The term “Sapphire” has its roots in the Latin word “sapphirus,” which traces its ancestry back to the Greek word “sappheiros.” This ancient word held a mystical aura, signifying a celestial blue gem that captured the attention of civilizations throughout history.

Sapphires in colors other than blue are called “fancy” or “parti-colored” sapphires. Fancy sapphires are often found in yellow, orange, green, brown, purple and violet hues.

Sapphires are mined from alluvial deposits or from primary underground workings. Commercial mining locations for sapphire and ruby include (but are not limited to) the following countries: Afghanistan, Australia, Myanmar/Burma, Cambodia, China, Colombia, India, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam.

Sapphires from different geographic locations may have different appearances or chemical-impurity concentrations, and tend to contain different types of microscopic inclusions. Because of this, sapphires can be divided into three broad categories: classic metamorphic, non-classic metamorphic or magmatic, and classic magmatic.