Sapphires come in every color of the rainbow and even in combinations of colors in one stone. Sapphires have come to represent fidelity, truth, purity, and chastity. They are commonly used as engagement or promise rings and the Sapphire’s most common deep blue color is said to come from the night sky. They are actually corundum minerals- though red corundum is known as ruby.

The region where a Sapphire is found often determines the appearance and color of the stone. Kashmir Sapphires have velvety shine and are regarded as the most beautiful and most valuable having a color of blue with violet undertones. Second to Kashmir Sapphires are the Burmese Sapphires which are royal to cornflower blue in color. Still the oldest specialty Sapphires are called Ceylon Sapphires; Ceylon is known as Sri Lanka today, and these ancient Sapphire’s signature is their mid- to light blue color. Sapphires are considered one of the four “precious gemstones” along with emeralds, rubies, and diamonds. Sapphire ranks 9 out of 10 on the Mohs scale (used to determine gem hardness) making it the hardest gemstone other than diamonds. Sapphires can be worn everyday easily but can be scratched by diamonds or extremely hard metals. To achieve its brilliant colors, Sapphires are often treated with by diffusion (thin layer added) and heating which has been used on Sapphires since the time of Marco Polo. These permanent treatments help the true beauty of each stone shine. Sapphire is the birthstone for September.