September (Sapphire)

A symbol of heaven.

Sapphire, the birthstone for September and gemstone for the 5th and 45th anniversary, is one of the hardest and most durable gemstones ranking a 9 out of 10 on Mohs hardness scale.

Sapphire is most commonly known as a blue gemstone. In fact the purer the shade of blue, the more valuable. However, not all sapphires are blue. They are a variety of the same species as ruby – corundum – and any corundum that doesn’t qualify as ruby is considered sapphire. Fancy colored sapphires include pink, yellow, green, purple, orange and many shades in between.

Today sapphires are found in Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Australia, East Africa, and even the US. However, sapphire has been revered throughout the ages. The Persians believed the earth rested upon a sapphire, thus producing the blue color of the sky. During the Middle Ages, the clergy wore sapphires to symbolize heaven. In ancient Greece and Rome, kings and queens were convinced that blue sapphires protected their owners from envy and harm.

For centuries, sapphire has been associated with royalty and romance. The association was reinforced in 1981, when Britian’s Prince Charles chose a blue sapphire for Princess Diana’s engagement ring.