September

Few gems have held our attention over millennia as well as sapphire. Its pure blue colors and excellent durability make it an exceptional gemstone. However, not all sapphires are blue. The September birthstone comes in many colors.

Sapphires are considered a protective gemstone. They may shield the wearer from physical harm as well as bad intentions and envy. It was also thought that sapphires had medicinal properties. Blue sapphires are considered a highly spiritual stone worn by priests. Lastly, sapphires are among the few gemstones that can exhibit natural asterism in the form of a six-rayed star.

Like rubies, sapphires are corundum gems. They occur in a full rainbow variety of colors, except red. (Red corundum is ruby). Sapphires will be marketed according to their color, i.e., yellow sapphire or purple sapphire. However, the word “sapphire” on its own refers specifically to the blue variety.

All red, gem-quality corundum gems are considered rubies. All other colors of gem-quality corundum are considered sapphires. On the market, blue sapphires are usually simply called sapphires, while sapphires of other colors are commonly specified as yellow sapphires, pink sapphires, etc, and are collectively known as “fancy sapphires.” However, when discussing the physical and optical properties of sapphires, the term “sapphire” applies to all sapphires regardless of color.

Sapphire is one of the most popular gemstones for jewelry of any kind. Sapphire’s hardness is second only to diamond among natural gems. It also has no cleavage planes. These qualities make it a superb jewelry stone for everyday wear, with great resistance to scratches and blows. Of course, a heavily included or fractured stone will be less stable.

Traces of vanadium may cause color change in some sapphires. These sapphires show one color in daylight or fluorescent light and another in incandescent light.