Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 5th and 45th anniversaries.

Besides blue sapphire and ruby, the corundum family also includes so-called “fancy sapphires.” They come in violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and intermediate hues. Some stones exhibit the phenomenon known as color change, most often going from blue in daylight or fluorescent lighting to purple under incandescent light. Sapphires can even be gray, black, or brown.

A rare and valuable pinkish-orange sapphire named from the Sinhalese for lotus blossom.

The world’s most famous engagement ring: Kate Middleton’s and Princess Diana’s sapphire.

Intensely saturated and velvety, rare sapphires from Kashmir set the standard for blue.

Treatments

There are a number of processes used to alter the color, apparent clarity, or improve the durability of gems.

Synthetics

Some gemstones have synthetic counterparts that have essentially the same chemical, physical, and optical properties, but are grown by man in a laboratory.

Imitations

Any gem can be imitated—sometimes by manmade materials or by natural materials chosen by man to impersonate a particular gem.