The history and origin of Star Sapphire

Star Sapphire is one of the most impressive gemstones available. It usually comes in a wide variety of extremely attractive colors, has the attribute of being formed in a six way shaped star and its mineral properties are exceptional.  Here is some interesting information on how this wonderful gemstone is formed and where it is formed.

Star Sapphire is made from Corundum.  This mineral is also responsible for the gemstone Ruby.  Corundum is an extremely hard substance that is made from aluminum, chromium, iron, titanium and other trace elements.  It is the second hardest naturally forming substance formed on the earth, second only to diamonds.

Star Sapphires and the mineral Corundum are found in silica poor rocks in cavities that can have pegmatites or hydrothermal streams.  They are also found in alluvial and eluvia deposits. 

What makes the star in Star Sapphires is the inclusion of rutile.  Usually rutile will form at an angle of 120 degrees within the Sapphire during its formation.  If the Sapphire is filled densely with this inclusion it can be cut in a specific way.  Usually the Sapphire is first cut into a cabochon shaped gem and then it is cut along the c axis that is perpendicular to the base of the Sapphire.  This cut will form white lines of rutile within the Sapphire at every 60 degrees, essentially creating a six ray star or asterism effect.  Star Sapphires can come in any color including blue, orange, green, violet and purple, etc.  Most Star Sapphires are found in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and parts of Africa.

The different colors, shapes and sizes that Star Sapphire comes in

Star Sapphires are exquisite and very attractive gemstones.  They are very popular and can be extremely expensive.  However, since they are formed from the mineral Corundum, they are relatively stable and have lots of great attributes including extreme hardness, a wonderful refraction which includes fire and they come in a host of great colors to fit almost any style.

Star Sapphires come in a dizzying assortment of colors.  They are available in blue, cobalt blue, pink, yellow, purple, orange, yellow, brown, white, black, gray and colorless.  In addition, Star Sapphires sometimes include the attribute of pleochroism.  This means that more than one color is present.  Some of these colors can be violet blue, blue green, green and yellow and a purple red.  It should be noted that the only color that Sapphires do not come in is red.  While Corundum does create a red gemstone, this color is reserved only for the Ruby.

These gemstones are usually cut in a specific way to give it an asterism (six ray star) attribute.  It is usually first cut in a cabochon and then cut along a specific axis to have the inclusion of rutile shown every 60 degrees creating the star effect. 

It should be noted that synthetic Star Sapphires do exist, and they are extremely beautiful, however if you are solely interested in natural forming Star Sapphires, usually synthetic Sapphires will be too perfect and look too good to be true.  Sapphires come in a variety of sizes.  They can be sold for as little as $10 per carat, all the way up to thousands upon thousands of dollars per carat, depending on the color, clarity and star effect.