Star Sapphires are exquisite and very attractive gemstones. They are very popular and can be extremely expensive. However, since they are formed from the mineral Corundum, they are relatively stable and have lots of great attributes including extreme hardness, a wonderful refraction which includes fire and they come in a host of great colors to fit almost any style.
Star Sapphires come in a dizzying assortment of colors. They are available in blue, cobalt blue, pink, yellow, purple, orange, yellow, brown, white, black, gray and colorless. In addition, Star Sapphires sometimes include the attribute of pleochroism. This means that more than one color is present. Some of these colors can be violet blue, blue green, green and yellow and a purple red. It should be noted that the only color that Sapphires do not come in is red. While Corundum does create a red gemstone, this color is reserved only for the Ruby.
These gemstones are usually cut in a specific way to give it an asterism (six ray star) attribute. It is usually first cut in a cabochon and then cut along a specific axis to have the inclusion of rutile shown every 60 degrees creating the star effect.
It should be noted that synthetic Star Sapphires do exist, and they are extremely beautiful, however if you are solely interested in natural forming Star Sapphires, usually synthetic Sapphires will be too perfect and look too good to be true. Sapphires come in a variety of sizes. They can be sold for as little as $10 per carat, all the way up to thousands upon thousands of dollars per carat, depending on the color, clarity and star effect.
The history and origin of Star Sapphire
The word Sapphire comes from the Latin word saphirus meaning blue. Sapphires and Star Sapphires were prized possessions of kings and queens. They were used for talisman and for their perceived medicinal qualities. It should be noted that red Sapphires do exist, however they have the privilege of being called Rubies.
Corundum can sometimes have minute rutile inclusions. These inclusions are usually angled at 120 degrees from one another when they are formed in normal hexagonal symmetry. Some Sapphires are sufficiently dense with these rutile fibers and can be cut into specific shapes, usually a cabochon shape. The cabochon shape is then cut specifically on the c axis of the Sapphire gemstone which is perpendicular to the base. What happens is that now the rutile inclusions are concentrated at the top of the stone forming white lines. These white lines actually intersect every 60 degrees, forming an asterism (six ray star).
Naturally forming Star Sapphires are usually more expensive, especially if the Star Sapphire is deep and rich in color. Sapphires, as well as Star Sapphires can come in a variety of colors including most notably blue, but also green, colorless, orange, brown, purple and violet.
What is Star Sapphire used for?
For the most part, Star Sapphires are only used for ornamental jewelry, however it should be noted that Corundum, the mineral that Star Sapphire come from is used in its common form for many industrial uses including abrasives. There are other types of industrial uses that harness the hardness of this mineral, however they are very technical. Star Sapphires are extremely hard and have a score of 9 on Mohs hardness scale, they are the second hardest naturally forming substance in the world, next to diamonds.
Star Sapphires are beautiful stones that have inclusions of Rutile. These small fibers form in specific patterns that when cut in a special way give Sapphire a beautiful asterism or six ray star shape.
Star Sapphires come in many beautiful colors including blue, violet, gray, green, brown and orange. Sapphires are the same mineral as Ruby, however Rubies specifically are red or pinkish red.
Most consumers generally love the look and effect that the Star Sapphire commands. It is truly a wonderful looking stone. However, it should be noted that synthetic Star Sapphire does exist. You can usually spot it by it being too transparent and took perfect in shape and asterism effect.
The history and origin of Star Sapphire
Star Sapphire is made from Corundum. This mineral is also responsible for the gemstone Ruby. Corundum is an extremely hard substance that is made from aluminum, chromium, iron, titanium and other trace elements. It is the second hardest naturally forming substance formed on the earth, second only to diamonds.
Star Sapphires and the mineral Corundum are found in silica poor rocks in cavities that can have pegmatites or hydrothermal streams. They are also found in alluvial and eluvia deposits.
Star Sapphires can come in any color including blue, orange, green, violet and purple, etc. Most Star Sapphires are found in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and parts of Africa.
