Tuléar Sapphire are beautiful blue, green, pink and yellow gemstones from Madagascar’s Tuléar Province. Tuléar Sapphire embodies a gem’s quintessential ideals: genuine rarity, breathtaking beauty and everyday durability, making it one of the world’s most popular gemstones.
Hardness 9
Refractive Index 1.762 - 1.788
Relative Density 3.95 - 4.03
Enhancement Heat
Beauty
Noted for its beautiful and desirable hues, Tuléar Sapphire can rival Sapphires from renowned localities with an historic pedigree, such as Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
While ‘Sapphire’ alone typically refers to its blues, its other hues are collectively described as ‘Fancy Sapphires’, with prefixes used to denote specific colors. ‘Fancy’ is often defined as ‘fantastical imagination’, and with respect to Tuléar Sapphire, this is extremely apt; their colors truly are fantastic, firing the imagination.
Expert cutting is absolutely critical for Tuléar Sapphire and every gem is carefully faceted with an attractive shape and overall appearance. Tuléar Sapphire is also finished eye-clean, the highest quality clarity grade for colored gemstones as determined by the world’s leading gemological laboratories, with a superior polish that results in a beautiful luster.
The birthstone for September, Sapphire is a truly mesmerizing gemstone with a rich history, potent symbolism, and a popularity spanning over 2,500 years. Ruby and Sapphire are color varieties of the mineral Corundum (crystalline aluminum oxide), which derives its name from the Sanskrit word for Rubies and Sapphires, ‘kuruvinda’. Trace amounts of elements such as chromium, iron and titanium as well as color centers are responsible for producing Corundum’s rainbow of colors.
Rarity
One of the world’s most coveted, valuable and enduring gemstones, Sapphires remain incredibly scarce.
Tuléar Sapphire is from the Sakaraha area of Madagascar’s Tuléar Province, located approximately 130 kilometers northeast of Toliara (Tuléar). Discovered in 1998, Ilakaka in Madagascar is one of the largest Sapphire deposits in the world. A large number of new Sapphire deposits have also been discovered around Ilakaka and further southwest in the Sakaraha area, noting ‘Ilakaka’ often not only refers to the Ilakaka deposit, but also sometimes to the whole gem deposit area.
Sapphires from Madagascar have really impacted the gem world’s perception of this country, reportedly once accounting for around half of the world’s Sapphires by volume (Source: Gemological Institute of America). Sakaraha town is now a center for selling and buying gems that have been found nearby.
Durability & Care
One of the world’s hardest gemstones (Mohs’ Hardness: 9), Tuléar Sapphire is an excellent choice for everyday jewelry. Tuléar Sapphire should always be stored carefully to avoid scuffs and scratches. Clean with gentle soap and lukewarm water, scrubbing behind the gem with a very soft toothbrush as necessary. After cleaning, pat dry with a soft towel or chamois cloth.
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