Sapphires: A Heavenly Stone
The sapphire is mostly known for its blue color. Reminding us of the sky, from the purple blue of sunrise to the dark blue of the evening sky. Other sapphire colours do exist however and are becoming increasingly popular over the last few years.
History of Sapphires
A number of supernatural powers were attributed to this gemstone. For example protection against evil and attracting divine favour. Religions have always been attracted to gemstones and the sapphire is no exception. It was considered the best colour for jewels in the catholic church and it was dedicated to the upper-god Zeus by the ancient Greeks.
Most of today’s sapphire supply comes from Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon). However the highest quality sapphire are not found here but in Kashmir, which lies on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Though this could change rapidly, as over the last few years a large number of new discoveries have been made all over the world. In Tanzania, Brazil, Madagaskar and the US to name just a few. The sheer number of these deposits, even though the quality might not be as high as for example the Kashmir sapphires, should be enough to supply the worlds sapphire need for a long time to come.
Properties of Sapphires
Sapphires are a variety of the corundum mineral, though this mineral is quite common the sapphire is a gem-quality variant which is far more rare. Every colour of this mineral is called a sapphire, unless they are red or purple in which case they are called rubies. Sapphires can come in many colours depending on the trace elements present, most commonly it is white, but blue, orange, green, pink, purple and black are also possibilities.
Sapphires have been one of the most popular gemstones in history, with the recent discovery of new deposits its likely that this will remain for the forseeable future.
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