Sapphire - Sri Lanka - Height: 1.3 cm - Width: 0.5 cm- 0 g

Watch a video of this specimen by following the Vimeo link below: https://vimeo.com/1184942297/ad26cc08f8

Sapphire is one of the two precious varieties of corundum, along with ruby. This sought after blue gemstone has been extracted since the 5th century BC in Sri Lanka and has been adorning the jewels of rich dignitaries from the Fertile Crescent and Mediterranean peoples.
The name sapphire derives from 'saphar' in Hebrew and is used with very slight differences in almost all languages today.
Sapphire is also the most sought after blue gemstone, whether is it as cut stone or mineral specimen.

Here is a nice clear gem crystal from Sri Lanka!

Ex collection Lefebvre.
Jean-Claude Lefebvre was born on May 8, 1942, in Liège. A graduate in geography, he began his career as a teacher before becoming a high school principal. A man of wide-ranging interests, he was passionate about astronomy, travel, and numismatics—as well as mineralogy, to which he devoted over thirty years, building his collection between 1980 and 2010.

His approach was that of a rigorous and deeply committed autodidact. He initially developed his collection horizontally, aiming to represent as many mineral species as possible, more than 380 in total.
He then refined it vertically, focusing on aesthetics, specimen integrity, and overall balance. He possessed a keen eye, that rare ability to instantly recognize the right piece, one that required no compromise.

Among the highlights of his collection are an outstanding group of specimens from the Congo, along with a remarkable suite from Mont Saint-Hilaire, Canada, a legendary locality renowned for its rare species and complex crystal formations.