Sapphire: Blue Ruby?
Sapphire as Beads
I only ever see the very dark blue Sapphire used as Beads. They look very nice but it is almost impossible to get a good picture for the website of these.
The name sapphire (Greek - Blue) used to apply to various stones. In
antiquity and as late as the Middle Ages, the name sapphire was used to refer
to Lapis Lazuli. Around 1800 it was decided that sapphire would apply to the
blue stones in the Corundum Group. Sapphire refers to the blue variety of corundum. However, excluding red ruby, it scientifically encompasses all other gem varieties of corundum. (In essence, ruby is really a red sapphire, since ruby and sapphire are identical in all properties except color.)
Sapphire is the most precious of blue gemstones.
The most valuable color of sapphire is cornflower blue, known as Kashmir sapphire or Cornflower blue sapphire.
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Fancy Sapphire
If we talk about Sapphires, most people will immediately think of a velvety blue. It is a color, which is attractive on many people.
A blue Sapphire is suited to a well-balanced style of life, where reliability is joined with spirit, and where there is openness for
new ideas and influences - just like the person wearing it. The fact that sapphire also exists in many other colors was for a long time
a piece of information known only to insiders. In the trade, any non-blue Sapphire is termed "fancy". In addition, to clear up matters
the color denominations are used, so that when talking about fancy Sapphires, we talk about yellow, purple, pink, green or white Sapphire,
etc. Fancy sapphires are the epitome of individualism, the perfect choice for women who love unique colored gemstone jewelry.
However, there are even more colors associated with Sapphires: there is an orange color variety with a fine pinkish under tone,
which has been given the poetic name "Padparadsha", meaning "lotus flower". Another is the Star Sapphire. The Sapphires are
cut in half-dome shapes displaying a star-shaped light phenomenon, which seems to dance across the surface when the Sapphire is moved.
Until the last century, all sapphires (excluding blue) were called the same name as a popular
gemstone of that color with the prefix "oriental" added to it. For example, green sapphire
was known as "oriental emerald". The practice of applying the name of a different gemstone to
identify the sapphire was misleading, so these names were virtually abolished. What was once called
"oriental emerald" is now called "green sapphire". The same holds true for all other color varieties of sapphire.
However, the word "sapphire" in its plain context refers only to blue sapphire, unless a prefix color is specified.
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