This page provides a brief history and some interesting facts about the world's three most popular gemstones....sapphires, emeralds, and rubies.

Sapphire...the word sounds as magical as the images it conjures up...sapphire blue skies, sapphire blue waters, and sapphire blue flowers. In the eighteenth century, any blue gemstone was categorized as a hyacinth, for the bluish flower. Today, we know that the correct nomenclature for a sapphire is "corundum". Although the word sapphire usually means a blue gem, we also find sapphires in a wide range of colours including violet, green, yellow, orange, pink and purple.

Although more than 2 dozen locales produce sapphires, the three most famous regions are Kashmir, Burma, and Sri Lanka. The most renown is Kashmir, a beautiful place high up in the Himalayas. Kashmir produces "cornflower" blue sapphires. Cornflower is an intense, medium-dark blue with a velvety appearance. Burmese sapphires are also lovely, but the blue is darker than those from Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka produces a sapphire that is lighter and brighter. Such sapphires are called Ceylon sapphires [Sri Lanka was formerly known as Ceylon]. But whatever the colour blue, and which ever is your personal favourite, sapphires have been worn and loved for centuries.

The Ceylon Blue Sapphire is known for its beauty - possessing the glorious cornflower blue shade - as well as for being one of the few sapphires in the world that can be sold as a completely natural stone without heat treatment. The blues aside, Ceylon sapphires also come in beautiful hues including pink, yellow, orange, green, purple, lavender and of course, the inimitable padparadscha sapphire - named after the lotus flower. All these highly marketable qualities of Ceylon sapphire has created brand recognition world wide - a brand not created by the producers of the stone, but by the sellers and consumers.
Sapphires that show a star-like light effect are called star sapphires; the most famous star sapphire from Sri Lanka is displayed in the Museum of Natural History in New York. Star sapphires or star rubies display a star-like marking and this effect, commonly known as asterism, occurs when light falls on the cut stone, cut in the cabochon form, and three rays appear giving a six-point star. However, stones with six rays have also been known to occur.
Lastly, there is milky corundum, a white opaque form of corundum also called geuda, which for many years was regarded as useless and discarded, often ending up lining fish tanks in some gemstone merchant's house. This happened until dealers in Thailand learned to heat-treat geudas to change the colour of the stone from an unattractive cloudy grey-white to a bright, sparkling blue. They completed the work nature began and ended up with a blue sapphire - of much greater value than a useless pebble. The colour of heat-treated blue sapphires are stable and the chemical composition of the stone is that of a sapphire, although prices are lower than for a similar quality stone with natural colour.

The most famous sources for sapphire are Kashmir and Burma, (now known as Myanmar). Kashmir sapphire, which was discovered in 1881 when a landslide in the Himalayas uncovered beautiful blue pebbles, has a rich velvety colour prized by connoisseurs. Burma sapphires, from the same region that produces fabulous rubies, are also very fine. However, today, these two sources account for a very small quantity of the sapphire on the market.
Most fine sapphire on the market today comes from Sri Lanka, which produces a wide range of beautiful blues from delicate sky blue colours to rich saturated hues. Kanchanaburi in Thailand and Pailin in Cambodia are renowned for deep blue, even colours. Two relatively new mining localities are showing promise: Madagascar, which has produced some exceptionally fine stones in small sizes but has no organized mining yet, and Tanzania, which has long produced sapphire in other colours but is starting to produce blue colours as well from a new deposit in the south.
The most valuable sapphires have a medium intense, vivid blue colour. The best sapphires hold the brightness of their colour under all different types of lighting. Any black, grey, or green overtones mixed in with the blue will reduce a stone's value. In general, a more pastel blue would be less preferred than a vivid blue but would be priced higher than an overly dark blackish-blue colour. As with all gemstones, sapphires, which are "clean" and have few visible inclusions or tiny flaws are the most valuable.
Sapphires are most often cut in a cushion shape - a rounded rectangle - or an oval shape. You can also find smaller sapphires in round brilliant cuts or a wide variety of fancy shapes, including triangles, squares, emerald cuts, marquises, pear shapes, baguette shapes, cabochon cuts and smooth domes.

Sapphire rings have been popular since the Middle Ages. Clergy favoured blue sapphire rings because the colour represented heaven. Magicians felt sapphire rings helped them command spirits. Many others felt a sapphire ring helped ward off evil and sickness, including the plague. Sapphires rings and sapphire jewellery have continued to remain popular throughout history. The British have a long-running love affair with sapphires. We all remember the beautiful sapphire and diamond engagement ring that Prince Charles presented to Lady Diana. Sapphires also adorn the cross on the Imperial Crown. And several American museums have some famous sapphires on display.

Emerald takes its place in the world of gems as one of the three most popular coloured gemstones [sapphires and rubies are the other two!]. Emeralds have an interesting legacy of violence, romance, and controversy. The first emerald mines were opened in Egypt, although the exact dates are not known. The Cleopatra emerald mine opened as early as 300 BC. Ancient peoples attributed all kinds of magical qualities to emeralds. Emerald rings and emerald jewellery symbolized fertility and rebirth. Scholars wore emeralds to strengthen their memory and become more eloquent. Lovers wore emerald rings to learn the truth of their loved one's intentions. In the sixteenth century violence became part of the emerald's history when Spanish conquistadors looted thousands of emeralds from the mines in South America. This event put South America on the gemstone map. From this time forward, royalty in many different countries looked to South America for a supply of the beautiful green emerald stones to adorn their rings, necklaces, bracelets and crowns.

Ruby... when you say the word, you can visualize the colourful, emotional images which rubies invoke: fiery hearts, passion, romance, blood, and power. The Ruby's coveted red colour ranges from medium red to dark orangey red to purplish red. The reddest rubies most likely convinced ancient peoples of ruby's medicinal powers. Thirteenth century medical literature from India tells us that a ruby could cure digestive disorders. Warriors in Burma put rubies under their skin to protect them in battle. Other ancient cultures felt that rubies brought peace and prosperity. If you wore a ruby ring, it would bring health, wealth, wisdom, and love. Some even believed that if you wore a ruby ring or ruby brooch on the left side that you would have a magical ability to live among your enemies in peace.

"The Morning Leader" a news paper in Sri Lanka on August 23, 1907 published the following news item under the headline "A moonstone Sapphire worth 7,000 pounds". The stone was mined in Ratnapura district. In its finished state it is 2 1/2 inches long, 1 3/4 broad and its greatest thickness 3/4 of an inch. This Sapphire, there is every reason to believe, is the largest sapphire in the world. It is now in the collection of an American gem and art collector.

Discovered in the paddy fields of Pelmadulla, Sri Lanka in 1926, the Blue Belle is held in high esteem because of its peacock blue colour and excellent clarity. Today, it is part of the collection of a British gem investor.

The second largest star sapphire in the world was discovered in Sri Lanka. It is almost flawless and unusual in that it has stars on both sides of the stone. Part of the collection of the American Museum of Natural history.

The third largest star sapphire on record. The phenomenal stone is a rich deep-blue in colour and has a well-defined six-ray star. Owned by the National Gem & Jewellery Authority in Sri Lanka.

The world's largest star ruby combining excellent colour, good transparency and a well-defined star. Part of the United States National Gem Collection at the Smithsonian Institute.

Probably the largest chrysoberyl cat's eye in the world, it was previously part of the collection of Thomas Hope, the wealthy British banker and gem investor. This cat's eye is carved to represent an alter surmounted by a torch. Exhibited at the British Museum of Natural History.

The stone displays the most desirable qualities of a "milk and honey" effect, with good transparency and a well-defined silvery star. An almost flawless specimen, its cut and proportions are excellent. It is part of the collection of the Sri Lanka National Gem & Jewellery Authority.

In earlier times, some people believed that the firmament was an enormous blue sapphire in which the Earth was embedded. Could there be a more apt image to describe the beauty of an immaculate sapphire? And yet this gem comes not in one but in all the blue shades of that firmament, from the deep blue of the evening sky to the shining mid-blue of a lovely summer's day which casts its spell over us. However, this magnificent gemstone also comes in many other colours: not only in the transparent greyish-blue of a distant horizon but also in the gloriously colourful play of light in a sunset - in yellow, pink, orange and purple. Sapphires really are gems of the sky, although they are found in the hard ground of our 'blue planet'.
Blue is the main colour of the sapphire. Blue is also the favourite colour of some 50 per cent of all people, men and women alike. We associate this colour, strongly linked to the sapphire as it is, with feelings of sympathy and harmony, friendship and loyalty: feelings which belong to qualities that prove their worth in the long term - feelings in which it is not so much effervescent passion that is to the fore, but rather composure, mutual understanding and indestructible trust. Thus the blue of the sapphire has become a colour which fits in with everything that is constant and reliable. That is one of the reasons why women in many countries wish for a sapphire ring on their engagement. The sapphire symbolises loyalty, but at the same time it gives expression to people's love and longing. Perhaps the most famous example of this blue is to be found in music, in George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". And the blue of the sapphire even appears where nothing at all counts except clear-sightedness and concentrated mental effort. The first computer which succeeded in defeating a world chess champion bore the remarkable name 'Deep Blue'.

Its beauty, its magnificent colours, its transparency, but also its constancy and durability are qualities associated with this gemstone by gemstone lovers and specialists alike. (This does not only apply to the blue sapphire, but more of that later on). The sapphire belongs to the corundum group, the members of which are characterised by their excellent hardness (9 on the Mohs scale). Indeed their hardness is exceeded only by that of the diamond - and the diamond is the hardest mineral on Earth! Thanks to that hardness, sapphires are easy to look after, requiring no more than the usual care on the part of the wearer.
The gemstones in the corundum group consist of pure aluminium oxide which crystallised into wonderful gemstones a long time ago as a result of pressure and heat at a great depth. The presence of small amounts of other elements, especially iron and chrome, are responsible for the colouring, turning a crystal that was basically white into a blue, red, yellow, pink or greenish sapphire. However, this does not mean that every corundum is also a sapphire. For centuries there were differences of opinion among the specialists as to which stones deserved to be called sapphires. Finally, it was agreed that the ruby-red ones, coloured by chrome, should be called 'rubies' and all those which were not ruby-red 'sapphires'.
If there is talk of the sapphire, most gemstone aficionados think immediately of a velvety blue. It's a versatile colour that becomes many wearers. A blue sapphire fits in best with a well balanced lifestyle in which reliability and temperament run together and there is always a readiness to encounter things new - as with the woman who wears it. The fact that this magnificent gemstone also comes in a large number of other colours was known for a long time almost only to insiders. In the trade, sapphires which are not blue are referred to as 'fancies'. In order to make it easier to differentiate between them, they are referred to not only by their gemstone name but also by a description of their colour. In other words, fancy sapphires are described as yellow, purple, pink, green or white sapphires. Fancy sapphires are pure individualism and are just made for lovers of individualistic coloured stone jewellery. They are currently available in a positively enchanting variety of designs - as ring stones, necklace pendants or ear jewellery, as solitaires, strung elegantly together or as sparkling pavée.
However, the sapphire has yet more surprises in store. For example there is an orange variety with a fine pink undertone which bears the poetic name 'padparadja', which means something like 'lotus flower'. The star sapphires are another rarity, half-dome-cut sapphires with a starlike light effect which seems to glide across the surface of the stone when it is moved. There are said to have been gemstone lovers who fell in love with these sapphire rarities for all time. And indeed the permanence of relationships is one of the features that are said to belong to this gemstone.

Sapphires, call them gemstones of the sky though we may, lie well hidden in just a few places, and first have to be brought to light through hard work. Sapphires are found in India, Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa. From the gemstone mines, the raw crystals are first taken to the cutting-centres where they are turned into sparkling gemstones by skilled hands. When cutting a sapphire, indeed, the cutter has to muster all his skill, for these gemstones are not only hard. Depending on the angle from which you look at them they also have different colours and intensities of colour. So it is the job of the cutter to orientate the raw crystals in such a way that the colour is brought out to its best advantage.
Depending on where they were found, the colour intensity and hue of the cut stones vary, which means, later on, that the wearer is rather spoilt for choice. Should she perhaps go for a mid-blue stone which will remind her even on rainy days of that shining summer sky? Or should she prefer a lighter blue because it will continue to sparkle vivaciously when evening falls? The bright light of day makes most sapphires shine more vividly than the more subdued artificial light of evening. So in fact it is not, as is often claimed, the darkest tone that is the most coveted colour of the blue sapphire, but an intense, rich, full blue which still looks blue in poor artificial light.
Specialists and connoisseurs regard the Kashmir colour with its velvety shine as the most beautiful and most valuable blue. These magnificent gemstones from Kashmir, found in 1880 after a landslide at an altitude of 16,000 feet and mined intensively over a period of eight years, were to have a lasting influence on people's idea of the colour of a first-class sapphire. Typical of the Kashmir colour is a pure, intense blue with a very subtle violet undertone, which is intensified yet more by a fine, silky shine. It is said that this hue does not change in artificial light. But the Burmese colour is also regarded as particularly valuable. It ranges from a rich, full royal blue to a deep cornflower blue.
The oldest sapphire finds are in Ceylon, or Sri Lanka as it is known today. There, people were already digging for gemstones in ancient times. The specialist recognises Ceylon sapphires by the luminosity of their light to mid-blue colours. Having said that, most blue sapphires come either from Australia or from Thailand.
Their value depends on their size, colour and transparency. With stones of very fine quality, these are, however, not the only main criteria, the origin of the gem also playing a major role. Neither is the colour itself necessarily a function of the geographical origin of a sapphire, which explains the great differences in price between the various qualities. The most valuable are genuine Kashmir stones. Burmese sapphires are valued almost as highly, and then come the sapphires from Ceylon. The possibility of the gemstone's having undergone some treatment or other is also a factor in determining the price, since gemstones which can be guaranteed untreated are becoming more and more sought-after in this age of gemstone cosmetics. And if the stone selected then also happens to be a genuine, certificated Kashmir or Burmese, the price will probably reflect the enthusiasm of the true gemstone lover.
It is not often that daring pioneers discover gemstones on a scale such as was the case on Madagascar a few years ago, when a gemstone deposit covering an area of several miles was found in the south-east of the island. Since then, not only have there been enough blue sapphires in the trade, but also some splendid pink and yellow sapphires of great beauty and transparency. Meanwhile, experts in Tanzania have also found initial evidence of two large-scale gemstone deposits in the form of some good, if not very large sapphire crystals coloured blue, green, yellow and orange. And the third country to register new finds recently was Brazil, where sapphires ranging from blue to purple and pink have been discovered. So lovers of the sapphire need not worry: there will, in future, be enough of these 'heavenly' gems with the fine colour spectrum. Top-quality sapphires, however, remain extremely rare in all the gemstone mines of the world.
Sapphire is an aluminum oxide. Its colour varies from very light to dark blue to violetish-blue, bluish-green, yellow, slightly reddish-orange, brown, nearly opaque black, colourless, pink, violet and the pinkish-orange padparadscha (lotus flower).

Sapphires can be x-rayed to intensify their colour. Natural sapphires undergo heat and diffusion treatments in Thailand. With the first method, sapphires with latent chemical components for good colour are "ripened" to a desirable colour through heating. In diffusion treatment, sapphires that lack the components for good colour are placed in a bath of colouring oxides that penetrate the outer layers of the stone. Treatment of blue stones is permanent.

According to an ancient Persian legend, the earth rested on a great sapphire whose reflection was seen in the sky. The stone also appears in the Promethean legend. Prometheus was chained to a rock by Zeus for having stolen fire from the gods. After being rescued by Hercules, a link of the chain remained on his finger, and attached to it was a piece of rock. Zeus agreed to grant Prometheus his freedom if he wore the link as a reminder of his sin. Later a ring set with a sapphire replaced the link and stone. Sapphire symbolizes truth, sincerity and constancy. It was believed to protect the wearer against capture by an enemy, and to win the favour of princesses. It also protected against poison. It was said that if a poisonous snake were put in a vessel with a sapphire, the rays from the gem would kill it. The name sapphire originally comes from Sanskrit. It became sappheiros in Greek, meaning blue. Before the value of sapphire was known to them, villages in the Zanzkar mountains of Kashmir (India) used the gem as a flint to start fires.