Color range: all colors except red

Value:  Clear sapphires are very common, but other types are rare, very rare, or extremely rare.

Dragons-breath sapphires are mined on Teras. Dragons-eye sapphires are mined extensively in Dwarven holdings stretching through the depths of the DragonSpine Mountains, but they are most commonly seen in elven hands due to various trade agreements. Shimmarglin sapphires were mined outside Ta'Ashrim, but the supply was lost after the Faendryl genocide of the Ashrim rendered the island dangerous and uninhabitable. The Nalfein have located another source of shimmarglin sapphires in recent years, but they are quite closemouthed as to where that source may be -- they have claimed several small islands that originally lay in Ashrim power, however, so the two sources may be related. Other varieties of sapphire are scattered throughout Elanthia, but North Hendor is particularly noted for its beautiful blue sapphires.

Sapphires are said to have many different and remarkable magical powers, including particular affinities for the element of air, the magic of summoning spirits, and various mental arts. As well, giantmen of the Issimir clan say that wearing sapphire will sharpen your eye for bargains and help protect you from fraud. Withycombe diviners also associate sapphires with property, though in a slightly different fashion -- they say that casting patterns of sapphire runes can reveal the location of lost possessions.

In the human duchy of Aldora, home to the legendary healing art called stone-tending, sapphires are considered a bad-luck gem for royalty -- with their influences over the realm of air, they disconnect the royal mind from concerns of hearth and home, which endangers the safety of the realm. Less exalted people are encouraged to wear them, however, as the gems are supposed to encourage imagination and creativity.

Yellow sapphires are known to be precious to Phoen -- "sunlight sapphires," they are sometimes called. There is an old elven story that claims that all sapphires were once yellow before Cholen's intervention.

According to the story, in ancient times, there was a night when Phoen and Oleani went off for a long romantic evening, and Phoen grew so distracted by the joys of his consort that the sun failed to rise in the morning. People became alarmed at the extending darkness, and they asked the Arkati for help, but Phoen barred the bower against all intrusion, and, because he was known as a mighty warrior, the other Arkati would not intrude when he commanded them to leave. No one knew how long the night would stretch until Cholen called out, "What pretty green sapphires these are!" Phoen was puzzled and annoyed, but he brushed it off as a poor joke and went back to the matter of romance. Then, Cholen called out, "What pretty pink sapphires these are!" Again, Phoen ignored him. At the third time, Cholen called, "What pretty blue sapphires these are!" -- and he threw one into the bower, for he had changed the sapphire from yellow to blue by his arts. Outraged, Phoen rose up and chased after Cholen, bringing the overdue dawn with him as he came. Glad to have the sun return, Imaera hid Cholen until Phoen's anger had faded, but she made a mistake. She hid Cholen in her husband Eonak's domain, the depths of the earth, where Phoen could not find him -- but that put Cholen down with all the sapphires buried in the earth, and Cholen was so delighted with his prank that he continued with the game, creating an essence in the earth that would slowly change sapphires through all the depths of Elanith from yellow to blue, pink, purple, and other hues. From the workings of his spell, few yellow sapphires remained at all, and so it is to this day, when people have forgotten that sapphires were ever primarily yellow at all. To call things "sapphire" is to call them blue.

The Dwarven people respect Eonak highly, and most dwarves are unwilling to think that Cholen would interfere so greatly in Eonak's sphere of power -- they react to the elven legend with a grunt of disgust and such comments as "What do elves know about mining?" Interestingly enough, however, one dwarven custom supports the idea that some mysterious power in the earth is at work upon sapphires, for clear sapphires are called "child sapphires" among the Olgretek, Greetok, and Grenroa clans. Upon finding a clear sapphire, an Olgretek, Greetok, or Grenroa dwarf will bury it again until the sapphire's color can mature. These burials are ideally done in solid ground near magma or lava; Eonak's Belt is highly favored for traveling dwarves from these clans who find themselves visiting mountain cousins. Many greybeards in these clans swear that they buried clear sapphires in this fashion in their youth and found them to be brilliant blue when they dug them back up a hundred years later.

Sapphires are noted for the large range of colors in which they occur but the most famous and valuable of sapphires is a rich intense blue.   The name "fancy sapphire" is used to describe sapphires that are not blue.   Fancy sapphires are available in an amazing range of colors including yellow, green, violet, pink, brown, purple, violet, white, black and orange. 

 All colors of corundum except red are known as sapphires, which has created controversy about where ruby ends and sapphire begins, particularly in pink shades of corundum.

Sapphire engagement rings are given to express the commitment and loyalty of their heart. Sapphire has long symbolized truth, sincerity, and faithfulness.  Marriage partners put great faith in the stone.   If its luster dimmed, one knew his or her spouse had been unfaithful.   Sapphire refused to shine when worn by the wicked or impure.

Kings used to wear sapphire around their necks as a powerful defense against harm. The stone preserved the wearer from envy and attracted divine favor  The British Crown Jewels are full of large blue sapphires.

Sapphires that display asterism are known as "stars" in the trade.   They may occur in almost any color.   A rare orange-pink variety, known as padparadschah, is even more valued than blue sapphire.  The star is a result of the light reflecting off the silky crystallizations of rutile inside the stone.  

Star sapphires are usually in six ray stars, but twelve ray stars are also known. Very rarely, sapphire also exhibits cat's eye effect.  The three crossbars of star sapphire represent faith, hope, and charity.   It was once used to ward off bad omens and the evil eye.   Star Sapphire was considered so potent that its influence would remain with the first owner, even after it was passed on into other hands.  

The ancients regarded star sapphires as a very powerful talisman, a guiding star for travelers and seekers of all kinds. The Sinhalese believed the star sapphire would protect them against witchcraft.  

Legend has it that if a poisonous snake were put into a vessel along with a sapphire, the rays from the gem would kill it.   Our ancestors interpreted this to mean that sapphire was an antidote against poison.  

Sapphire is the birthstone for September, but ancient lists also name sapphire as a birthstone for April and the gemstone for the sign of Taurus.  It is the anniversary gemstone for the 5th and 45th year of marriage.