Sapphires are one of natures true wonders. They are renowned for their beautiful colors, notably the most sought after Blue stones. The first discovery of these magnificent gems was said to be in Ceylon stemming back to ancient times. They are made from the mineral specimen corundum which rubies also stem from. Corundum is made up of certain minerals, aluminum oxide which century’s ago formed into splendid crystals, however it is other elements such as chrome and iron that give Sapphires their truly outstanding color.

 Peoples tastes vary widely but experts tend to agree that the Kashmir blue stones are the pinnacle of all Sapphires. They are a splendid deep velvety blue in color with a beautiful sheen to them. Kashmir stones were first discovered only as little as two centuries ago, around about 1800. There has been very little excavated from the Kashmir mines since the 1930’s which makes them all the more sought after. Burma has also produced some of the finest Sapphires over many years. Other stunning shades of blue are the lighter Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Sapphires which are known to have a fantastic brilliance in any light source. Orange Sapphires have recently become very popular due to their wonderful color, they have been named Padparadsha which translates to Lotus Flower, and truly stunning these stones can display the colors of the most charming sunsets. There are also some fine examples of Yellow, Purple, Green and Pink sapphires. We really are spoilt for choice, but bear in mind that to purchase good quality stones can be expensive.

 Sapphires are a very hardy gem, they are graded 9 on the Moh’s scale, diamonds being the only other gemstone with a higher grading. This is something you should always take into consideration before buying your gemstone, is it a stone that can withstand prolonged wear etc, etc. No picture can do this stunning stone a true justice, it is truly amazing in person and sure to give the wearer or collector maximum pleasure for many years to come. Thank you for taking the time to read our detailed description, we hope it has been informative and helpful for you.