From the Greek work "sappheiros", meaning "blue", Sapphires have been cherished for thousands of years. A symbol of sincerity and faithfulness, nobility and truth, it has decorated the robes of royalty and clergy members for centuries.

Sapphires come in almost all colours including pink, yellow, purple, colourless, black, grey, brown, green and the rare pinkish orange to orangy pink sapphire called Padparadscha - "lotus flower” in Sinhalese. However, you will never find a red "Sapphire" - then it is called a Ruby.

The most preferred and most valuable of all the Sapphires is a vivid colour saturation known as “Royal Blue.” Ceylon - type Sapphires are often in the same colour hue as the "Cornflower" or Kashmir Blue indicated below, though a true Ceylonese Sapphire must be proven to come from Ceylon - now Sri Lanka.

Sapphires feature on the Mohs scale at 9 as one of the hardest minerals on this planet. (third after Diamond and Moissanite) In fact, Sapphires are so durable, synthetic (man-made) Sapphire is used for the windows of supermarket scanners and spacecraft! And you will find a range of watches we sell use Sapphire Crystal for the glass.

Though Sapphire is high on the Mohs scale, it is by no means, unbreakable. If you need to clean your Sapphire jewellery at home, it is safest to use a soft-bristle brush with a mild dish soap in warm water. Sapphires should be stored with care to avoid scratching other gems.

• Birthstone - September
• 5th & 45th Wedding Anniversary
• 65th Jubilee
• Mohs Scale - 9
• Suitable for daily wear
• Can scratch Glass

Information from GIA.