Where Are Sapphires Formed

Rubies make up the red side of the family while sapphires are all the other colors the famous blue as well as pink green purple orange and yellow.

Where are sapphires formed. How do sapphires form. Like rubies sapphires are also formed out of the mineral corundum in scientific terms the mineral is known as aluminum oxide. Sapphire origin formation. Some more interesting varieties of sapphire with rutile the ore form of titanium intrusions cause light to be reflected in a six point star creating what is known as a star sapphire.

In this introduction to sapphire mining follow the links to see where and how sapphires are mined. Sapphires are a variety of the mineral corundum as are the equally famous and valuable rubies. Sapphires are a rare gemstone that can take millions of years to form. Did you know that ruby and sapphire are actually the same mineral corundum among natural minerals only diamond has a greater hardness not surprisingly when combined with fantastic colors rubies and sapphires are some of the most highly desired gemstones.

Parti sapphires show two or more colors. Corundum is made of aluminum and oxygen and can be blue when the element titanium is incorporated into its atomic structure. So if ruby and sapphire are the same mineral why do we distinguish them. In most cases they formed at depths of 6 18 miles in the earth s crust as intense pressures and high temperatures above 800 degrees transformed sedimentary.

Corundum sapphire al 2 o 3. Some rubies and sapphires are found in high grade metamorphic rocks and in igneous rocks called gneisses and granulites located in sri lanka india madagascar and eastern africa. Aluminum oxide as it is known in mineralogy circles is formed by both volcanic processes deep in the earth and the high pressure and temperature conditions of metamorphic processes. Minerals are composed of atoms of certain elements in certain arrangements.

Explore the links for a better understanding of the process a rough takes from mine to gemstone and enjoy a selection of pictures and video that feature the people and places of sapphire mining. Sapphires are created through certain shifts in heat and pressure and can be found in both metamorphic and igneous rocks. This is not a mineral you often hear about but it is the second hardest natural mineral known to man. What are rubies and sapphires.

Sapphires like any naturally occurring gemstone are formed by the different shifts mixings and chemical changes that are constantly taking place in the earth.