There is something about the color blue that makes it the most favored color in the world. Psychologists say that there is something calming about the color as it reminds us of the sky on a clear day or the crystal clear depths of the ocean. Without knowing anything about blue sapphire stones from a gemologist’s point of view, they are among the most popular stones simply because of their color. However, in terms of a gemstone, sapphires are second only to diamonds in their hardness, coming in at 9 on the Mohs scale which makes them durable and easy to care for, and of course quite valuable.
What Exactly Is a Blue Sapphire?
The ‘funny’ thing about a blue sapphire is that you could say it is the same stone as a ruby only it is blue and not red! Both are gemstones of the corundum family of minerals but a blue sapphire gets its color from both titanium and iron impurities being present in the crystal while rubies derive their vivid red color from chromium. A sapphire then is any member of the corundum family that is colored anything but ruby red, and blue sapphire stones are not only the most beautiful, they are the most valuable. Going a step further, cornflower blue from gems mined in Kashmir is actually the most valuable of all the blues. Sapphires are only found in a few locations around the world, the most notable being Kashmir (India), Burma, Australia, Thailand, …
