plentiful than either the green or purple varieties, though it is
seldom found without imperfections ; but when free from
defects, of fine color and perfectly transparent, it constitutes a
very beautiful gem, rivalling the yellow diamond and the yellow
zircon in brilliancy. Its commercial value is less than that of
any other variety of the corundum species.
The remarkable coldness of the sapphire, due to its great
density, gave rise to the notion that it would extinguish fire.
It has been regarded one of the most appropriate gems for
the episcopal ring of office, on account of its reputed character
of preserving the virtue of the wearer, hence the oldest ecclesiastical jewel extant is set with a sapphire.
This precious stone possesses great refractive powers, a high
specific gravity, and ranks next to the diamond in hardness ; it
crystallizes in six-sided pyramids and prisms. The color ranges
from white to very deep blue, approaching a black tinted with
red — a pure blue is said to be rare; but the most approved
shade is styled "royal blue." Black sapphires are occasionally met with, but the hyacinthine tint is exceedingly rare,
though one specimen, bearing a Greek engraving, is known to
connoisseurs. The sapphire may be rendered perfectly colorless by heat, when it acquires great brilliancy, and closely
resembles the diamond, being apparently inferior only in iridescence, a defect which the lapidaries of the Cinque-cento
period remedied, to a certain extent, by artificial means.
Oriental sapphires are obtained from Ceylon, Pegu, Arabia,
and some other parts of Asia ; while others perhaps of equal
intrinsic value, but less prized, are found in Siberia, Bohemia,
Greece, Saxony, the Alps, France, Brazil, and the United
States. Ceylon is by far the most productive region for this
gem as well as for many others ; the mines have been worked
for many centuries, and have yielded innumerable specimens
