Sapphire: The Gemstone of Wisdom, Love, and Timeless Power

Origin of the name

The name ‘sapphire’ comes from the Latin word ‘sapphirus’ or the Greek word ‘sappheiros’, which in both languages means blue, or blue jewel. The most common colour, and the best known, is blue sapphire. Nowadays, all colours except red are called sapphire, so the meaning does not really apply here anymore.

The corundum family

Sapphire is a variant of the corundum mineral. Under corundum minerals we find the gemstones ruby and sapphire. Corundum is considered the crystalline form of aluminium oxide. A corundum mineral of red colour is a ruby, all other colours are called sapphire. So ruby and sapphire are actually related, but due to different chemical compositions each stone can have a different colour. The different colours of this mineral occur because parts of elements like chrome, iron and titanium mix in the corundum mineral. This particular mineral usually forms hexagonal crystals. Some sapphires are cabochon-cut (a cutting technique that makes a gemstone more convex). Occasionally, with these cut stones, a star can be seen in the stone. This is called star sapphire.

Sapphire comes from far and wide

Originally, sapphire was mined in Ceylon, Sri Lanka. This is the oldest place to find this special gemstone. A long time ago, sapphires were also found in the city of Ratnapura, which means gem city in Sinhalese. Nowadays, more places have been discovered where sapphire can be found, such as China, Laos, Kenya, Cambodia, Tanzania, Nigeria, the United States (from the state of Montana), Australia and Madagascar.

For a while (especially in the 1980s), Australia was very important for the extraction of sapphire, until the colour of this sapphire came into disrepute. On Madagascar, sapphire was found for the first time in the early nineties. Since this discovery Madagascar is very important for the extraction of sapphire. The most beautiful sapphires came from India (Kashmir) until 1930 and are therefore called Kashmir sapphires.

Every colour has its own strength

As said, the blue sapphire is by far the most famous and the most popular. However, the other colours of sapphire are also very special, but rarer. Every colour sapphire has a different effect. Some other colours of sapphire are for example:

• Padparadscha sapphire. After the blue sapphire, this is the most wanted sapphire. The stone is pink-orange in colour. There is always a lot of fuss about the colour, because what is considered pink-orange by one person is considered by another to be too dark and therefore not a Padparadscha sapphire. The guidelines are quite broad, but the stone should not show any shades of the colour brown. The padparadscha sapphire relieves menstrual pain and has a strong effect on human reproduction and the immune system.
• Black sapphire. There is only one place on earth where this colour of sapphire is mined; in Thailand. The black colour has a strong effect in warding off suspicion and thus avoiding the forming of false friendships. What is very popular within black sapphire is the black star sapphire. The effect of this stone is basically the same as that of black sapphire, only it is slightly more intense.
• Green Sapphire. This stone gets its colour from an excessive presence of iron during the formation of the stone. In the formation of blue sapphire, iron also plays a role, but in green the ratio is less balanced. Green sapphires come from Australia, Thailand, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. It is very difficult to find the perfect bright green sapphire. This is mainly because there are many stones that have too many yellow or blue tones in them, making the green colour a little dull. Green sapphire provides peace of mind and has a healing effect on complaints such as inflamed tonsils.
• White sapphire. The ancient Greeks associated white sapphire with Apollo, the god of light. Nowadays, the value of white sapphires is sometimes underestimated, as the stone is sometimes used as an alternative to diamonds. White sapphire has a positive effect on the resistance and provides more insight.
• Yellow Sapphire. Yellow sapphire also comes from the presence of iron. The yellow colours can vary greatly; from very light yellow to darker, more orange-yellow. In between, there are other shades of yellow, especially pastel shades of yellow, but the really bright shades of yellow are the most popular. Yellow sapphire stands for determination and success. The colour is cheerful and promotes discipline.

Besides these five colours there are more colours, most of them are different shades of the ones mentioned above.

An engagement ring like Kate’s

Sapphire is popular to be used in engagement rings. This is mainly because of the blue colour of sapphire. The famous wedding poem; “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” clearly shows that the blue colour is closely related to marriage. For centuries, sapphire has been very popular with people with royal blood. In the past, sapphire was often used in clothing for royalty. Today’s royals continue this tradition with all their love. Nowadays, they do so more often in the form of jewellery. For example, Prince William asked his wife Kate Middleton to marry him in 2010 with the engagement ring of his mother Diana, consisting of a sapphire surrounded by fourteen diamonds. The ring itself is made of 18-carat white gold. The inspiration for this ring comes from Queen Victoria’s favourite brioche in 1840. It looked similar to Kate Middleton’s engagement ring, only slightly larger. This brioche is now in the possession of Queen Elizabeth.

The engagement ring that first belonged to Lady Di and now belongs to Princess Kate is the most famous and popular engagement ring in the world. There are still many people today who would love to have an engagement ring like Kate’s.

A sapphire makes a healthy mind

Sapphire has a very special effect, although people nowadays believe in other powers of the stone than in the past. In addition, the powers associated with the gemstone can vary from country to country or area to area. In the past, people were convinced that sapphire protected against possible magical powers and witchcraft. The beautiful blue stone would also have a healing effect, for example, it would reduce fever and protect against psychological complaints and problems in the brains (think of epilepsy). People even believed that sapphire would promote immortality. Although people had sapphire to protect themselves from witches, they in turn used the same gem to be able to look into the future, for example. Besides its healing properties, sapphire was a symbol of wisdom, power and wealth. Because of its blue colour, the colour of the sky, the stone was said to possess special properties and powers. Greece probably made sapphire its national stone because of its sky-blue colour. In India, people were convinced that sapphire would provide the opening of the third eye. This would give people access to ultimate wisdom and insight.

In Persia they believed that the sky was coloured blue because the sun reflected the blue colour of sapphire upwards. Amongst clergymen, sapphire was a popular stone. This was probably because in the Bible, sapphire was depicted as the stone that brought peace to the soul. According to the Bible, sapphire is said to induce feelings of utter devotion. Furthermore, clerics wore sapphire in the form of jewellery or as a decoration on their clothes as a symbol of heaven. In the twelfth century, clerics were even ordered to wear sapphire visibly. This was ordered by the then Pope Innocent.

Nowadays, sapphire symbolizes above all love, sincerity, purity and truth. Sapphire has a strong positive effect on the psyche and the human brain. It therefore ensures mental health, stress reduction and it can have a painkilling effect.