S E P T E M B E R

SAPPHIRE

The name sapphire is given to any colour of corundum other than red, the red stones being rubies. Although sapphires are commonly thought of as being blue and the name is derived from the greek sapphirus for blue, they can be black, purple, violet, dark blue, bright blue, light blue, green, yellow and orange. Burmese sapphires are of excellent quality. Colour is important in determining the origin of a stone. The colours of Sri Lankan sapphires include pale blue, violet, yellow, white, green, and pink, and the rare orange-pink sapphire called padparadscha, which comes from a Sinhalese word meaning “lotus-colour”.