| Yellow
Sapphires
Although sapphires come in a rainbow of colors, from deep blue to black, from
orange to light green, the yellow sapphires are particularly stunning.
Yellow sapphires mimic the look of the popular canary yellow diamonds, without
the price tag. You've probably seen magnificent looking yellow sapphire
rings or earrings and have mistaken them for yellow diamonds. If you're
not a skilled jeweler or a gemstone buyer, you might not notice the
difference.
Facts about yellow sapphires
Yellow sapphires get their yellow hue from traces of iron found in the
crystallized form of corundum. Yellows range from a lighter color to a
brilliant yellow to an almost yellowish-brown color. The Pushparaga
yellow gemstone, which is found in Sri Lanka, ranges in color from a pastel
yellow to an almost orange-yellow. Other sapphires get their color from
traces of iron and other minerals. For example, blue gems get their color
from traces of iron and titanium, while red sapphires or rubies get their color
from traces of chromium in corundum.
Sapphires are extremely durable and second only to diamonds in hardness.
Hardness or durability refers to a stone's ability to withstand abrasions from
other stones. On the Mohs scale of hardness, sapphires rank an impressive
nine out of 10. Diamonds rank ten on the Mohs scale. With such high
durability, you're bound to have your sapphire ring or earrings for a
lifetime.
Yellow sapphires are found in mines in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and
Madagascar. Most recently (starting only in the early 1990's)
Madagascar has been the home to a large discovery of sapphires, rubies, and
other gemstones. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has a rich mining history
dating back some 2,000 years. In fact, Sri Lanka is often referred to the
Island of gems.
Other facts
Sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September. In Verdic
astrology (based out of India), the yellow stone represents the planet Jupiter
and is one of the nine gemstones to have special importance in human
life. The 45th anniversary is also known as the sapphire
anniversary. As far as linguistic roots, the word sapphire is derived
from the Hebrew word sapir, which was one of the stones worn in the Jewish High
Priest's breastplate.
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