Sapphires are the birthstones of September. Although most often thought of as blue, it is the name given to gem quality corundum of any color except red, which is the ruby. As rare as these fantastic stones are, it should come as no surprise that some of the largest, most beautiful examples have names.

Star of India Formed two billion years ago, it was found only some 300 years ago in Sri Lanka. It is not a faceted stone because faceting would destroy the asterism effect that gives this 563 carat stone its name. It does indeed feature a flash that resembles six spokes radiating from the center of the cabochon. This effect is caused by the presence of rutile (titanium dioxide crystals) within the sapphire. Star of India is in the collection of The American Museum of Natural History.

The Star of India at the American Museum of Natural History.

Queen Marie of Romania Sapphire This is a faceted gemstone also probably from Sri Lanka. It was worn as a pendant in a diamond necklace worn by Marie at her coronation. It weighs in at almost 479 carats and is, I believe, privately owned. The facet design is a rectangular cushion cut.

Queen Marie of Romania Sapphire.

Peter the Great’s Nose I wish I could find a picture of this one as apparently it does look something like a nose. It is the largest in this list at 1,884-carats. Although another reference listed it as 547 carats. Perhaps it was cut down and then polished? It is on display in the Green Vault in Dresden Germany.

Star of BombayThis lovely cabochon has a lighter color. the rutilation effect, as I like to call it, is very obvious in this picture from The Natural Sapphire Company Blog.

Star of Bombay from The Natural Sapphire Company Blog.
Maria Alexandrovna Sapphire Brooch This sapphire is known for its unusual cut as well as its size, clarity, and color. Not the largest sapphire ever but at 260.37 carats, still a respectable size.

Maria Alexandrovna Sapphire Brooch, Natural Sapphire Comapny. See also Rockefeller, Stuart, Logan, and Bismark sapphires at this site.

References
1. The Natural Sapphire Company, http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Blog/

2. Catalina Bixler-Harris, History of Queen Marie of Romania’s Sapphire, http://www.ehow.com/about_5065880_history-queen-marie-romanias-sapphire.html

3. World Famous Gems – Queen Marie of Romania’s Sapphire, http://worldfamousgems.com/queen.html

4. Jones Jewelers: Resources, http://jeweler.website2go.com/p18.html

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 11:00 PM and is filed under Artist at Work, Contemplation, Good to Know. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.