star sapphire

American  

noun

1. a sapphire, cut cabochon, exhibiting asterism in the form of a colorless six-rayed star.

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star sapphire British  

noun

1. a sapphire showing a starlike figure in reflected light because of its crystalline structure

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Etymology

Origin of star sapphire

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

She also excavated a few gems, including a star sapphire ring that belonged to her late father and an inexpensive metal lotus bowl that I had loved, deformed but still somehow itself.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2025

Feet away from the diamond tiara that Madonna wore during her wedding to Guy Ritchie and an 888.88-carat $5-million star sapphire named after Angelina Jolie, she presented gallery manager Joseph Barrios with the now-infamous ring.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2022

The article quoted Thilak Weerasinghe, the chairman of the National Gem and Jewelry Authority of Sri Lanka, a government agency, as saying that it was “probably the biggest” star sapphire specimen in the world.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2021

Sri Lankan authorities say the world's largest star sapphire cluster has been found in a backyard - by accident.

From BBC • Jul. 27, 2021

It was a present he was about to give his wife, a white satin box containing a star sapphire cocktail ring.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut