Blue Sapphire is a corundum gemstone beloved for many reasons throughout history. Besides its beautiful colors, people have revered sapphires for their alleged spiritual powers and durability in industrial applications.
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Mineral family: Corundum
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Mohs hardness: 9
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Color: All colors but red; Possible color-zoning
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Crystal structure: Hexagonal (trigonal)
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Luster: Vitreous (glassy) to sub-adamantine
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Transparency: Transparent to opaque
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Refractive index: 1.757-1.779
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Specific Gravity: 3.99-4.10
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Cleavage: None
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Fracture: Conchoidal
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Streak: White
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Luminescence: Fluorescence present in all but black, green, and most blue sapphires (natural), varying degrees in all colors (synthetic); X-ray colors in some specimens from Sri Lanka, Kashmir, and Montana – dull red or yellow-orange
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Pleochroism: Present & very strong in most sapphire colors
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Birefringence: 0.008-0.009
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Dispersion: 0.018
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Optical effects: Asterism, chatoyancy, color-changing
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Natural Gemstones
Diamond
Topaz
Spinel
Ruby
