Importance of Sapphires from Sri Lanka…🙏😊🙏
The island of Sri Lanka is the most important historical source of sapphire since at least 300 BCE, producing occasional +100 ct high-quality gems, and has been known by many names, notably Ceylon, the former Portuguese name in colonial times that has been used in the trade as a classic origin descriptor, sometimes also as synonym of light-coloured blue sapphire. Blue sapphires from Sri Lanka’s gem gravels are also popular among mineral collectors, primarily the fine well-developed euhedral crystals like the one depicted here, a rare 5.1 cm-long specimen from Passara (Badulla, Uva) where the characteristic colour banding is evident in the hexagonal pyramidal forms revealing the mineral’s trigonal crystal structure. Other designations exalting the gem wealth of the country include Taprobane, Jazirat Kakut, Ratna Deepa, these two literally meaning “Island of Gems” in Arabic and Sinhalese, and Serendip. This last name has been the inspiration behind the name of a 422.66 ct fine sapphire reportedly cut from a 2.670 ct rough found in Sri Lanka in the early 20th century, dubbed “The Siren of Serendip”. This remarkable gemstone is mounted in platinum on a white gold necklace set along with 913 diamonds designed and crafted by Ingo Henn and is now on permanent display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Texas, USA. Photo © Houston Museum of Natural Science / Henn of London Ltd; sapphire mineral specimen © Heritage Auctions #sapphire #srilanka #jewelry #luxury