Sapphire- Septembers Birthstone

Ancient Symbolism: Throughout history, sapphires have been associated with qualities like wisdom, royalty, and divine favour. They were worn by ancient civilizations to seek protection and guidance from the heavens.

Geographic Origins: High-quality sapphires are found in various parts of the world, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, and Madagascar. Kashmir sapphires, known for their velvety blue colour, are particularly renowned.

Sapphire Variety: Sapphires belong to the corundum mineral family and come in a wide range of colours, even though they are most commonly associated with the colour blue they can be found in shades of pink, yellow, green. In fact any shade but red.

A red corundum is a ruby!

Corundum is in fact naturally transparent and its colours are caused by transition metal elements like iron, chromium and titanium.

Star Sapphires: Some sapphires exhibit a phenomenon called asterism, which creates a star-like pattern on the surface when viewed under direct light. These star sapphires are highly valued. They are caused by tiny silk like inclusions which reflect light back with this stunning effect.

Industrial Uses: Besides their use in jewellery, sapphires have practical applications in industry. Due to their hardness and resistance to heat and chemicals, they are used in the production of high-performance electronics, such as LED displays and optical components.

Durability: Sapphires are one of the hardest gemstones, ranking 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. This makes them extremely durable and suitable for everyday wear in jewellery.

Famous Sapphires: The "Star of India" is one of the world's largest sapphires, weighing 563 carats. It is displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The "Logan Sapphire" is another famous sapphire, weighing 423 carats, and it's considered one of the largest faceted sapphires.

Photo credit-The Logan Sapphire By Chip Clark, Smithsonian staff - https://geogallery.si.edu/10002687/logan-sapphire,