NATURAL SAPPHIRE
Together with the ruby, the sapphire belongs to the corundum group and is the second hardest mineral after the diamond. Sapphire is mostly associated with the color blue, but it also occurs in numerous other colours, with the exception of red hues - which are classified as rubies.
The blue sapphire from Burma and the pink-orange Padparadscha sapphire from Sri Lanka are the most sought-after and exclusive. Connoisseurs also value high-quality colorless, yellow, orange, green, rose, pink, violet, and bi-colored specimens.
Premium-quality, absolutely untreated sapphires are considered investment-grade gemstones.
Hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale makes it an ideal gemstone for frequently worn jewelry.
Main recent sources of Sapphire are Burma, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Nigeria.
Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 5th and 45th anniversaries.