History of the Sapphire
The word ‘sapphire’ comes from several ancient languages. The Arabic safir, the Latin sapphirus (which means blue), and the Greek sappheiros, so called after the island of Sappherine in the Arabian Sea, where these gemstones were found in ancient times.
Mystical powers have been attributed to this gemstone throughout history, and across different cultures. Ancient Persians called sapphires the ‘celestial stone’ while ancient Greeks used to believe these were the gems of Apollo, god of truth and prophecy. Etruscans used sapphires as far back as the 7th century BC. In Europe, the belief was that sapphires cured eye diseases and other maladies and were worn by medieval kings who thought these stones could protect them from enemies. The clergy also adorned their robes with sapphires during the Middle Ages, as they believed the gems symbolised heaven.
For over 2000 years, Sri Lanka has been a source of fine sapphires, with the stones exhibiting a wonderful brilliance and saturation. The country is also one of the only ones to source the rarest of sapphires, a pinkish-orange gem called padparadscha (from the Sinhalese word for ‘lotus flower’). This sapphire is highly coveted and possesses a very high value per carat.
Myanmar (Burma) is also a source for some of the world’s most prized sapphires, as many gems with the saturated violet-blue colour can be found here. Around 1881, a landslide in the Himalayas uncovered a large deposit of cornflower-blue sapphires, adding the Kashmir region to one of the most sought-after for sapphires.