Born in September, the sapphire is your birthstone. The beginning of the school year comes nevertheless to counterbalance this insolent chance to have for gem of birth a stone belonging with the emerald, the ruby and the diamond to the club of 4 precious stones. And who says back to school says beautiful resolutions (for some, it is in January; finally others will opt not to formulate any more impossible vows to hold).
Ring Toi & Moi, Sapphire and diamonds
So, we wanted to come back to the esoteric power attributed to sapphire. Do you know Hildegard of Bingen? The nun wrote in the twelfth century Physica, the book of subtleties of divine creatures, a book listing among other things the healing properties of stones, lithotherapy before the letter! In particular "to become wise, lick a sapphire frequently on an empty stomach. The heat and power of the stone, joined to the warm humidity of the saliva, will dissipate the evil moods that disturb the reason. You're welcome for the confidence, you tell us if licking the sapphire adorning your engagement ring before the first bowl of Chocapic has made your children as sweet as lambs!
Frank Salisbury, Portrait of Marjorie Merriweather, 1946, Washington D.C., Hillwood Estate Museum
But let's get back to more pragmatic considerations: the name sapphire has two possible origins. First, it comes from the Greek sappheiros meaning blue. But it could also come from the Hebrew sappir or "the most beautiful thing", although until the Middle Ages the term was used to refer to lapis lazuli.
Sapphire belongs to the corundum family, a colorless mineral that has the particularity to be adorned with a different hue depending on the elements that compose it. We can find sapphires of almost every color of the rainbow, except (drum roll)... red of course! Why, asks those who did not attend our summer courses? Because a red corundum is a ruby. So direction Ruby land if you missed the information. We speak of fancy sapphires or "of color" in the language of Molière, for the stones not being of blue color. The padparadscha sapphire (lotus flower), with its peach color - a bit like pink wine - is one of the most prized fancy sapphires. It is found only in Sri Lanka.
Examples of padparadscha sapphires
Fifty Shades of Blue
When we say "sapphire" we are always talking about a blue sapphire. Its hue is due to the presence of iron and titanium in the stone. The shade of blue also varies depending on the origin of the gem. Like the emerald Colombia and Burmese ruby, there is an origin for sapphires more sought after than others: Kashmir. It is a mountainous region located on the borders of India, Pakistan and China. Kashmir sapphires, a deep velvety blue known as "cornflower", are all the more rare because the mines are now exhausted. Myanmar (formerly Burma) is second on the scale of sexy sapphire origins. Gems from Sri Lanka (called Ceylon sapphires) are also found with a paler blue and more purplish hue, while sapphires from Thailand, Cambodia and Australia, which come from basaltic rocks, are generally darker because they are rich in iron.
Sapphire daisy ring with diamonds
The discovery of Australian sapphires and their introduction to the European market in the 1920s led to the democratization of the stone. Finally, sapphires are also found more sporadically in the United States (Montana) and in France in the Puy-de-Dôme. It seems that recently, blue gems were found near Issoire and among them, a stone of over 90 carats. Looking for a career change? To your sieves!
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Sapphires may also have tiny inclusions of rutile needles. These are found in quartz on a larger scale. They then look like intertwined blond hairs or sometimes like strands of straw when they are thicker.
Rutilated quartz via © Pinterest
The stones are then cut in cabochon, that is to say in the shape of a dome. When these are illuminated with electric light, a six-pointed star, more rarely a twelve-pointed star, forms on their surface. This is why they are poetically called star sapphires. But let's see what it looks like on our ring with a beautiful Ceylon sapphire weighing about 7.50 carats.
Yellow gold and star sapphire ring
The ruby being a red corundum, one also finds sometimes this asterism in the stone. Moreover it is not the only characteristic that sapphire and ruby have in common: just like the red gem, the sapphire is dichroic, that is to say that depending on the angle of observation and the light it may present more or less a shade of color drawing either on the green or on the purple.
Some blue sapphires can also change color depending on the incident light. This is called the "alexandrite" effect, like the stone discovered in Russia in the 19th century (1830) to which the future Tsar Alexander II gave his name. With the pearl and the moonstone, it shares the star of the birthstones of June (but the pearl team has moreaficionados).
Ring 70s Burmese Sapphire by Costanza
Sapphires and blue blood
Since we are talking about stars, why don't we take a look at the famous sapphires?
The first one is at the heart of a burning news since it adorns the crown of England. At the time of writing, Charles has just been officially proclaimed king following the death of Elizabeth II. However, he will have to wait a little longer before seeing himself wearing the purple crown, which weighs a little more than two kilos. That said, the 73-year-old British monarch - the oldest at the beginning of his reign - is probably only a few months away from being crowned. Charles, this is no time to flinch, you go, King!
But back to the Stuart sapphire. A symbol of their power, the stone was passed down from generation to generation within the Scottish royal family - if stolen by Edward I of England in 1296, then sold by Oliver Cromwell in the mid-17th century, the sapphire was returned each time. Originally adorning the crown of King Alexander II of Scotland (13th century), the Scots woke up as British citizens on May1, 1707 and the sapphire joined the jewels of England. It will be set on the imperial crown in 1838 on the occasion of the coronation of ? Queen Victoria of course! You will notice that in terms of jewels and precious stones the monarch is always in the right moves. However, when Edward VII acquired the Cullinan diamond in 1908, the Stuart sapphire immediately lost several points on the sexy scale. It was set behind the crown to make room on the front for the "Little Star of Africa", the Cullinan II, a 317-carat gem cut from the mother diamond.
Large sapphire of Louis XIV, Paris, National Museum of Natural History.
Sapphire goes well with blue blood, and the French Crown also has its own corundum, "the Great Sapphire" of Louis XIV offered to the Sun King in 1669 and now kept in Paris at the Museum of Natural History.
A real star!
Jean Harlow on the cover of Movie Mirror Magazine, July 1935.
There is also a Hollywood legend according to which the actress Jean Harlow, on the occasion of her engagement to William Powell in the 1930s, would have exchanged the diamond ring for a star sapphire. We are not sure of the veracity of the information, but the ring does exist as evidenced by many photographs of the time.
Pompadour sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds
Proof of love and fidelity, the sapphire remains one of the stones privileged for the ornament of engagement ringsThe blue sapphire is a proof of love and fidelity, and is one of the most popular stones for the decoration of engagement rings, like the daisy of Lady Diana, now worn by Kate Middleton. If you are interested in the subject, we refer you to our article on the blue.
Otherwise, play Jean Harlow with our incredible ring Belle Epoque (and as Galerie Pénélope is for the peace of the households, our jewel reconciles diamonds and star sapphire).
Cabochon star sapphire ring with diamonds
Finally, the sapphire being the hardest gem that exists after diamondLike the ruby, the stone is a lasting investment for those who intend to wear their antique jewelry on a daily basis. Not that it is not possible, but some stones or organic materials require more care. For example, opal is particularly sensitive to humidity. But we will not say more, see you next month because it is the birthstone of October! In the meantime you can read our tips for maintaining your jewelry right here.
No jealousy if you were not born in September, discover your birthstone. here your birth gem.
Sweeten your back-to-school with our full selection of sapphire jewelry in the drop-down menu to the right or below for the mobile version!
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