Burma and Sri Lanka have beautiful sapphires too.

Blue Sapphire ranges in hue from pale to deep azure or dark royal blue, to indigo, with the most highly desired color being the velvety cornflower blue, also called Kashmir or bleu de roi. This stone is orange and pink simultaneously and can be very expensive.īlue Sapphires hold their blue color from the combination of two chemical elements, iron and titanium. A rare colored kind of sapphire is called “Padparadscha,” which means “Lotus color.” It is the only color sapphire given its own name besides the ruby. These different colored sapphires are referred to as “fancy sapphires” and are often less expensive than the blue ones, yet equally as beautiful and a fine alternative to blue.

Sapphires also come in violet, dark gray, orange, yellow, pink, green and black, which tends to be relatively inexpensive. Blue is considered Sapphire’s “true” color and the one most often recognized. Except for Red Corundum, which is Ruby, all other colors of Corundum are Sapphires. Sapphires belong to the same mineral species as rubies, called corundum. Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the zodiac gemstone for Taurus.

Rulers of ancient Persia believed the sky was painted blue by their reflections and in the antiquity, kings and queens thought that blue sapphires protected their owners from envy and harm. Blue sapphire is considered a primary color gemstone the purer the primary hue, the more valuable the gemstone. Named from the Greek word sappheiros meaning blue, sapphires have been highly priced gemstones since 800 BC.

Sapphire birthstone meaning