Sapphire

Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum. Trace amount of other elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper, or magnesium can give corundum blue, yellow, purple, orange, or green color. Chromium impurities will yield pink or red, making them ruby.  Padparadsha is a pinkish orange variety, representing the color of the lotus. Sapphire is 9 on the mohs scale making it an excellent jewelry gemstone.  It is found in Eastern Australia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China (Shandong), Madascar, East Africa, and Montana, US. The quality of sapphire is based on hue, saturation, and tone. Hue is the  color of the gem, saturation refers to the brightness of the hue, and tone is the lightness to darkness of the hue. Most sapphires are heated to improve or enhance the color. It is the birthstone for September.