A Brief History Of Ceylon Sapphires

Sri Lanka (formally known as Ceylon), the island of exotic gems was once called Rathnadweepa which means Gem Island in Sinhalese. Vasco de Gama remarked upon the abundance of gems to be found in Ceylon. Explorer Marco Polo wrote that this island, appropriately nicknamed Gem Island, has the best sapphires in the entire world. Persian traders endearingly referred to the island as Serendib; presumably because the discovery of such magnificent treasures leads to happiness, good fortune and luck.
 

Ceylon sapphires originate in the country known today as Sri Lanka, and this beautiful island is responsible for much of the world’s production of sapphires. Ceylon sapphires have an ancient history and are thought to be a product of the Pan-African orogeny,  which was a series of tectono-thermal events occurring 450 - 750 million years ago.  This plate movement created ideal conditions for the creation of gemstones all across Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. In order for sapphires to form, a very exacting combination of elements and events must come into play, only diamonds are known to be harder than sapphires. The blue hues of sapphires are formed due to the presence of small amounts of titanium and iron, in some cases rutile is present and creates star sapphires.  
 

Mining in Sri Lanka is thought to date back to at least the second century, meaning the country is home to some of the oldest known mines in the world.  Incredibly, this long history of mining has not diminished over the centuries.  New Ceylon sapphires continue to hit the market and some of the most famous sapphires in history have come from Sri Lanka.

Ceylon sapphires were originally famous for their vibrant light to medium blue hues. However, virtually all colours of sapphires are found in Sri Lanka. The rarest and dearest of all is Padmaraga, also known as Padparadscha sapphire, a word derived from Sanskrit meaning lotus colour, signifying the vibrant coral tones reflected by the stone.
 

For many centuries, Ceylon blue sapphires have been treasured by royal families around the world. Renowned for their allure and range of blues; sapphires are considered a symbol of love, loyalty, power, royalty and wisdom. Some of the most prominent relationships royals have had with sapphires, are the Ceylon Sapphire encrusted Imperial Crown of Russia worn by Catherine The Great, the Ceylon blue sapphire brooch given by Prince Albert to Queen Victoria on the eve of their wedding  (also worn by Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Diana’s renowned engagement ring, currently worn by Catherine,
Duchess of Cambridge.