This is a list of sapphires by size.
This is a list of sapphires by size.
Sapphires are a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminum oxide (α-Al 2 O 3) with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper, or magnesium. It is typically blue, but natural "fancy" sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colors; "parti sapphires" show two or more colors. The only color corundum stone that the term sapphire is not used for is red, which is called a ruby. [1] Pink colored corundum may be either classified as ruby or sapphire depending on locale. Commonly, natural sapphires are cut and polished into gemstones and worn in jewelry. They also may be created synthetically in laboratories for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules. Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires – 9 on the Mohs scale (the third hardest mineral, after diamond at 10 and moissanite at 9.5) – sapphires are also used in some non-ornamental applications, such as infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of special-purpose solid-state electronics such as integrated circuits and GaN-based blue LEDs.
Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 45th anniversary. A sapphire jubilee occurs after 65 years. [2]
| Sapphire | Origin | Date | Size | Cut | Color | Location | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star of Adam | Sri Lanka | 2015 | 1,404.49 carats (280.898 g) | Star | Blue | Anonymous owner | [3] |
| Black Star of Queensland | Australia | 1938 | 733 carats (146.6 g) | Star | Black | Anonymous owner | [4] |
| Star of India | Sri Lanka | 563.4 carats (112.68 g) | Star | Blue-gray | American Museum of Natural History, New York | [5] | |
| Queen Marie of Romania | Sri Lanka | 478.68 carats (95.736 g) | Cushion | Blue | Anonymous owner | [6] | |
| Logan Sapphire | Sri Lanka | 422.99 carats (84.598 g) | Cushion | Blue | National Museum of Natural History, Washington | [7] | |
| Star of Asia | Burma | 330 carats (66 g) | Star | Blue | National Museum of Natural History, Washington | [8] | |
| Star of Artaban | Sri Lanka | 287 carats (57.4 g) | Star | Blue-violet | National Museum of Natural History, Washington | [9] | |
| Star of Bombay | Sri Lanka | 182 carats (36.4 g) | Star | Blue-violet | National Museum of Natural History, Washington | [10] | |
| Ruspoli Sapphire | 136.9 carats (27.38 g) | [11] | |||||
| Stuart Sapphire | Sri Lanka | 104 carats (20.8 g) | Blue | Tower of London | [12] | ||
| Bismarck Sapphire | Myanmar | 98.56 carats (19.712 g) | Table | Blue | National Museum of Natural History, Washington | [13] | |
| James J. Hill Sapphire | 22.66 carats (4.532 g) | Cornflower | National Museum of Natural History, Washington | [14] |
Notes
Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium, and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colors depending on the presence of transition metal impurities in its crystalline structure. Corundum has two primary gem varieties: ruby and sapphire. Rubies are red due to the presence of chromium, and sapphires exhibit a range of colors depending on what transition metal is present. A rare type of sapphire, padparadscha sapphire, is pink-orange.
A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks and occasionally organic materials that are not minerals may also be used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some softer minerals such as brazilianite may be used in jewelry because of their color or luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. However, generally speaking, soft minerals are not typically used as gemstones by virtue of their brittleness and lack of durability.
Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide (α-Al2O3) with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name sapphire is derived from the Latin word sapphirus, itself from the Greek word sappheiros (σάπφειρος), which referred to lapis lazuli. It is typically blue, but natural "fancy" sapphires also occur in yellow, purple, orange, and green colors; "parti sapphires" show two or more colors. Red corundum stones also occur, but are called rubies rather than sapphires. Pink-colored corundum may be classified either as ruby or sapphire depending on the locale. Commonly, natural sapphires are cut and polished into gemstones and worn in jewelry. They also may be created synthetically in laboratories for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules. Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires – 9 on the Mohs scale (the third hardest mineral, after diamond at 10 and moissanite at 9.5) – sapphires are also used in some non-ornamental applications, such as infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of special-purpose solid-state electronics such as integrated circuits and GaN-based blue LEDs. Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 45th anniversary. A sapphire jubilee occurs after 65 years.
Ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum. Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires. Ruby is one of the traditional cardinal gems, alongside amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and diamond. The word ruby comes from ruber, Latin for red. The color of a ruby is due to the element chromium.
The Hope Diamond is a 45.52 carats diamond that has been famed for its great size since the 18th century. Extracted in the 17th century from the Kollur Mine in Guntur, India, the Hope Diamond is a blue diamond. Its exceptional size has revealed new information about the formation of diamonds.
Gemology or gemmology is the science dealing with natural and artificial gemstone materials. It is a geoscience and a branch of Stoneology and mineralogy. Some jewelers are academically trained gemologists and are qualified to identify and evaluate gems.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a nonprofit institute based in Carlsbad, California. It is dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate gemstone quality. The institute does so through research, gem identification, diamond grading services, and a variety of educational programs. Through its library and subject experts, GIA acts as a resource of gem and jewelry information for the trade, the public and media outlets.
The Logan Sapphire is a 422.98-carat (84.596 g) sapphire from Sri Lanka. One of the largest blue faceted sapphires in the world, it was owned by Sir Victor Sassoon and then purchased by M. Robert Guggenheim as a gift for his wife, Rebecca Pollard Guggenheim, who donated the sapphire to the Smithsonian Institution in 1960. The sapphire's name is derived from Rebecca's new surname after marrying John A. Logan. It has been displayed in the National Gem Collection of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., since 1971. It is a mixed cushion-cut sapphire, approximately the size of a large chicken egg, and set in a silver and gold brooch surrounded by 20 round brilliant-cut diamonds.
The Star of Bombay is a 182-carat (36.4-g) cabochon-cut star sapphire originating in Sri Lanka. The violet-blue gem was given to silent film actress Mary Pickford by her husband, Douglas Fairbanks. She bequeathed it to the Smithsonian Institution. It is the namesake of the popular alcoholic beverage Bombay Sapphire, a British-manufactured gin.
A birthstone is a gemstone that represents a person's birth period, usually the month or zodiac sign. Birthstones are often worn as jewelry or a pendant necklace.
The Black Star of Queensland, also known as the Brimstone of Queensland, named after its nature and place of origin, is a 733-carat black sapphire, and was the world's largest gem quality star sapphire until The Star of Adam was discovered.
The Bismarck Sapphire Necklace is a sapphire necklace designed by Cartier, Inc. in 1935. As of 2010, the necklace is on display between the Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace and the Logan Sapphire in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C., United States. It is named after Countess Mona von Bismarck, who donated the piece to the Smithsonian in 1967. The sapphire itself was mined in Burma, and was purchased by the Countess in Sri Lanka in 1926 during her honeymoon with Harrison Williams.
Richard W. Hughes is an American gemologist and author, known as an authority on corundum, rubies and sapphires.
Yogo sapphires are blue sapphires, a colored variety of corundum, found in Montana, primarily in Yogo Gulch in Judith Basin County, Montana. Yogo sapphires are typically cornflower blue, a result of trace amounts of iron and titanium. They have high uniform clarity and maintain their brilliance under artificial light. Because Yogo sapphires occur within a vertically dipping resistive igneous dike, mining efforts have been sporadic and rarely profitable. It is estimated that at least 28 million carats of Yogo sapphires are still in the ground. Jewelry containing Yogo sapphires was given to First Ladies Florence Harding and Bess Truman; in addition, many gems were sold in Europe, though promoters' claims that Yogo sapphires are in the crown jewels of England or the engagement ring of Princess Diana are dubious. Today, several Yogo sapphires are part of the Smithsonian Institution's gem collection.
The Star of Adam is an oval-shaped blue star sapphire, currently the largest star sapphire in the world. It weighs 1,404.49 carats. Prior to its discovery in 2015, the Black Star of Queensland, weighing 733 carats (146.6 g), was the largest star sapphire gem in the world.
Golden sheen sapphire, is a recently discovered variety of corundum. Goldsheen sapphire has been tested and confirmed in lab reports as "natural sapphire" by GIA, GIT, GRS, AIGS, Tokio gem labs and Lotus.
Black star sapphire, also known as 'natural star sapphire' is a type of corundum. It is usually cut into a dome shape to show a star feature. If it is cut with a flat or almost flat face, then a golden colour is revealed. The chemical composition and features for black star were analyzed in the Journal of Gemmology.
Gemmological classifications by E. Ya. Kievlenko (1980), updated | |||||||||
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