Black sapphire: what is it and why buy it?

On hearing the word "sapphire," most people imagine a dark blue gemstone. But do you know that there is black sapphire? Many people do not know that such a stone really exists.

A gem with multiple shades:

Sapphire is the popular name for one of the varieties of mineral corundum.

Due to the presence of other chemical elements in its structure, sapphire exists in all possible colors, except in red. In this case, this variety of corundum is called "ruby".

The most sought-after color of sapphire is the blue color, but green, pink and yellow stones are also very popular in luxury jewelery stores.

What is black sapphire?

Black sapphire is an almost opaque stone whose color is so dark that it seems to absorb all the light that enters the gemstone. Sometimes this stone looks very dark blue or gray. Black sapphires come mainly from Australia and are extracted in large quantities. This variety of sapphire is very cheap but is considered low quality compared to other similar gems.

An alternative to onyx?

Due to its color, black sapphire is often confused with onyx. Indeed, this stone can act successfully as a substitute for the latter. Although the two stones are very similar, the onyx is actually softer while the sapphire is one of the hardest gems. Because of this similarity, you can buy a black sapphire for your ring, your ring or your pendant if you want a stone that has the color of onyx but is much more resistant.

Is black sapphire similar to thr black star saphire?

Black sapphire has a similar sound name, but it's actually a different stone. It's a variety of so-called "star sapphires" - the stones that thanks to their unique crystal structures reflect the star-shaped light. The black star sapphire is mainly mined in Thailand, West Africa and India. The black color of this stone is the result of traces of iron and titanium present in the mineral of the earth. There are also black star sapphire varieties with pink and purple hues. Unlike black sapphire, the black sapphire "Star" is a very expensive gem and can cost thousands of euros. It is appreciated by luxury gem lovers because of its beauty and rarity.

The name of Sapphire: The word "sapphire" comes from the Latin sapphirus, itself derived from the Greek sappheiros, meaning "blue". On the other hand, some authors defend the hypothesis that at the origin of the word there would be the Hebrew term sappir ("noble stone") or the Sanskrit sanipriya. This last term is used to describe a gemstone or ornamental stone of dark color, and means "sacred to Saturn". The origin of this meaning seems plausible if one considers that, in Indian astrology, blue sapphire stone is the precious stone attributed to Saturn. Historically, the term saphheiros usually referred to lapis lazuli, not blue corundum; the gemstone named today sapphire was probably named in ancient Greece hyakinthos.

Characteristics of Sapphire:

• Blue sapphires are transparent. 
• They can present among others blue, blue-purple, blue-green hues, or a combination of these. 

It is under natural light or fluorescent light that blue sapphire shine with its finest shades.