Sapphire Gemstone: Colors, Meanings, Prices & Benefits

Sapphire is a corundum gemstonebeloved for many reasons throughout history. Besides its beautiful colors, people have revered sapphires for their alleged spiritual powers and durability in industrial applications.

It’s difficult to separate sapphire from blue, despite the stone coming in a rainbow of other colors. In fact, the word “sapphire” described lapis lazuli and other blue gems until the Middle Ages. Today, “sapphire blue” is its own color outside the gem, seen in various arts.

What is the rarest color of sapphire? It’s not cut-and-dry, but most gemologists would say Kashmir blue or Padparadscha sapphires are rarest.

Don’t recognize those terms? Don’t worry! This guide will break down every sapphire gemstone color and variety, along with this legendary gem’s history, prices, and meanings

Sri Lankan sapphires, also known as Ceylon sapphires, are renowned for their vibrant blue color, often a bright, mid-blue hue described as "cornflower blue". They are celebrated for their clarity, saturation, and brilliance, making them a highly sought-after gemstone. Sri Lanka is a major source of blue sapphires, and its reputation as a gemstone producer dates back over 2,500 years.

Historical Significance:

• Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, has a long history of sapphire mining, dating back to the 2nd century AD.

• The island has a rich cultural history associated with sapphires, and they have been valued for centuries.

• Many famous sapphires, like the Logan Sapphire and the Star of India, originated from Sri Lanka

  Blue sapphires from Sri Lanka are famed for being a lighter shade of blue than sapphires from other historic mines, typically a cornflower blue and often exhibiting violet tones. Yet, the rarest and most sought-after sapphire of all, known as Padparadscha, is an extraordinarily rare orange-pink colour

• Ceylon sapphires are renowned for their exquisite beauty and quality. Ceylon Sapphires also referred to as Sri Lankan Sapphires are among world's most vibrant sapphires. These are found in Sri Lanka, formerly known as.

• Sapphire is one of the two gem-varieties of corundum, the other being ruby (defined as corundum in a shade of red). Although blue is the best-known sapphire color, it occurs in other colors, including gray and black, and also can be colorless. A pinkish orange variety of sapphire is called padparadscha.

• Sri Lanka

  Still today Sri Lanka is the highest producer of star sapphires. Very fine blue star sapphires are known to come from Burma as well. These stones often come in large sizes and can be exceptionally expensive in fine qualities. Black star sapphires come from Cambodia and India.