The only sapphires gemstones known in France are the sapphires of Auvergne.
They are all collected in a brook, among others Riouperoux, in a craft way, by enthusiasts, in the battée, as for the search for the gold.
The battée is this instrument in the shape of " hat of Chinese " or flat-bottomed, used among others by the gold diggers. Alluviums are taken in river. The battée allows, by a rotary movement, to eliminate the lightest elements. The densest concentrate in the center (gold, sapphires, zircons, ...)
All these sapphires were cut in France, in the perfection.
These sapphires undergo no treatment. 100 % French, natural 100 %.
The sapphire of Auvergne is too rare so that there is a real production. There will be a curiosity and a rarity gemmologique. The sapphires of more than 1 carat are there rare.
The history of one of these deposits was redrawn by Forester (1993).
« It is about a deposit(field) of chap alluvionnaire on the brook of Riou Pezzouliou the volcano of Croustet of which is the spring. The resource in gemstones of this brook is known at least for the XIIIth century and it supplied all medieval Europe, mainly in the Middle Ages. Sapphires, garnets and hyacinths of Velay were found in the treasures of the Papacy, in those of St Denis's abbey, kings of France... »
These sapphires were the object of a special issue of the review " The Mineral reign " (n°93 in May-June, 2010).
For more scientific information, see the study of Eloise Gaillou - June, 2010).(DEA Clermont Ferrand 2003) : Les saphirs du Massif Central "Etude minéralogique des saphirs du Sioulot, du Mont Coupet et du Meynore".
