It should, however, be mentioned that amongst the more coarsely ground emery it is no uncommon thing to find minute sapphires, taking sapphires in their broad, commercial meaning, as signifying any variety of corundum, except the red and the emery.
"The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones"
John Mastin
Then we have the "amethyst" sapphire, which varies from a red to a blue purple, being richer in colour than the ordinary amethyst, which is a form of violet-coloured quartz, but the corundum variety, which, like its companions, is called the "oriental" amethyst, is both rarer and more precious.
"The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones"
John Mastin
It will naturally be expected that a substance of such complexity and variety of composition must necessarily have a corresponding variety of colour; thus we find in this, as in the corundum, a wonderful range of tints.
"The Chemistry, Properties and Tests of Precious Stones"
John Mastin