The top five questions people have about sapphires

For decades sapphires have been recognised as September’s birthstone. Many hold that a blue sapphire is the official birthstone of September, however any colour of sapphire can be used to celebrate those born in this early autumn month.

As a birthstone, sapphires represent wisdom and learning, as well as romantic connection. In some folklore history sapphires were known as the ‘traveller’s protector’, to be worn as a talisman of guidance for those on a journey.

Sapphires usually come at a much lower price point per carat than diamonds. Of course there are exceptions for sapphires of extremely high quality, but in general you can get a sapphire for less than a diamond. That being said, sapphires are one of the most prized precious gemstones and as such they’re a substantial investment.

Their cost partly comes from their rarity and the labour it takes to source them, but also because of their hardness. Sapphires score a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, making them second only to diamonds in terms of durability. Their hardness also gives them a high reflective index, meaning they have a dazzling sparkle.

Sapphires can be found all around the world, from Australia to Thailand to the United States. At Taylor & Hart, we primarily source our sapphires from the Ratnapura region of Sri Lanka. Our in-house gemstone buyer, Maneesha, is located in Ratnapura and she works alongside local miners and traders each day to find the best sapphires the region has to offer.

In Sanskrit, Ratnapura literally translates into ‘City of Gems‘. The sapphires mined in Ratnapura are amongst some of the most beautiful gemstones I’ve ever seen. And we still use traditional mining methods in this region that are less reliant on mass production infrastructure, making it known for its sustainability.