Sapphire is a popular gemstone – and comes in a rainbow of colors.
It’s also been long prized, from Ancient Greek rulers to the clergy of
the Middle Ages. But where does the September birthstone come from?
A Little Bit about Sapphire
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| A spellbinding sight: the many colors of sapphire. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA, Dr. Eduard J. Gübelin Collection |
Before we embark on our journey to find the September birthstone, let’s start with a little gemological background.
The
September birthstone,
sapphire, comes in a range of colors: blue, violet, green, yellow,
orange, pink, purple and intermediate hues. The gem belongs to the
mineral species corundum: corundum is colorless, but trace elements or
color centers (small defects in the atomic structure of a mineral that
can absorb light and impart color to the stone) can turn colorless
corundum into colorful sapphire. Red corundum is the only color not
called sapphire; corundum with this color is ruby.
Where Sapphires Come From: Kashmir
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| A spellbinding 3.08 carat (ct) unheated Kashmir sapphire shows why they
are so coveted. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy of Edward Boehm,
RareSource |
Blue Kashmir sapphire is legendary among gem collectors and jewelry
connoisseurs. However, its reputation for gems of unsurpassed beauty
rests on stones mined from 1881 to 1887; very little has been produced
since then. Sapphire from the mines after this brief window in time
varied greatly in quality.
Finding the September birthstone in Kashmir reads like a chapter from
an adventure book: we go to northern India, past the picturesque Dal
Lake and its famous houseboats, beyond fields of wildflowers and head up
into the Himalayas. Our journey takes us on treacherous roads to, as
18th-century explorers described, a “region beyond the snows.” In these
remote hillsides, some of the world’s most beautiful sapphires were
unearthed.
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| Want to see scenic Lake Dal? Head for Srinagar, the “Jewel in the Crown
of Kashmir,” a popular tourist destination. Photo: Robert C.
Kammerling/GIA. |
Fine blue Kashmir sapphire is said to resemble the color of the
feathers of a peacock’s neck. Tiny inclusions give gems a velvety
appearance. This can look like an extremely fine haze.
A few last facts about Kashmir sapphire: perpetual snow cover makes
mining extraordinarily difficult; the mines are exceedingly remote; the
weather is severe; and the area is politically contested. Few stones
sporadically emerge, and fewer gemologists have researched the mines.
That means you’re highly unlikely to find Kashmir sapphire for sale, and
if you do, you’ll want a
GIA Colored Stone Identification & Origin Report to verify its country of origin. Fine pieces are occasionally sold by leading auction houses.
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| The blue of this Kashmir sapphire evokes the sky…the ocean…the infinite. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA |
Where Sapphires Come From: Myanmar
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| A rough sapphire crystal from Myanmar is waiting to be fashioned into an
exquisite gem. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy: Bill Larson,
Palagems.com |
The land north of Mogok, a city in Upper Myanmar, is famed for producing rubies and sapphires.
Blue sapphires mined in Mogok tend to have a rich, intense hue; the
best of these September birthstones maintain their appearance under all
lighting conditions: incandescent, daylight and fluorescent.
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| Miners toil in a stream in search of sapphire outside of Mogok. Photo: Robert E. Kane/GIA |
The sapphire mines of Mogok share some similarities with the ones
from Kashmir: they are remote, hard to reach and are in a
politically-charged land. Sapphires from this locale are also rare; they
are found near many of the ruby deposits. Mogok is also famed for
producing some of the finest pink sapphires in the world.
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| Falling
in love with sapphire from Myanmar is easy when admiring this oval
shape 6.39 ct pink sapphire from Mogok. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Dr.
Eduard J. Gübelin Collection |
Where Sapphires Come From: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka can poetically be called “Treasure Island.” All colors of sapphire, ruby, cat’s-eye chrysoberyl, spinel, garnet, tourmaline, topaz,
quartz and many other gems can be found in the Highland Complex, a wide
band that runs roughly down the middle of the island. Some of the
finest sapphire is also found here, and in riverbeds scattered across
the country.
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Unlike
Kashmir and Myanmar, Sri Lanka is a prolific source of sapphire. Miners
search river gravel, which often contains rough. Much of the rough is
shipped to Thailand, where it is cut, heat-treated and marketed. Photo:
Vincent Pardieu/GIA
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A
piece of tranquility: this 33.16 ct blue sapphire from Sri Lanka is
sure to soothe the spirit. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy of B &
B Fine Gems
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A 6.66 ct padparadscha sapphire from Sri Lanka. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA, Dr. Eduard J. Gübelin Collection
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Sri Lanka is perhaps the most famous source for padparadscha
sapphires; they are found in river gravel throughout the country.
Padparadscha means “lotus flower,” in Sinhalese and this name has been
given to the pinkish orange to orange-pink variety of corundum. This
sapphire’s color has been likened to the color of salmon, sunset and
ripe guava. The cause of color for padparadscha sapphire is due to
either trace amounts of iron and chromium or color centers. Fine
specimens can sell for as much as a ruby.
Sri Lanka is also a source of the September birthstone in many of its
colors: green, yellow, pink, purple, and virtually any color in
between. Many in the trade consider Sri Lanka to produce the best range
of fancy color sapphires in the world.
Where Sapphires Come From: Thailand
Thailand is an important source of sapphire. Gem fields in
Chantaburi, in southeastern Thailand, were mined from the late 1800s to
the early 1900s. Sapphire now mostly comes from Kanchanaburi (western
Thailand), where it is found in rivers and streams. Most sapphire mined
in Thailand is heat-treated to improve its color.
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In
the foreground lie sapphire mines in Kanchanaburi. In the distance,
mountains rise under a leaden sky. Photo: Robert C. Kammerling/GIA
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Thailand is one of the world’s major cutting and treatment centers:
sapphire from Myanmar, Cambodia, Australia, Madagascar and Sri Lanka are
sent here, and end up in jewelry stores in the United States, Japan and
Europe.
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Blue sapphire from Thailand stars in this Art Deco bracelet (circa 1925). Courtesy: 1stdibs.com
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Where Sapphires Come From: Cambodia
On the western side of Cambodia—in the Pailin Province, near the
border with Thailand—sapphire rough lies in riverbeds. Miners sift
through the gravel, looking for “Pailin sapphire,” which is understood
to be fine-quality blue sapphire that is typically water-worn, rounded
and hexagonal in shape. Stones are regularly heat-treated to lighten
color and remove or reduce inclusions.
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Miners search the waters for sapphire rough in Pailin, Cambodia. Photo: Vincent Pardieu/GIA
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Mining for sapphire in Pailin is extremely demanding. Deadly malaria
and a hot climate are working conditions that require muscle and grit.
The Khmer Rouge, an oppressive regime that ruled Cambodia from the 1970s
to the 1990s, left a legacy of poverty and landmines that still take
lives and limbs. Still, in the midst of these most difficult
circumstances, miners search for a piece of rough that can change their
fortunes.
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| Two blue sapphires weighing 11.48 carats are encircled by old mine cut diamonds (circa 1915). Courtesy: 1stdibs.com |
Where Sapphires Come From: Madagascar
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Three blue sapphires from Madagascar. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy: Allerton Cushman
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Madagascar, an island off the southeastern coast of Africa, is a rich source of gems: garnet, aquamarine, tsavorite, rubies,
and of course, the September birthstone. Rough sapphire was found in
1993 in the Andranondambo region of southern Madagascar; and in 1998 in
IIakaka – a remote, arid land of plains broken by lonely mountains. A
new source was found in January 2016 near Andranondambo in an extremely
remote and dangerous location. The mine is accessible only by foot, and
the area is rife with bandits.
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Sapphire
mining in Madagascar is not for the faint of heart: it’s physically
demanding work done under a scorching tropical sun. Courtesy: Jazmin
Amira Crespo Weissgarber
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Many people rank the color of Madagascar’s blue sapphires between
Kashmir and Sri Lanka in quality. Rough is often heat-treated to improve
color. Slight inclusions are common, as well as color zoning (bands of
color).
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| Two heat-treated Madagascar sapphires exude elegance. Photo: John Koivula/GIA |
Madagascar is another source for fancy color sapphire: it produces pinks, blue-violets, yellows, oranges and greens.
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| On display: some of the different colors of sapphire found in Madagascar. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy: Allerton Cushman |
Where Sapphires Come From: Other Sources
The September birthstone can also be found in other areas of the
world. Australia produces blue, yellow and green sapphires. It is
primarily a source of commercial-grade sapphire, and occasionally
produces high-quality rough suitable for use in fine jewelry.
Commercial-grade sapphire is also found in Montana. Tanzania, Malawi and
Kenya – countries in East Africa – are other sources of pink,
blue-violet, yellow, orange and green sapphires.
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The
deep yellow color of the Sri Lankan sapphire on the left is the result
of heat-treatment. The lighter yellow sapphire on the right is
untreated. It was mined in the Inverell area of Australia. Photo: Robert
Weldon/GIA
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Paula
Crevoshay’s 18K yellow and rose gold flower pin highlights sapphire’s
many colors. It features 79 pink sapphires totaling 6.03 carats,116
yellow sapphires totaling 7.46 carats, and 202 additional fancy color
sapphires totaling 16.26 carats. Photo: Robert Weldon/GIA. Courtesy:
Paula Crevoshay
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It’s hard not to fall in love with the September birthstone. Sapphire is beautiful, symbolizes noble qualities and is the gemstone for the fifth wedding anniversary
