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A favourite of ours here at Lebrusan Studio, the sapphire is best known for its rich royal blue variety. What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that sapphires actually come in every colour of the rainbow; pink, yellow, orange and even green included. Red sapphires are better known as rubies.
When molten rock cools slowly under the earth’s surface, coarse-grained igneous rocks are formed. A mineral called corundum forms inside these rocks and chills into crystals. This corundum is turned to blue sapphire when it contains iron and titanium. Trace elements of another mineral called chromium can turn corundum into pink sapphire, and even more chromium turns the corundum into red rubies.
The rarest type of sapphire is a pinkish-orange variety called padparadscha, a name that comes from the Sanskrit word for lotus flower. ‘Colour change’ sapphires exhibit different colours depending on surroundings and lighting.
Sapphires are one of the most durable naturally occurring elements in the world, scoring an impressive 9 out of 10 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. The only other natural item capable of scratching a sapphire is a diamond. The durability of sapphires makes them a perfect choice for engagement rings and other pieces of jewellery worn every day.
Because of this hardness, sapphire also has industrial uses. Did you know the Apple Watch features lab-created sapphire glass in its screen?
Throughout history and across the globe, deep blue sapphires have long been associated with royalty and attributed with amuletic powers. In ancient times it was believed that sapphires protected their wearers from evil and later on, medieval kings donned the indigo gemstones as a means to protect themselves from their enemies. It’s thought that the long-standing alignment between sapphires and aristocracy could be the root of the colour term ‘royal blue’.
The most famous royal sapphire today is the engagement ring given by England’s Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, now worn by Princess Catherine. It features an 18-carat oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds.
Tough enough to be flaunted daily and precious enough for kings and queens, the sapphire is the perfect stone for a forever ring that shows you really care. A pop of colour is a fresh and contemporary alternative to the traditional diamond option and can reflect your partner’s style and personality in an incredibly thoughtful way.
Our beautiful Fairtraded sapphires are mined using best practice principles, with environmental protection, fair labour conditions and community benefit of utmost importance. They’re fully traceable and are sourced from Australia, Malawi or the US. When you buy a sapphire engagement ring from us, we’ll provide a certificate stating the exact origin of your stone.
Sapphires are available in all of our engagement rings – start exploring ideas today.
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Love, Arabel
It's possible to embrace the beautiful materials that Mother Nature offers us without harming our beautiful planet. By asking questions, simplifying supply chains and sharing our knowledge with the world, we can achieve this balance.
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