Star Sapphires Introduction

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Star sapphires are true phenomena of nature. A piece of sapphire rough can be cut and polished into a star sapphire only when it has the right amount of tiny needle-like inclusions called rutile oriented at very specific angles along the crystal growth planes. If the crystal possesses the right amount of inclusions, a cutter will polish the crystal into a domed cabochon. When a bright light is shone onto the cabochon's polished surface, the rutile needles act like fiber optics and concentrate the rays of light along the planes the occupy. What that means to us is that we see a beautiful, sharp often 6-ray star pattern on the stones surfaces that moves around in response to the light. Star sapphires come in all colors and sizes, most often as round or oval shapes. They have been prized for centuries, with such notables as the Black Star of Queensland weighing in at an astounding 733cts and the Star of India, an exceptionally clear blue star sapphire weighing about 563cts. The finest star sapphires have sharp, well-centered stars against saturated background hues. Since a star sapphire needs its inclusions in order to show its star, a truly transparent star sapphire is impossible. So, the more translucent the stone and uniform the hue, the better the quality. Star sapphires are captivating stones to add to your jewelry collection.