Sapphire is the second hardest crystal that mother earth has given us. It comes from the Corundum mineral family.

Origin-: The name is derived from the Greek word “sappheiros” meaning “blue”.

Other Names-:  Neelam (Indian name), Indraneel, Neelmani, Mahaneel, Shani-ratna, Neelopal, Shaurie.

Types-:

• Indranil: Dark blue in colour and resembles the colour of peacocks neck
• Jalnil: Dark on the boundaries and light in the centre

Colour-:  Light to dark blue, cornflower blue, royal blue, Burma blue, Ceylon blue, deep blue.

Mohs Hardness-: 9 with a trigonal crystal structure.

Zodiac sign-: Aquarius, Gemini, Virgo, Libra and Capricorn.

Birthstone-:  April, September

Luster-:Vitreous.

Diaphaneity-: Transparent to Opaque

Occurrence-: Madagascar, Kashmir, Thailand, Sri lanka, Ceylon, Burma, Australia, Kenya, Tanzania, USA, China.

Metaphysical Properties-:

• Known as the wisdom stone and the “stone of prosperity”.
• It releases mental tension, depression, unwanted thoughts and spiritual confusion.
• Restores balance within the body, aligning the physical, mental and spiritual planes bringing serenity.
• It stimulates concentration, brings lightness and peace of mind.
• It opens and heals thyroid the throat chakra and has a calming and balancing effect on the nervous.

Enhancement-: Heat treated, common diffusion treatment( places is thin blue coating on colourless sapphire)  occasional, irradiation, rare.

Care tips-: Ultrasonic cleaners and streams are safe if stones are not old cavity filled or heavily flawed.