Characteristics of Sapphire:

Chemical Name: Aluminum oxide

Formula: Al2O3

Colors: Most colors

Structure: Hexagonal, trigonal

Hardness: 9

Specific Gravity: 4.0-4.1

Refractive Index: 1.76-1.77

Lustre: Adamantine to vitreous

Streak: Colorless

Locations: Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, USA, Kenya, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Australia

Is Sapphire green or blue?

Both ruby and sapphire are gem varieties of the same mineral, corundum, an aluminum oxide that is next to diamond in hardness. Although commonly thought of as blue, sapphire can also be colorless, green, yellow, orange, violet, and pink, among other hues. Before the end of 19^th century, when geologists realized that sapphires of all colors were the same mineral, terminology regarding the naming of the gem persisted from medieval times: green sapphire was called Oriental peridot and yellow sapphire was Oriental topaz. One of the oldest known stones clearly identified as sapphire is St Edward’s Sapphire: it is believed to date from the Anglo-Saxon king Edward the Confessor’s coronet in 1042.

What is Fancy Sapphire?

With three exceptions, modern terminology simply uses the word “sapphire” preceded by the color of the stone – for instance, yellow sapphire or green sapphire. Two exceptions are the rare pink-orange stone that are called Padparadscha (Sanskrit for “lotus blossom”), and sapphire that appears blue in daylight and reddish or violet in artificial light, which is called Alexandrine or Alexandrite Sapphire. The third exception is blue sapphire, which is simply called “sapphire”. Colors other than blue are often referred to as fancy sapphires. Many sapphires, whatever their color, have microscopic inclusions of rutile that produce a star when cut en cabochon.

Is Sapphire an expensive stone?

What does Sapphire symbolize?