Hardness: 9.00
Refractive Index: 1.76-1.77
Specific Gravity: 4.00
White sapphire is a non-traditional birthstone for the month of April. Pink sapphire is a non-traditional birthstone for the month of October.
Origination: Thailand, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Brazil, Colombia, Africa, the United States and others.
Care & Cleaning: All forms of cleaning are appropriate.
Fiction, Facts & Folklore:
Although blue is by far the most popular color of sapphires among consumers, they do come in a variety of colors, including green, yellow, pink, violet, orange, silver and a colorless variety sometimes known as �white sapphire�.
All colors other than blue are known in the industry as �fancy sapphires.�
Astrologers link the white sapphire to the planet Venus.
The yellow sapphire is believed to connect with the planets of Jupiter & Mercury.
Recently, a wide variety of fancy sapphires have surfaced in the far south of Tanzania. This deposit is known in the industry as the �Tunduru Deposit�.
A color-change sapphire from this same area was first introduced at retail during the Hong Kong gem show in 1994.
The color-change sapphire, like others from the Tunduru deposit, tend to be quite small in size. Those of three carats or more are seldom (if ever) seen.
Colorful sapphires from Montana were discovered in 1865. Advances in technology now provide gem makers with the means to match their wide array of colors.
In ancient times, sapphires were believed to inspire wisdom & dispel poverty.
For additional information, see �blue sapphire�.