0 Sapphire Is September Birthstone

Add This To Del.icio.us Tweet/ReTweet This Share on Facebook StumbleUpon This Add to Technorati Digg This

Sapphire Is September Birthstone

Sapphire is a member of the corundum family of minerals. The gemstone exists in nearly every color -- except red -- red corundum is always called ruby. One of the hardest minerals, sapphires are durable gemstones that have been in demand since ancient times.

Sapphire Hardness

9 on the Mohs' scale; compare to diamonds at 10 and turquoise at 5-6.

Sapphire Birthstone Colors

• Cornflower blue is the most popular sapphire color, but sapphire exists in all shades of blue
• Other sapphire colors include yellow, colorless, black, white, orange, pink, and brown
• One type of orange-pink sapphire is called padparadsha, which means "lotus flower."

Sapphire Treatments

• Heat treatment is commonly used to deepen sapphire color and improve clarity

Where Sapphires Are Found

• Quality sapphires are found in Ceylon, Thailand, Australia, India, Burma, Africa, and Brazil.

Unusual Sapphires

• Some sapphires are cut into cabochons (smooth domes) and produce a star with six rays that stretch across the sapphire's surface.

Synthetic Sapphires

• Like many other popular gemstones, sapphires can be created in a laboratory. Some synthetic sapphires are difficult to distinguish from gemstones formed in nature.

Sapphire Buying Advice

More Birthstones