Are You Sapphire Savvy? Take Our Quiz and Find Out!
Think you know September’s birthstone? Take our true-or-false quiz and see how much of a master you are. Be sure to let us know how you fared in the comments!
1. Sapphires don’t make very good everyday rings because they are so soft.
False: Sapphires belong to the corundum family of minerals, which are among the strongest natural gemstones. They rank second only to diamonds in hardness, a 9 on the Mohs’ scale.
5. Asterism refers to the phenomenon of the star shape that appears on some sapphires.
True: Star sapphires are very rare, especially ones that easily show the star symbol. Famous for being one of the largest is the Star of Asia, a 330 ct. star sapphire.
6. The name padparadscha, the orangy-pink version of the sapphire, means sunset in Sinhalese.
False: Padparadscha is, in fact, Sinhalese, but it means lotus flower. The stones from Sri Lanka, where the country’s people have affection for its color, were initially labeled with this name.
7. Sapphire has long been thought to be a stone of protection.
True: From ancient times through the Middle Ages, folks wore the stone to protect them from enemy and harm, and the clergy was said to have worn blue sapphires to symbolize Heaven.
8. Color-change sapphires are fabled, and their existence comes only from man-made stones.
False: Although they don’t physically change hues, color-change sapphires appear to differ under varied lighting, adding a whole other dimension to the already-colorful gemstone.
