Sapphire, with its Mohs hardness of 9, second only to diamond, is one of the most valuable and wearable of all gemstones. Famed for its brilliance and rich blue color, sapphire actually occurs in a wide range of colors, including pink, yellow and green. Sapphire is every color of corundum except for red, which is ruby. The name corundum comes from the ancient Sanskrit "kuruvindam", while the name "sapphire" comes from the Persian word "safir". Sapphires are seen as the guardians of love. When given as a gift they enhance love and join the souls. Also, sapphires have been used to banish envy and jealousy as well as promote fidelity in marriage.
The Songea region of Tanzania is an important source for fine sapphire. Songea sapphires are also sometimes traded as "sunset ruby", "sun ruby", "cinnamon sapphire" and "imperial sapphire". From this page, you can use our filters at the top or on the left-hand side to find sapphire gems by color, shape, cut and so on.