Sapphires: All the Colours of the Rainbow in September’s Birthstone

September 24, 2022

By Katerina Perez

13 min read

If you have a September birthday then you are fabulously lucky because one of the most beautiful gemstones, the sapphire, is this month’s birthstone.

The stone’s very name has sparked much confusion among historians, who have been misled on many occasions. In ancient Greek, the word “sapphire” means blue stone, but actually September’s birthstone is found in many other colours. Believed to have mystical powers related to the heavens, symbolising, for example, divine protection, purity and chastity, sapphires are traditionally associated with the colour blue. Sapphires of the deepest blue have long been associated with the royal family and were often worn by medieval kings as a form of protection them from their enemies. This is probably what led to the term “royal blue”, which is often used to describe the colour of very fine blue sapphires.

David Morris sapphire choker

David Morris sapphire choker

 Ming Jewellery Floating Sapphire

Ming Jewellery Floating Sapphire

Last year I published an article about a selection of luxury jewellery featuring traditional blue sapphires, so I thought it was about time to reveal the rest of the rainbow. In the process of formation, the colour of corundum, the family of stones to which sapphires belong, is determined by the traces of iron, chromium, copper, titanium and magnesium that are present in their chemical composition. That is why we find sapphires in almost every colour, including pink, peach, orange, yellow, green and purple.

A selection of Fancy coloured sapphires from Constantin Wild, the famous stonecutter from Idar-Oberstein

A selection of Fancy coloured sapphires from Constantin Wild, the famous stonecutter from Idar-Oberstein

The rarest varieties of sapphire include star sapphires, which showcase a phenomenon known as asterism, “chameleon” sapphires that changes colour, the white sapphire, which contains practically no colour trace elements at all, and the only sapphire with its own name: the pinky-orange Padparadscha. The only colour you will definitely not find among sapphires is red. When corundum is found in this hue, it is classified as a ruby.

Lily Gabriella sapphire earrings

Lily Gabriella sapphire earrings

 Loquet London necklace

Loquet London necklace

Interestingly, with the growing popularity of coloured gemstones, large Fancy coloured sapphires are increasingly becoming the centrepiece of high jewellery pieces. For example, yellow sapphires have adorned cocktail rings by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, Padparadscha sapphires dazzle with their unique salmon-pink hue at David Morris, Chaumet and Gübelin Jewellery, and rare green sapphires can be found in unique creations by the American jeweller Bayco and the Australian jeweller Michael Muratore of Murazzo.

Graff sapphire ring

Graff sapphire ring

Personally, I first got to appreciate the enchanting beauty of coloured sapphires six years ago when I worked in Boghossian’s London boutique. We were regularly visited by a collector who usually purchased jewellery that included the world’s top four precious gemstones. However, it wasn’t only him who would choose what to buy for his collection – it turned out sometimes jewellery would choose him. I will never forget the way my client would gaze at one particularly luscious raspberry sapphire ring every time he stopped by the boutique. It was a look of great admiration and love. Regardless of the extraordinary hue, I could tell that this colour of sapphire did not match his understanding of a profitable investment, so as much as his heart said yes, his mind replied with no. However, every time the collector visited the Boghossian boutique, he would always ask if someone had bought “his” sapphire. 

Mikimoto necklace

Mikimoto necklace

 La Gioia di Pomellato ring

La Gioia di Pomellato ring

But enough words, let’s take a closer look at the full spectrum of Fancy coloured sapphires. As you admire the gallery, below, I’m sure you will have a new-found appreciation of this chameleon-like gemstone and forget that you ever thought the sapphire was synonymous with the colour blue.

Ray Griffiths

Ray Griffiths

Patcharavipa

Patcharavipa

Patcharavipa KILLICK RING

Tasaki

Tasaki

Atelier_Illimitable_Necklace__WG_South SeaPearlBlack_Diamond_TumbleSapphire

XOIA

XOIA

XOIA Pink Sapphire Earrings

Bucherer

Bucherer

Nicole Rose

Nicole Rose

Ruth Tomlinson

Ruth Tomlinson

Ruth Tomlinson - Four Stone Sapphire Encrusted Ring

Rachel Boston

Rachel Boston

Rachel Boston 18ct Yellow Gold & Sapphire Tuy Ring

Susannah Lovis

Susannah Lovis

Noor Fares

Noor Fares

Noor Fares Svadhisthana Earrings

Toktam

Toktam

Bulgari

Bulgari

Pomellato

Pomellato

Tango Earrings by Pomellato_AquamarinesTanzanitiesBlueSapphires

Rahaminov Diamonds

Rahaminov Diamonds

Nour by Jahan

Nour by Jahan

Cleo Sapphire Earrings

Bowen NYC

Bowen NYC

Ronald Abram

Ronald Abram

Nadine Aysoy

Nadine Aysoy

Tsarina pink sapphire and diamond ring

Chinchar Maloney

Chinchar Maloney

Gaelle Khouri

Gaelle Khouri

Gaelle-Khouri-caterpillar-ear-cuff-auverture

Mark Nuell

Mark Nuell

Mark Nuell_Asym Parti Sapphire_gold ring

La Marquise

La Marquise

Gübelin

Gübelin

Gübelin Jewellery_Flaming Grace_Cocktail Ring_Padparadscha Sapphire_Sri Lanka

Luis Morais

Luis Morais

Luis Morais SERPETINE RING WITH RAINBOW SAPPHIRES

Theo Fennell

Theo Fennell

Theo Fennell 18ct White Gold, Diamond & Sapphire Small Bee Brooch

Emma Clarkson

Emma Clarkson

Emma Clarkson Webb 18ct White and Yellow Gold Sapphire Halo Ring

Jane Bartel

Jane Bartel

18k-gold-sapphire-bangle-jane-bartel-jewelry

Suzanne Kalan

Suzanne Kalan

Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels

Entrelacs_Myst‚rieux_bracelet

Piaget

Piaget

Solstice by Piaget Flamboyant Nightfall Ring

Anne Sisteron

Anne Sisteron

Kavant & Sharart

Kavant & Sharart

Chopard

Chopard

Red Carpet Collection

Annoushka

Annoushka

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