8 Things You Don’t Know about Sapphires, September’s Birthstone

Happy birthday, September babies! Your birthstone, the sapphire, is also the gemstone for a 45^th anniversary. This ancient stone has fascinated people for centuries. Persians believed that the earth sat on a giant sapphire, which was reflected in the blue of the sky. And the deep, rich color of the stone has long been a symbol for royalty.

We’ve discussed the facts and care of sapphires in this blog post; here are some interesting things that you may not know about the “royal blue” gemstone.

8 sapphire facts

1. Sapphires are created from the same mineral (corundum) as rubies; if a gem has iron and titanium in it, it’s blue (sapphire); if it has chromium, it’s red and a ruby.
2. The Romans used sapphires for jewelry thousands of years ago.
3. Sapphires are durable, rating 9 on the Mohs hardness scale. The only other gem that can scratch it is a diamond, which rates 10 on the scale.
4. In ancient times, sapphires were believed to keep their wearer safe from evil. Medieval kings wore them to keep them safe from their enemies.
5. More recently, sapphires have come to represent sincerity and faithfulness. Prince Charles gave Princess Di a sapphire engagement ring, which is now worn by Prince Harry’s wife, Catherine.
6. While there’s no official grading scale for sapphires, the gem’s value is higher the deeper and more intense it is in color.
7. So-called “fancy” sapphires can be violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, and purple. Some even change color depending on the light they’re in.
8. According to the GIA, asterism, or a sapphire’s star, usually appears as a six-ray star pattern across a cabochon-cut stone’s curved surface. It happens when light is reflected from tiny, needle-like inclusions.

Happy birthday, September lovelies. Enjoy your special day and revel in the deep blue richness of your birthstone, the sapphire. If I can help you with your sapphires, rubies, diamonds, or any other gems, let me know.

Brilliantly yours, Aimee