The Logan Sapphire Brooch

Historically the finest sapphire gems came from Sri Lanka and Burma, and the same is prettymuch true today. Sri Lanka, nicknamed the "Gem Island," has been an important source of sapphires, rubies and other gemstones for more than two thousand years. The stones that have been eroded from Sri Lanka's central mountains are still plucked by hand from gravel deposits that cover most of the southern half of the island. Sapphires from Sri Lanka are typically light to medium blue, and gemstones have been cut that weigh up to several hundred carats. The National Gem Collection boasts one of the largest fine blue sapphire gems, the 422.99-carat Logan Sapphire from Sri Lanka. It is the heaviest mounted gem in the National Gem Collection, and is framed in a brooch setting surrounded by twenty round brilliant-cut diamonds, totalling 16 carats. The piece was a gift to the Smithsonian Insitute from Mrs. John A. Logan in 1960. Source: The National Gem Collection by Jeffrey E. Post.

The Logan Sapphire's fine blue color really shows in this photo of it sitting in its display case.

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