"Tell Me Something I Don't Know": Trivia & Fact Thread

[Lugal]

A bit of gemstone trivia:

The stone we call Sapphire, a form of blue corundum was not originally what the ancients referred to as a sapphire.  The name comes from the Latin sapphirus which comes from the Greek word sappheiros (σάπφειρος) which itself came ultimately from Akkadian šipirtu which referred to the gemstone we call lapis lazuli.  The Greek scientist Theoprastus referred to "The sapphire, which is speckled with gold."

Sapphire

Lapis Lazuli

And since corundum occurs in various colors, you can get descriptions like green sapphire or yellow sapphire, except red corundum is always referred to as a ruby.  Sapphires come mostly from Sri Lanka and Kashmir but are also found in Montana.  Lapis lazuli has been mined in Afghanistan for 7000 years with other sources in Chile, the Lake Baikal region and California.

Besides being gemstones, sapphire has industrial uses in infrared optical components, and high durability windows, while lapis lazuli has been used as the base for ultramarine pigment.