A star-shaped structure or marking; in geology and gemology, a stone that displays a star-like optical effect (asterism).
From Latin 'asteria' meaning a star-like stone or starfish, derived from Greek 'aster' meaning star. Ancient people noticed certain stones that shimmered with star-like reflections and named them accordingly.
Star sapphires and star rubies get their famous shimmering cross-shaped star from aligned needle crystals inside the stone, creating an optical illusion that made ancient peoples believe these gems contained actual star-light trapped inside.
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