What Is A Blue Star Sapphire

A star sapphire is so named due to the appearance of a star shaped format which presents itself when the sapphire is.

What is a blue star sapphire. Most star sapphire exhibits a white star but star sapphire from thailand is famed for its gold colored asterism. Furthermore natural star sapphires rarely have perfectly even color so if the color is excellent and perfectly blue there is a good chance it was created in a lab somewhere. This effect is caused by asterism. 9 hardest after diamond formation.

Star sapphires exhibit a special optical phenomenon called asterism. A burmese blue cabochon star sapphire and diamond cocktail ring. You can read more about asterism in our phenomenal gems article. The most common star pattern is a 6 rayed star although star sapphires with 4 rays and 12 rays have been found.

Sapphire along with her sister gemstone ruby belongs to the corundum group of gemstones considered one of the hardest minerals on earth. The really deep blue ones are the most expensive although if you see a twelve pointed star these are more rare than the six pointed star that usually puts the price up by quite a lot. These stones are generally cut as cabochons to bring out the best star that can be visible. Star sapphires can range in color from blue in various tones to pink orange yellow green lavender gray or black.

Move star joan crawford owned several huge sapphires of 70 carats or larger and elizabeth taylor was given a large sapphire ring by one of her husbands. According to legend helen of troy owned a magnificent star sapphire and napolean gave a seven piece jewelry set featuring 29 sapphires to his wife josephine. Natural blue star sapphire burma color. Star sapphires occur in almost every color seen in transparent sapphires although yellow orange and green star sapphires are very uncommon.

A blue or white star sapphire or a pink star sapphire are usually more expensive and get into the thousands of dollars. Al2o3 corundum aluminium oxide cut. The most desirable color is a vivid intense blue. Formed by what is commonly known to be needles in the gemstone industry the star seen on a sapphire tends to be more valuable when the rays are.

This effect is caused by asterism. Tiny needles of silk within the sapphire crystal reflect light and form a star sapphire s telltale star. A lindy star on a yellow sapphire cabochon. Star sapphires display a 6 or 12 rayed star on the gem when a single light source is directed on the gem.

The optical phenomenon responsible for the star sapphire s shimmering rays is called asterism from the latin word astrum for star.