In case you’re wondering (and I would), the other two varieties that don’t follow this naming pattern are ruby (which would otherwise be known as red sapphire, I suppose) and padparadscha (which is a lovely orangey-pink hue, often striated). For example, yellow sapphires are simply called “yellow sapphire.” While not particularly inventive, this naming system does eliminate the need for us to memorize dozens of specific names for the sapphire colors. Most other colors of sapphire are called “_ sapphire,” with the blank being their color. And that is because blue sapphire is one of only three varieties that has a name that doesn’t follow the traditional naming formula.

Because although all sapphire is corundum, when we say “sapphire,” everyone assumes we are talking about the blue variety. In all fairness to Oscar Wilde, I may have been picking on him a little. Sapphire occurs in all the colors of the rainbow, from colorless and clear to dark and stormy. But that’s not the end of the sapphire’s story. A deep, rich blue is the color most often associated with the gem sapphire. Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde said of sapphires, “The sapphire shall be as blue as the great sea.” And that’s mostly true.

Sapphire month