Sapphire gemstones are considered to be the most popular precious stones after diamonds. Sapphire is the birthstone for those who are born in September. It is regarded as Zodiac birthstone stone for Taurus. It is believed, when a Taurus wears a sapphire, it protects from and cures mental disorders.

Gemstone Sapphire is found only at few locations in the world. The three most famous regions for blue sapphire are Kashmir, Burma and Sri Lanka. In addition to these, Sapphires are mined in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and India. However, post-2007, Madagascar is leading the world in sapphire production. Sri Lanka and Madagascar produce sapphires in a wide range of colors though.

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Sapphire consists of a variety of minerals including corundum, an oxide of aluminium. Sapphires are available in various colours like yellow sapphire stones, blue sapphire stones, pink sapphire stones, orange sapphire stones, green sapphire stones, etc. The type of colour depends on the impurity and clarity of the gem stones. The naturally occurring gem stones are very hard and are listed 9th on the MoH scale. The ornamental gem stones are durable and available in various colours like:

1. Blue Sapphire
2. Yellow sapphire
3. Pink Sapphire
4. Padparadscha Sapphire
5. Star Sapphire
6. Colour changing sapphire
7. White/colourless Sapphire

BLUE SAPPHIRE STONE

Blue sapphire stone is one of the most beautiful gems. Sri Lankan (Ceylon) and Madagascar sapphires are the most common today with a variety of hues from light to dark blue. From the darkest of the hues to the lightest shades to the pale bluish hue and a bit of violet touch – it can all be seen in this gemstone. However, for a blue sapphire to be categorized as true blue, the secondary hue must not account for more than 15% of its colour.

Kashmir and Burmese sapphires have a deep blue that is described as both intense and velvety. A subclass of blue sapphires is cornflower blue sapphire. It represents an intense velvety blue colour. Most of the blue sapphires have silk or inclusions present in the natural form which actually enhances the beauty as well as the value of the stones.

A blue sapphire gem stone is known as Neelam as well. It is regarded as the gem stones of Saturn or Shani.

YELLOW SAPPHIRE STONE

The primary hue of yellow sapphire gem stones varies from greenish yellow to orangish yellow. However, it is vibrant canary yellow sapphire which wins the title of being the most desirable one.

Yellow sapphire stones owe their colour yellow to the presence of impurities of iron. The iron probably gives it the red colour, but its density of colour depends on the percentage of iron present in yellow sapphire gem stones.

The yellow sapphire is worn to derive the benefits of the planet of Jupiter commonly known as Brihaspati (Thursday) in India. It is also known as Guru or Pukhraj.

PINK SAPPHIRE STONE

As the name suggests, it’s pink and it also is one of the most sought after gemstones. The pink sapphire ranges from pale pink to dark magenta colour. The colour depends on the traces of what percentage of chromium is there inside the stone. The value of pink sapphire increases with the saturation of colour that is with the increase in presence of chromium. The hues of pink (from pale to magenta) make it rare, which increases its demands amongst sapphire lovers.

PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE STONE

One of the rarest sapphire gemstone is Padparadscha stone which is formed with the combination of hues of pink and orange. It looks unique and alluring as it stands different amongst all the other sapphire stones. They are very little known to the common public; however, they are collected by collectors and experts or wealthy people who like to keep their gems knowledge updated. The mesmerizing stones display an eye-catching colour, which is often compared to that of a lotus. And as the lotus is cherished and admired, so are Padparadscha gemstones.

STAR SAPPHIRE STONE

Another beautiful variety of Sapphire is star sapphire, which exhibits a phenomenon called asterism, a star like look in the stone. The asterism of star sapphire gem stone is caused by needle like inclusions present within the gem structure. When these inclusions intersect each other, they form a six rayed star like a pattern. This could be seen under a light source.

COLOUR CHANGING SAPPHIRE

Another one of the rare varieties among naturally occurring sapphires is the colour changing sapphire. The name itself sounds fascinating…Right!!! The colour-changing sapphire gemstone exhibits different colours when it is seen under different light sources. This colour-changing occurrence is caused by the absorption of different wavelengths by the stone, which is the outcome of the presence of trace impurities of vanadium and chromium, totally opposite to colourless gemstone.

WHITE/COLOURLESS SAPPHIRE STONES

The white sapphires are completely colourless as opposed to colour-changing gem stones. They are used for engagement rings due to their rarity and affordability. They are especially preferred by people who like white diamonds. Thus, colourless sapphire is proved to be an excellent alternative to diamonds due to its clarity. Generally, the sapphires get their colour due to trace elements of Earth present within them like iron gives the colour yellow or chromium gives the colour Pink, but white sapphire gem stone does not have any impurity in it. It is completely untouched by Earthly elements.

Some more colour varieties of naturally occurring sapphire stones are green sapphires, orange sapphires, purple sapphires and black sapphires.

You can check out a wide array of sapphire stones from this exclusive gemstone inventory, Gemoji on Jewelxy.