The September birthstone, sapphire, is related to the July birthstone, ruby. Both are forms of the mineral corundum, a crystalline form of aluminium oxide. But red corundum is ruby. And all other gem-quality forms of corundum are sapphires.
All corundum, including sapphire, has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale. In fact, sapphires are second only to diamonds in hardness.
Sapphires typically appear as blue stones. They range from very pale blue to deep indigo. The exact shade depends on the amount of titanium and iron in the crystal structure. The most prized shade of blue is a medium deep cornflower blue. However, sapphires also occur in other natural colours and shades – colourless, grey, yellow, pale pink, orange, green, violet and brown – called fancy sapphires. Different types of impurities within the crystal cause the different gemstone colours. For example, yellow sapphires get their colour from iron, and olourless gems have no impurities.
Sapphires typically appear as blue stones. They range from very pale blue to deep indigo. The exact shade depends on the amount of titanium and iron in the crystal structure. The most prized shade of blue is the medium deep cornflower blue. However, sapphires also occur in other natural colours and shades – colourless, grey, yellow, pale pink, orange, green, violet and brown – called fancy sapphires. Different types of impurities within the crystal cause the different gemstone colours. For example, yellow sapphires get their colour from iron, and colourless gems have no impurities.
Sapphire lore about the September birthstone
The word sapphire has its roots in ancient languages: from the Latin sapphirus (meaning blue) and from the Greek sappheiros for the island of Sappherine in the Arabian Sea. This was the source of sapphire in ancient Greece, which in turn came from the Arabic safir. The ancient Persians called sapphire the “Stone of Heaven”. It was the jewel of Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy. Worshippers who visited his shrine in Delphi to seek his help wore sapphires. The ancient Etruscans used sapphires as early as the 7th century BC.
As well as being the September birthstone, the sapphire represented the purity of the soul. Before and during the Middle Ages, priests wore it to protect themselves from impure thoughts and the temptations of the flesh. Medieval kings of Europe valued these stones for rings and brooches, believing they would protect them from harm and envy. Warriors gave sapphire necklaces to their young wives to keep them faithful. A common belief was that the stone would darken in colour if worn by an adulterer or an unworthy person.
Some believed that sapphires protected people from snakes. It was believed that if poisonous reptiles and spiders were placed in a jar containing the stone, the creatures would die instantly. The French in the 13th century believed that sapphires turned stupidity into wisdom and irritability into good humour.
One of the most famous sapphires rests on the Imperial State Crown worn by Queen Victoria in 1838. It is kept in the British Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. In fact, this gem once belonged to Edward the Confessor. He wore the stone on a ring at his coronation in 1042, hence the name St Edward’s Sapphire.
