Source: https://yourbirthstones.com/september-birthstone/
Where the fidelity of soul and romance twins together, sapphire is born. The word Sapphire creates a powerful yet beautiful image in our minds. The blue-violet vibes of the stone emit stunning vibes. The key traits associated with sapphires are trust, honesty, and purity. These are the traits that make a relationship more substantial and the bond everlasting. This is the very reason that sapphires are mostly famous as engagement gemstones even to date. Sapphires are said to have a positive impact on the lives of the wearer. If you are born in September, then Sapphire is the ultimate gemstone for you.
Sapphire- The Blue Gemstone of Peace and Serenity
Sapphire has beauty beyond expression. The word sapphire means blue in the Greek language. To be more precise, the word sapphire comes from the Greek word Sappheiros, the other name of lapis lazuli. Sapphire is the ultimate symbol of honesty and loyalty. The blue color of the stone represents serenity and calmness. The beautiful color, shine, and luster of the stone are much more than just pretty. Though sapphire is an abundantly available stone yet, it is quite expensive. Sapphires are not always blue and have different hues, but these days the word sapphire is used as blue stones. There are various other hues of sapphires available, especially in Sri Lanka.
Meaning of September Birthstones
The association of a particular gemstone with a specific month is an age-old traditional phenomenon of Astrology. The core pillars of Astrology are based on an assessment of numbers and energies. The particular gemstone, which is considered the birthstone for that month, is believed to bring favorable luck to the wearer. That means if you are born in September, the September birthstone can bring around positivity and good fortune in your life.
Now you might think that a stone connects with a month – one is a physical entity while the other is abstract. Astrological science determines the celestial bodies’ particular position during a specific month as per the astronomical phenomenon. The energy emitted by the particular combination of the heavenly bodies corresponds with the energy emitted and these gemstones’ vibes. That is how the birthstones are determined according to the months.
Sapphires are prevalent in astrology and are associated with noble qualities like faithfulness, sincerity, and trust. Earlier historical records say that Sapphires can guard individuals against conflicts and commotions and promote peace and commitment. Another interesting lore about sapphires says that they can neutralize the poison. Even if not materialistically, this property has a special meaning metaphorically. That is why priests believe that sapphires can turn enemies to friends and neutralize the negativities that others try to inflict on you. Almost every other church priest and clergyman wear a sapphire because it symbolizes serenity.
History of September Birthstones – Sapphire
Sapphire symbolizes the virtues of nobility, truthfulness, and sincerity. Since time immemorial, people believe the sapphire to be the symbol of sincerity. The royals believed that Sapphires enhance the supremacy of the men. This is the precise reason why clergymen used to wear Sapphires in their robes to manifest their sovereignty and faithfulness towards the royals.
There are two other types of commonly found blue colored stones, namely Tanzanite and Topaz, but these are quite different from Sapphire. The lores regarding Sapphire are innumerable. Sapphires became extremely famous when Prince Charles gave the renowned engagement ring featuring the marvelous Sapphire to his wife, Lady Diana. There are fairy tales associated with both the sapphire and Lady Diana.
Sapphires were prevalent in two major countries, namely Greece and Rome. These countries’ royal family wore blue sapphire to keep away from the rivals’ negativity and envy. Sapphires were equally popular among priests and clergymen who wore sapphires to signify their connection with heaven and prove their relation with almighty. In a nutshell, sapphire depicts everything pure and serene.
When we talk about the historical significance of sapphires, we must not ignore the role of sapphires in wars. Sapphires were often used to bring about peace between the enemies. Sapphires are also connected with spirituality. In the ancient world, sapphires were used to reveal secret messages of Oracles and even tame spirits. The belief that sapphire can make relationships better is a common practice to gift sapphires to partners sharing romantic bonds.
Sapphire is a member of the corundum family. It has a history that dates back to thousands of years. A few sapphires have made a great name in history. The 62.02-carat Rockefeller sapphire is one of the prettiest gemstones in history. It was excavated from Myanmar. The second most famous sapphire is owned by Lady Diana and currently by Kate Middleton as the family heritage.
Availability of Sapphires
There are three significant countries where Sapphires are found abundantly. These are India (Kashmir), Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka. Frankly speaking, these were the ancient grounds. However, sapphires are found in various other countries like Australia, Madagascar, Thailand, Cambodia, Montana in the United States, and many others.
India (Kashmir)
Kashmir in India is the first place of discovery of Sapphires. The discovery of Sapphires was a rare chance event. A massive landslide occurred in Kashmir in the year 1881. This explosion naturally exposed a pocket of sapphires in this region. Initially, the sapphires were named ‘ad velvet cornflower’ due to their characteristic shape. Kashmir Sapphires are on the top of the popularity ever since then. The production has also not receded ever since.
Myanmar
Another very famous area renowned for the production of Sapphires is the local area of Mongkok situated amidst Myanmar. This naturally magnificent landscape is filled with lush green vegetation and forests. Rubies and sapphires occur almost close to each other. Both are corundum, and hence they are naturally found as neighbors. Sapphire is often called the blue counterpart of ruby, and Ruby is called the red counterpart of Sapphire.
Burma or Myanmar is an enriched area when it comes to gemstones. Just as Burmese rubies, Burmese sapphires are also equally famous across the world. The tint of Burmese sapphires is distinguishing in nature. It is richly intense and beyond excellence.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is also a rich source of Sapphires. Sri Lanka has the other name as Jewel Box of Indian Ocean, and Sapphires indeed emphasizes the fact. Sri Lankan soil is mostly alluvial in nature and residence to some of the most exquisite sapphires on earth. A unique type of Sapphire is found exclusively in Sri Lanka, and that is the Geuda Sapphire. It has a characteristically dark, rich, and intense blue color.
Thailand
Thailand also shines with heroic glamour when it comes to Sapphire stores in the world. Apart from being a natural reservoir of Sapphires, Thailand is also the treating center of Sapphires. Chanthaburi Province is a natural area in Thailand that is famous for its Sapphire reserve. Sapphires from across the globe, especially from Cambodia and Myanmar, reach Thailand’s grounds for treatment. Bangkok is the gem hub of the world and has the best gem treatment and cutting centers.
Types of Sapphires
Sapphires are one of the most alluring gemstones and are elite in standards. However, people know very little about the various types and varieties of sapphires. It features several striking natural characteristics, among them is the occurrence of sapphires in multiple hues. We imagine that sapphires are blue. The vast majority of sapphires are indeed blue, but there are various types of sapphires other than the blue ones. The change in chemical compositions among the various kinds of sapphires results in different types of hues. Let us have a look at a few of them:-
Pink Sapphire
We have already said that sapphires and rubies are chemically quite similar because both archetypes of corundum are often considered counterparts of each other. Pink sapphires are a transition between sapphires and rubies. The pink color is not uniform. Some may have a lighter pink hue, and some may have a baby pink color, whereas some may have a darker version. Even magenta color falls in this category, but one should not confuse it with amethyst. After blue, this type of sapphire is the most sought after.
Star Sapphire
Star sapphires’ unique feature is an asterism that refers to a floating six-rayed star-shaped pattern within the sapphire. This is not a specific color; instead is a variation in the design of the stone. Almost every shade of sapphire has some stones that feature this particular pattern. The star sapphires are enchanting, and their mystical beauty is beyond excellence.
Yellow Sapphire
Yellow sapphires have a specific color tone due to the presence of Iron. Like pink sapphires, the color tone of yellow may follow a diverse range right from greenish-yellow to shades of light orange depending upon the concentration of the iron in the stone. This is often confused with yellow jade, topaz, or synthetic stones. Still, yellow sapphires have a calming yellow shade that is characteristic of the rock and is a beautiful metaphor depicting the realm of serenity associated with Sapphires.
Padparadscha Sapphire
Are you wondering why this unusual name? The meaning of this word is aquatic lotus blossoms, and it is a traditional Sinhalese word. Not only is this type of Sapphire one of the rarest Sapphires, but it is one of the rarest gemstones in the world. The hue is a typical coveted salmon shade, and for those of you who have no idea of how this shade looks like, you could simply visualize this as a blend of orange and pink color. The stone’s natural exclusivity enhances its price, but it shall be a treat for gem lovers.
Blue Sapphires
This one is deliberately placed at the bottom of the list because the world knows too much about it. You could call it a brand ambassador or representative of Sapphires to the wide world outside. The other name of blue sapphires is cornflower due to the hue of the particular stone with cornflower. The beauty of naturally occurring sapphires is beyond explanation.
Physicochemical Properties of Sapphires
Sapphire is mineral corundum and a member of the aluminum oxide family. It often contains trace elements, namely chromium, iron, titanium, that brings about the drastically diverse hues within the gemstone. Though blue is the most common color, there are plenty of other fancy colored sapphires like yellow or orange. Sapphires are the third hardest material on our planet and score an excellent nine on the Mohs scale. Apart from being a fancy gemstone that allures people and adorn jewels, sapphire also finds widespread application in the infrared optic industry, solid-state electronic drive, and are often used as electronic wafers. They are even used to manufacture blue LEDs.
They are massive and granular crystals with low cleavage and conchoidal fracture. They possess a vitreous luster and colorless streak. Sapphires also exhibit Dichroism.
Sapphire Jewelry
Sapphires look amazingly pretty in almost every jewel piece. People wear various types of jewelry pieces that feature sapphires. The most common of them are rings. Sapphire rings look fantastic and carry a definite symbolic meaning with them. It is a prevalent practice to gift sapphire to couples or your partner on the wedding anniversary. What can be better than presenting sapphires in the form of rings as wedding anniversary gifts? Hence, Sapphire finger rings are the most common type of jewelry.
The trend of sapphire jewelry keeps on changing. In the primitive era, the churchmen used to wear heavy sapphire bracelets or often adorned their crowns with sapphires. Even the royal family members and the ministers showcase valuable sapphires in their crowns and usually on their robes. These days, nobody wears such heavy pieces, but sapphires’ excellence and metaphoric symbolism remain the same.
Wearing chains with a small sapphire pendant can look equally gorgeous. Since commonly used sapphires have a bright blue hue, platinum, silver, or white gold are the materials that complement its color well. You can even wear sapphires on your bracelets. Diamonds are the best gemstones that can accompany and usually do sapphires in every jewel piece—the deep clear white reflection of the diamond supplements sapphires’ effect to create a magical elegance. The diamond and sapphire combination looks extremely beautiful. Most of the rings also feature a centrally placed sapphire with a halo of diamonds around it.
A piece of sapphire can be your friend forever and elevate your style quotient through manifolds.
Sapphire Buying Guide
If you are planning to buy a September birthstone and yet you are covered by the thick fog of dilemmas and misconceptions, it is time you clear them all and have a distinct and fair idea on how to buy the perfect sapphire for yourself.
Color
Sapphire belongs to the corundum family. The gemstone’s hues may vary from absolutely light shades to darker variants but never remember so dark that they become entirely opaque. The color depends on the number of trace minerals found in a particular gemstone variety. While buying a sapphire, be it of any color right from the normal blue ones to the orange, yellow, or purples, always remember to check out the color saturation. Real sapphires will never be excessively dark. The blue shade may vary from violet-tinged blue to uniform velvety blue, but the saturation shall be vividly distinct. Overly dark gemstones are often fake and compromise the quality of the gems, especially the brightness quotient.
Clarity
Sapphire is of the corundum family just as ruby is. Hence, similar to ruby, sapphire also has specific silk inclusions that define its purity and authenticity. The silk inclusions often create an aster or star pattern when the stone is dissected like a cabochon. This phenomenon exclusively observed in sapphires is termed as asterism. The durability of the sapphire often depends upon the number of rays that the asters spread out. The number of rays of aster could be anything between 4 to 12. If the sapphire faces a loss of shelf life due to the asterism, the gemstones’ prices drop rapidly.
Cut
The cut can be according to personal preference. Oval or a transitory cut between oval and square are the two most common cuts for a sapphire. However, the cut is quite a secondary factor when it comes to the quality of the sapphire. This is just an additional fancy element. The expert gemologists pay more attention to the clarity and the carat of the sapphires, and the cuts are usually made only after maintaining the color, proportions, and weight. Zoning, lightness, and darkness of shades and the stones’ pleochroism often play a crucial role in deciding on the sapphire cut.
Carat or Weight
It is evident that the larger the sapphires are, the more you pay for them. That implies the carat weight has a direct correlation with the price of the gemstone. The most common range of sapphires is 5.00 carats. These sapphires are used commercially as well. The larger and more specific the piece, the higher you pay for it.
Special Features to Consider When Buying a Sapphire
Here are the top facts that you should keep in mind while you purchase sapphires:
- The more saturated shades of sapphires like the ones with grayish-blue or yellowish tones always cost less. While the dark blue or stones with violet tinge are more saturated and hence costs more. The overly dark shades of a particular color costs even more.
- The cut has a role to play in determining the price. A sapphire will look its best only when it can reflect light. The appropriate amount ensures a splendid reflection, and that is the most desirable property. After all, you are wearing a sapphire, and the world must know about its glorifying majesty. However, if you are low on budget, you can go with the poorly cut gemstone.
- Sapphires undergo three commercial treatments: treatment with heat, irradiation, and therapy with lattice diffusion. The treatment other than heat treatment alters the sapphires’ color or alters the shades keeping the color the same hence they are less valuable. The once-only treated with heat is more expensive than these. Sapphires treated only with heat are quite costly because there is no addition of harmful or harsh color-changing chemicals in heat treatment to preserve the sapphire color.
- The sapphires of every individual mine have their distinguishing features, and you can hardly compare them with one another. However, sapphires from Kashmir are the most premium quality across the globe.
How to Take Care of Sapphires?
Sapphires are not delicate or fragile cry babies, so you hardly need to keep on pampering them. But, Maintenance can always maintain the shine of a gemstone and keep it in good health for a long time. You can clean the sapphires at home with some mild unreactive gem cleaning solution and use the right toothbrush to reach the corners of the jewel piece in which the stone remains embedded. For the lattice treated or the heat-treated ones, it is better to go for either steam or ultrasonic cleaners. One must always use a plain damp cloth to clean fractures, or cavity-filled sapphires must.
Where to Buy September Birthstones?
You can purchase worthy sapphires from numerous online retailers, namely Blue Nile, Jame Allen, Kay, Whitelash, Zales, Ritani, Amazon, etc. The prime benefit of purchasing gemstones from trusted flagships is that they do not compromise the quality or the gemstone’s health. You receive authentic gemstones for the price you pay. Apart from that, these retailers are well distinguished in the gems world and have their reputation. Buyers trust them. You, too, can avail of these online retailers’ customer-oriented policies and get the best quality sapphires to fulfill your heart’s desire.
Final Words
One cannot explain the beauty of Sapphires in words. They enhance the beauty of any jewel that features them. If you are born in September, buying a good quality, Sapphire is probably the best choice you can make. You can also gift Sapphires to your loved ones. It is a widespread practice to give Sapphires on the 45th wedding anniversary. So, are you ready to dazzle up with the majestic blue hues?