About Sapphires

Sapphire is the traditional gift for celebrating a 45th or 65th wedding anniversary or birthday, and it is also the birthstone for September. The name sapphire derives from the latin word "sapphirus", which means blue, and the Greek word “Sappheiros”, which means “precious stone”. In ancient times, people thought sapphire could protect against evil spirits and creatures of the night. 

There are many shades of blue sapphire, which occur naturally when a sapphire crystal grows in the presence of titanium. The darker colours are often described as Kashmiri, as the best of these stones come from Kashmir. Montana sapphires (also a nod to origin) tend to be dark blue with a hint of green. The lighter colours, often from Sri Lanka, are usual described as "cornflower" or Ceylon sapphire. There are a number of famous blue sapphires, including the sapphire that Prince Charles selected for Princess Diana (now Kate's) sapphire engagement ring.

Gemmology

With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs’ scale of hardness, sapphires are relatively tough gemstones that are durable enough for everyday wear. They are also relatively easy to keep clean. While a sapphire worn every day for years is likely to show wear and tear along the facet edges and sapphires do break occasionally, sapphires of all colours (including rubies!) are among the few gemstones suitable for use in engagement rings. We love making sapphire engagement rings, so if you're interested in one, please let us know!