All About The Sapphire
September's birthstone is the sapphire. This gem is structurally similar to the ruby, July's birthstone. It is also a variety of the mineral, corundum. The gem is not just available in blue. In fact, sapphires exist in just about every color including yellow, black, white, orange, pink and brown. There are no red sapphires. Red corundum gems are strictly rubies.
The word sapphire has its roots in several different languages including Arabic (safir), Latin (sapphirus) and Greek (sappheiros). The Ancient Persians referred to the gem as the "Celestial Stone" because they believed the Earth rested upon a huge sapphire, which reflected its color and turned the sky blue. In Ancient Greece, the stone was special to the god Apollo and was worn by his worshipers at the Oracle of Delphi.
During the Middle Ages, sapphires were believed to represent the purity of the soul. Priests wore these gems to protect them from impure thoughts and 'the temptations of the flesh.' Royalty wore the gems in rings and brooches to keep them safe from harm and free from envy. It was also believed that a sapphire would turn darker in color if the wearer was unfaithful to his/her lover.
The gem is traditionally given as a gift for the 5th, 23rd and 45th wedding anniversaries. Sapphires can be found in Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Burma, Brazil and the United States. However, the biggest sapphire resource in the world lies in the Australia, especially in New South Wales and Queensland.
Sapphires are very hard gems, ranking 9 on the Mohs scale. Sometimes, the gem is cut into cabochons, smooth domes, to create a star with six rays. The Star Sapphire, as it's called, is a special gift often reserved for the 65th wedding anniversary.
Other Links About The Sapphire
- Gems - Corundum - Sapphire, Ruby
- RANKING in hardness second to diamond alone, the species known to science as corundum and widely familiar by the names of its varieties, sapphire and ruby, holds a pre-eminent position among coloured gem-stones.
- Libra: Sapphire And Opal - Gems And Astrological Birthstones
- The sapphire is one of the earliest mentioned stones in the writings left to us from ancient times. Because it was often found in stream beds or along shore lines, its clear blue shining bright against the sand, it attracted attention as easily as did the ruby or red garnet.
- Sapphire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Sapphire is the single-crystal form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3), a mineral known as corundum. It can be found naturally as gemstones or manufactured in large crystal boules for a variety of applications.
Sapphire - Historical And Cultural References (Wikipedia)
Supernatural powers were attributed to gems in India. One way this was manifested was the interdependence between gems and planets. Ruby, associated with the Sun, was the Lord of Gems, for the Sun lorded over all the planets. Sapphire was associated with Saturn (Wojtilla, 1973).
Blue sapphires were first discovered in the Padar region of Kashmir in the 1880's, allegedly where a landslip had uncovered their occurrence. Kashmir stones were in most cases exceptionally fine quality. The color tone term "cornflower blue" was coined from these stones. Stones from Madagascar are very often described to look like Kashmir quality.
Sapphire is the birthstone associated with September.
The 45th wedding anniversary is known as the sapphire anniversary.
Books About The Sapphire And Gemstones
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Wesley_Paul
Hi Smithville, Posted June 25, 2008 |
