Star Sapphire

Item Description

Here we have a wonderful Star Sapphire gem from Sri Lanka, where the best examples of the material have been mined for generations. Sapphires come in virtually every color of the rainbow, but there is more to Sapphires than simply faceted stones. When it comes to "Star" gems, the most commonly known examples are Star Sapphires. This phenomenon seen in these stones is known as "asterism", and it occurs when Sapphires are polished into cabochons and oriented in a manner that reflects tiny silk-like inclusions that are trapped inside the Sapphire. The inclusions bend light entering the Sapphire and create the star-like pattern. A six-rayed white star appears in bright lighting and the quality is judged by sharpness of star, symmetry of the rays, and the body color. This gem has decent "legs" which are best seen under strong light to show off the "star". The color of this gem is a beautiful blue-lilac hue, but not quite as saturated as the photos might indicate. A fairly good stone of this well known material.