Its name comes from the Greek word sappheiros, which probably referred to lapis lazuli. Most people think all sapphires are blue, and when gem and jewellery professionals use the word “sapphire” alone, they normally mean “blue sapphire.”

Sapphires come in violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and intermediate hues. Some stones exhibit the phenomenon known as color change, most often going from blue in daylight or fluorescent lighting to purple under incandescent light. Sapphires can even be gray, black, or brown.