The sapphire stone is one of the most demanded precious stones or gems in the world, because it has great resistance to wear, it has great beauty and its prices are quite accessible in the jewelry market.
However, it is not only used as a gem, in fact it has wide applications as an abrasive, for bearings and for electronic devices.
Naturally the sapphire stone It is a mineral that appears in a pure way with an intense blue color, however, it has some varieties that go from greenish blue, green and almost white, all this will depend on its impurities.
In the geological and chemical field it is known that the sapphire stone It is an aluminum oxide, that is, it has the same chemical composition as corundumand the ruby stone, except that the ruby is characterized because it occurs in reddish tones.
Properties and characteristics of the sapphire stone
You may not know it, but the sapphire stone is naturally a type of corundum, so it inherits all the physical, chemical and characteristic properties of this mineral.
Therefore, we highlight that the sapphire stone stands out for presenting a hardness on the Mohs scale of 9, which gives it very interesting durability and resistance to wear.
Another notable feature is that this crystal has a striking intense blue color and in fact in the gems and precious stones market, the greater the blue color, the higher the sale price it will have.
Regarding its chemical composition, the sapphire stone is a pure aluminum oxide, that is, its chemical formula is (Al2O3), the same as ruby, which is also a corundum.
| sapphire stone | Physical, chemical and characteristic properties |
|---|---|
| chemical classification | Oxide |
| Color | deep blue, blue, violet blue, light blue, greenish blue |
| Stripe | Colorless (harder than streak plate) |
| luster or shine | Adamantine to the vitreous |
| diaphanousness | transparent to translucent |
| cleavage | None. The corundum shows the separation perpendicular to the C axis. |
| Mohs hardness | 9 |
| specific gravity | 3.9 to 4.1 (very high for a non-metallic mineral) |
| Diagnostic properties | Hardness, high specific gravity, hexagonal crystals sometimes taper to a pyramid, separation, luster, conchoidal fracture |
| Chemical composition | Al2O3, with traces of Fe and Ti |
| crystal system | Hexagonal |
| Applications | Historically used as an abrasive. Specimens with pleasing colors have a long history of gemstone use. |
Sapphire stone colors
It is clear that the most valued sapphire stone is the one that presents an intense blue color in a crystal with an impressive vitreous luster, but you have to know that this crystal can have various shades in the range of blue and even greenish blue, you can see more about the blue sapphire by clicking here.
The color of this mineral will depend on the amount of iron and titanium found in the composition and crystalline network of the stone.
Thus, the greater the amount of titanium and iron in the crystal, it will be an intense blue color almost reaching an intense violet blue.
At a lower percentage of iron and titanium, the color or hue of blue will be lighter, even almost becoming transparent.
When there are small traces of chrome, titanium and iron, the sapphire stone can present blue-green tones.
Sapphire stone meaning
Just like blue quartz, the sapphire stone is one of the official representatives of people who are born in the month of September, in fact, it is considered an ideal gift that will last a lifetime, and that will also provide great benefits. energy benefits according to what this crystal symbolizes or means.
Thus, the sapphire stone generally symbolizes freedom, loyalty, harmony, fidelity, seriousness and truth, it is also associated with strength and authority, so wearing this stone as a bracelet, ring, pendant or other accessories will attract these property to the life of the person who owns it.
Origin, genesis of the sapphire stone
The sapphire stone is characterized by being a rock-forming mineral or crystal, that is, it can be found in igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic rocks.
However, its occurrence and formation becomes interesting when it appears in pegmatites or in marble near plutons.
When it appears in pegmatites, it can be found around plutonic rocks, that is, at the outer edges of these intrusive events.
In this environment, the sapphire stone it can easily exceed 1 centimeter in length, due to the high percentage of hydrothermal fluids that crystallize minerals in the pegmatites.
When they appear in metamorphic rocks, it is mainly due to the regional metamorphism of bauxites, which are rocks rich in aluminium, which during the metamorphism process formed the sapphire stone.
In marble it appears due to contact metamorphism around plutons that affect calcareous and aluminous rocks.
Finally, due to its resistance to wear and erosion, it can be found forming sedimentary rocks that owe their origin to the erosion of igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Deposits of sapphire stones
The deposits and occurrence of sapphire stones are very rare due to the geological conditions in which they are formed, however, there are emblematic countries where they are found such as Burma, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India, Afghanistan, Montana and other areas.
Similarly, in recent decades some parts of Africa have become benchmarks for the production of this mineral, where Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Malawi stand out.
Uses of the sapphire stone
The uses of the sapphire stone are due to its extreme hardness on the Mohs scale that reaches 9 only below diamond and its beautiful colors in blue to greenish blue tones.
Uses as a gemstone
In the global market for gems, jewelry, and precious stones, true consumer attention is directed toward only a small group of gems known as the “big four gems.” This group is made up of: diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald.
So at first glance we realize the importance of the sapphire stone to satisfy the market for precious stones worldwide.
Sapphire stones have been mined and sought after for thousands of years by mineral explorers and today by geologists working for top-tier mining companies.
Small pieces of sapphire stones can currently be found in pendants and rings that border the crystal alone at around $500 retail price, but due to widespread demand, prices have been rising.
The sapphire stone in high-quality watches
Some top-tier, high-value manual watch brands are known to use sapphire stones as part of the bearings that make up the moving parts of the watch.
This use occurs due to the ease of carving the glass in such a way that it is a small part of the watch and that in turn lasts for the entire useful life of that accessory.
Although the original natural sapphire stones have now been replaced by synthetic stones, their use in watches remains the same.
Sapphire stones as abrasives
This is one of the most widespread uses of sapphire stones, all due to the extreme hardness and durability of the mineral.
The sapphire stone crystal is crushed and processed until almost all impurities are removed into a very fine powder-like material.
This fine powder is the abrasive used for grinding media, polishing compounds, grinding wheels, sand papers, and a host of other cutting applications.