Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — Gemstones

The sapphire is often referred to as the ruby's sister. Why? Because they are both made out of the same material, the mineral corundum. Gemstones that belong to the corundum family, which are the hardest besides diamonds, consist of pure aluminum oxide, which over many years crystallized into beautiful colorless gemstones. Other elements such as iron and chrome are responsible for the sapphire's beautiful coloring. The word "sapphire" derives from the Latin "saphirus" and the Greek "sapheiros", meaning "blue." Although mostly known for its deep blue color, the sapphire can come in many other colors including red, orange, yellow, green and...