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The Gemstone
The ancient Persian legend "The Epic of Shahnameh Ferdowsi" describes earth as resting on a sapphire, and its reflection was seen in the sky. Cornflower or violet blue is often associated with the word sapphire, but sapphire gemstones come in a range of colors such as yellow, green and pink. Sapphires are made of a combination of aluminum and oxygen. (The red gem made from these elements is the ruby.) Judging the ideal color is often left to the person buying the stone. The origin of the sapphire affects the value, and Burmese sapphires are the most-valued blue sapphires. The orange-pink sapphire, padparadscha, is one of the most valuable types. Sapphires are found in Sri Lanka, India, Burma, Thailand and Tanzania.
Early Uses
Stones containing sapphire were used by villagers in Kashmir to ignite a spark to lit fires. The Megalithic Portal says ancient Chinese used diamonds to polish stone burial axes. The most abundant mineral in the stone axes was sapphire, and they were polished by China's Liangzhu and Sanxingcun cultures around 4000 to 2500 B.C. Sapphire has been valued for its beauty as well as strength. According to Exodus, in the Bible, the Ten Commandments tablets were composed of sapphire.
History
Many ancient records of sapphires were probably lapis lazuli, an opaque gemstone characterized by deep blue color. The Book of Job in the Bible mentions sapphires, but these stones are most likely lapis lazuli, since they are described as having a dust of gold. Description in a book by Pliny the Elder (born in 23 C.E.) is a more likely candidate for a sapphire; it describes a bluish-violet oriental amethyst. In 1297, Marco Polo visited Sri Lanka, where he found sapphires.
Famous Stones
Royals have used sapphires throughout histories, and the British crown jewels have large blue sapphires. Large sapphires have been found in Sri Lanka, Burma and Australia. The Lone Star, a star sapphire cut in England in 1889, weighs 9719.5 carats. In December 2008, a 60,500-carat rock consisting mainly of sapphire was found in Tanzania. The Millennium Sapphire is the largest carved sapphire, at 61,500 carats. Carved sapphires are not always of gemstone quality, and they can consist of other chemical compounds. However, the Millennium sapphire has a high gemstone quality. Sapphires are expensive, and they are often cut into ovals or cushions rather than round shapes, which is a common way of cutting other stones, such as diamonds.