Some facts about the Blue Sapphire Gemstone

Gemstones have been used for hundreds of years to brighten and beautify jewelry made from gold and silver such as rings, pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and anklets.

Some people have even linked certain gemstones to zodiac signs, folklore and birthstones.

The Blue Sapphire is one gemstone which is prized for its brilliant and dazzling blue color, clarity and hardness.

It has a hardness of 9 on the 10-mineral Mohs scale.

The Mohs scale uses numbers from 1 to 10 to measure the hardness of a mineral/gem. The higher the value the more durable and hard the gem.

Sri Lanka, Kashmir, Burma and Madagascar are some countries which mine this exquisite gem.

The Blue Sapphire is considered to be the birthstone of those born in September. This precious stone is also claimed to be a lucky gem for those born under the zodiac signs Virgo and Capricorn.

What’s more certain beliefs have also evolved around the Blue Sapphire.

For example, a person wearing this magnificent jewel is claimed to be protected from the envy and jealousy of others and shielded from heart ailments.

The gem is also claimed to bring financial success to those who wear it including having the power to convert negative energy into one which is filled with serenity and happiness.

The Blue Sapphire is also associated with the throat chakra which deals with communication, self expression and considered by some as ‘the gateway to higher consciousnesses.'

Many astrologers including certain people believe this blue colored rock is connected to the planet Saturn.

Gemstones like the Blue Sapphire have been connected to astrology and planets by some since ancient times. Such persons hold onto the belief the energy given out by certain planets can influence the way we behave, feel and have an impact on what goes in our surroundings.

They also believe that by wearing a gemstone which is compatible to a planet, it can help a person in improving his behavior, his attitude and give him the strength needed to face the negative changes which may take place in his environment.

It’s important to have the following knowledge about the Blue Sapphire before one goes shopping for one. If not, there is a huge chance of buying a sapphire which is of inferior quality.

The Blue Sapphire belongs to the Corundum mineral group.

Corundum is a mineral stone which is colorless but if it has traces of elements such as iron, titanium or chromium, it can produce a red, yellow or blue color stone.

Corundum which has traces of iron and titanium in it is blue in color and are known as Blue Sapphires.

The color of the Blue Sapphire is made up of three parts: the hue, saturation and tone.

The hue is the basic color of the Blue Sapphire.

The primary hue of the Blue Sapphire is blue and the secondary hues are purple, violet and green.

Quality Blue Sapphires should contain at least 85% of the primary hue (blue color) and 15% of the secondary hues purple and violet, but not green.

Saturation

Saturation is the amount of intensity or brightness of the color in the Blue Sapphire.

Blue light to dark blue, cornflower blue, royal blue, Burma blue, Ceylon blue, deep blue, medium-to-dark and violet blue are some of the names of the colors which the Blue Sapphire comes in.

The cornflower blue, which has in intense bright color to it is considered to be the ideal shade for a Blue Sapphire including the medium-to-dark and violet blue colored Blue Sapphires.

Tone

Tone means the amount of color (light to dark) contained in a blue sapphire.

The medium to medium dark color is claimed to be the best tone color for a Blue Sapphire.

Clarity

The value of a Blue Sapphire is determined by its clarity.

A Blue Sapphire of low quality will have flaws. Flaws are referred to as ‘inclusions’ in gemology language.

High quality Blue Sapphires are those which do not have any heat treatment done.

Unfortunately it’s impossible not to treat newly mined Blue Sapphires since in most cases the gems contain impurities and imperfections which can only be fixed by heat treating.

Blues Sapphires are graded for clarity from a scale of 1 to 10 using a ‘10-power magnification (hand held loupe or microscope’).

Cut

The Fine Cut and Ideal cut are claimed by some to be the perfect shapes for the Blue Sapphire. The correct cut is important for it displays not only the beauty of the sapphire but also how the gem handles the light which enters it.

A Blue Sapphire with the perfect cut will send the light which enters it directly back to the eyes of the one who looks upon it instead of in other directions.

Below is a list of some countries from where Blue Sapphires come from.

Sri Lanka

Ceylon Blue/Cornflower Blue are the well known varieties of blue sapphires mined in Sri Lanka.

The gems are lighter and brighter than many of the Blue Sapphires mined in other parts of the world.

The country has also gained international recognition for having some of the world’s largest Blue Sapphires:

Belle of Asia

This 400 carat Blue Sapphire was found in 1926 in a place called Pelmadulla.

Blue giant of the Orient

Regarded as the world’s largest Blue Sapphire with a weight of 486 carats. The gem is no longer in Sri Lanka but in Switzerland.

Logan Blue Sapphire

This 423 carat Blue Sapphire now lays in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and is regarded as the second largest Blue Sapphire in the world.

Star of Lanka

The center of the gem has an appearance of a 'six ray star' and is owned by the National Gem and Jewelry Authority of Sri Lanka.

It is considered as the third largest Blue Sapphire in the world with a weight of 362 carats.

Kashmir

Kahmir was once famous for producing one of the finest quality blue sapphires.

The first blue sapphires from Kashmir are claimed to have been unearthed after a landslide occurred in the Padar district of Kashmir in the late 1800’s.

The variety of Blue Sapphires from Kashmir are the Cornflower type and are sometimes referred to as Blue Velvet because the color of the sapphire resembles a blue velvety color.

It use to be mined extensively in certain regions of the Himalayan Mountains.

Burma (Myanmar)

The Mogok region in Burma is famous for its Blue Sapphires.

One reason Burma’s Blue Sapphires are highly valued is because it has a’ high concentration of blue color’ which makes it darker than the Blue Sapphires mined in other countries.

Madagascar

Madagascar Blue Sapphires are similar in color to the ones of the Ceylon variety.

These gems have become popular and much sought after because of its affordability when compared with the prices of Blue Sapphires from other countries.

© 2012 Suranee Perera