Sapphire is one of the most popular gemstones used in jewellery and when they have a deep blue colour and an excellent transparency, they can reach high prices. The blue variety is the most popular to use in jewellery but the yellow, pink and orange stones have more recently become popular. Traditionally, sapphire symbolises nobility, truth and faithfulness and it has decorated the robes of royalty and clergy members for centuries.
The rare orange-pink shade known as Padparadscha, which means "lotus flower" in Sinhalese, can be even more valuable than the deep blue sapphires. You may remember that earlier on this year, Jack Brooksbank proposed to Princess Eugenie with a striking Padparadscha sapphire. And Eugenie is just one of the royals to choose a sapphire for her engagement ring. No one can forget Princess Diana’s stunning ring that was then passed down to Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.
There are many different beliefs relating to the sapphire. Ancient Greeks and Romans were convinced that they protected their owners from envy and harm. during the Middle Ages, the clergy wore blue sapphires to symbolise heaven and ordinary people thought the gem attracted heavenly blessings. Necromancers and witches wore them as they supposedly could tap into the third eye and ancient Persians believed that blue sapphires were actually chips from a huge pedestal that supported the earth, the reflections then made the sky blue.
As well as being seen as a sacred gem, sapphires were often said to have healing powers. They were said to act as an antidote to poisons but, they were especially used to heal eye complaints. The first recorded mention of this dates back to 1391. Ancient Egyptians used all blue gemstones for the same purpose.
Star sapphires were always said to have mystical properties. They have taken different names like The Asteria, Star Sapphire and also the ‘Stone of Destiny’. The three cross-bars that make up the star represent Faith, Hope and Destiny. As the stone is moved or the light changes, a living star appears. The sapphire is known to be a guiding gem that wards off the evil eye.
The Star of India is one of the most famous of all gemstones. It is a 563 carat Star Sapphire which is one of the largest ever discovered and some even speculate that it is cursed.
The esteemed gemmologist George Frederick Kunz was commissioned to assemble some of the most spectacular gems from around the world for the Paris Exposition in 1900. Amongst these gemstones was the Star of India, and after the exposition, the gems were donated to the American Museum of Natural History. It was kept there peacefully until 1964 and then on October 29th, a group stole the Star of India and a collection of other gems, in what was an infamous heist in its day. They made off with the gems worth over $400,000 which is over $3 million today. Luckily, the gang were captured two days later and the Star of India was returned to the museum.
If you're looking to add a sapphire piece to your jewellery collection, you can shop here
