumbo Nucifera Speciosa.

Padparadscha Sapphires must combine elements of yellow, pink, red and orange in one gem to rightly claim their Padparadscha title. One way to picture the color of Padparadscha Sapphires is to imagine sitting in front of a lazy fire on an isolated beach painted by the soothing hues of a tropical sunset. You then hold a fragrant lotus bloom to your nose and at that instant, the colors meld creating an aurora of orange, red and pink. This is Padparadscha Sapphire!

Wonderfully romantic and delightfully seductive, Padparadscha Sapphires are so rare and beautiful that they are highly prized by collectors. But what are the origins of the word Padparadscha?

Often misunderstood, with no universal agreement as to its meaning, the modern word “Padparadscha” was in fact adopted from a German gemological text early in the 20th century. The word Padparadscha is actually a corruption of two Sanskrit and Singhalese words “padma raga”. While “padma” means lotus, the word “raga” is a more complex meaning color, attraction, desire and musical rhythm all in rolled into one! Interestingly, the original term had much broader applications and was even used in ancient times to describe a variety of Ruby. A medieval Prakit text on gemology called the Thakkura Pheru’s Rayanaparikkha describes Padparadscha Sapphires as “that which spreads its rays like the sun, is glossy, soft to the touch, resembling the fire, like molten gold and not worn off is Padma Raga”.

Although the exact description is often debated, the beauty of these rare gemstones is not. While some continue to narrowly define Padparadscha as a Sri Lankan Sapphire, today Padparadscha Sapphires are recognized as also hailing from Madagascar, Vietnam and Tanzania. Regardless of the locale, Padparadscha Sapphires, especially in larger sizes, are incredibly scarce.

Don’t forget that like many of the rarer gemstones we offer, there is never a guarantee of continuous supply. Padparadscha Sapphire certainly fits into this category and it can take months of hard work to accumulate enough even for a few jewelry lines.

Pink Sapphire

Immensely popular, Pink Sapphires range from pastel to vivacious pinks and share a color border with Ruby. Many Pink Sapphires are so close to this boundary they are termed as “Hot Pink”. Sharing exactly the same position on the color wheel, red and pink are technically the same color. It is the saturation or strength of this red hue that differentiates red from pink. The problem is that the border region where pink stops and red starts is open to interpretation. To put the issue to rest, the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) stated the following: “Pink is really just light red. The International Colored Gemstone Association has passed a resolution that the light shades of the red hue should be included in the Ruby category since it was too difficult to legislate where red ended and pink began. In practice, pink shades are now known either as Pink Ruby or Pink Sapphire.”

Purple Sapphire

Prized by collectors, purple Sapphires can display rich purple-pink colors reminiscent of orchids. One word of warning: when we manage to source Purple Sapphires, they don’t stay in our vaults for a very long and are quickly snapped up by collectors and jewelry connoisseurs alike.

Yellow Sapphire

Ranging from pleasing pastel daisies to intensely beautiful canary yellows, Yellow Sapphires are renowned for their amazing luster and brilliance. Yellow Sapphires are not just beautiful, but are also one of the most coveted of all yellow gemstones.

Star Sapphire

With their very bright and lustrous star formations, Star Sapphires have traditionally been the most popular of all star gemstones. Glance at a Star Sapphire and you will see six or even twelve rayed stars silently gliding across the gemstone’s surface. This wonderful gem has long been coveted for their beautiful and mysterious optical effects know as “asterism”. “Asterism” or the “asteric effect” is caused by sets of parallel needle-like inclusions within the gemstone. While the gem gravels of Rathnapura in Sri Lanka is one of the world’s main sources of Star Sapphires, Black Star Sapphires are only found in the Ban Kha Ja district in the Chanthaburi province of Thailand.

Sunset Sapphire

While it might not have the chromium to be Ruby or the pinks to be Padparadscha, there is nothing about the beauty of Sunset Sapphires that is lacking. Displaying a bright blend of crimsons tangerines reminiscent of an African sunset, Sunset Sapphire (also called Songea Sapphire) was only discovered in 1992. The world’s only Sunset Sapphire deposit is located 60 kilometers West of Songea, with the Masuguru district being the main mining area. Discoveries like Sunset Sapphire have helped Songea become the second most important Tanzanian mining area after Merelani (the home of Tanzanite).

White Sapphire

The ancient Egyptians associated White Sapphire with the all-seeing eye of Horus, while the Greeks linked it to their god Apollo, using it in the prophesizing of the oracles at Delphi. The ancient Greeks unearthed White Sapphires from the island of Naxos in the Aegean Sea. With none of the iron, chromium, titanium and other trace metals that give Fancy Sapphires their unique colors, White Sapphire is arguably Sapphire in its purest form. Displaying an exceptional luster and brilliance, it has become a popular alternative to Diamonds.