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

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

A black star sapphire and diamond brooch was one of Nancy Reagan’s favorite, and she wore it to the 1977 Diana Vreeland opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2016

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