PeridotBirthstones: Garnet,
Amethyst,
Aquamarine, Diamonds,
Emeralds, June,
Rubies
Peridot
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Sapphire's hues are more than the blues by Bethany Waldrop Keiper
"A maiden born when autumn leaves, Are rustling in September's breeze, A sapphire on her brow should bind; To bring her joy and peace of mind." -- Gregorian Birthstone Poems When you think of a sapphire, you might naturally have thoughts of the deep blue of the twilight sky. But sapphire might surprise you with its variety of colors, so your thoughts could span the skies all day, including sunset and sunrise. Sapphires come from corundum, and they consist of pure aluminum oxide which met with pressure and great heat at a great depth long, long ago. Different elements found in small amounts in this mix gave the once-white crystal its colors of blue, yellow, green, purple, brown, orange, pink, or red. All of the colors of the mineral corundum except red are called sapphires. This causes a bit of controversy about the beginning of rubies and the ending of sapphires, especially concerning the color pink. One of the fanciest sapphire colors is the tongue-tangling padparadscha, which is a rare combination of orange with a pink undertone. But by far, blue, from light cornflower to deep midnight, is the favorite for September birthstone jewelry. This is not surprising, when you consider that statistics name blue as the favorite color of some 50 percent of all people, men and women alike. Although it is known for its velvety blue hues, sapphire is truly hard as a rock, a 9 on the Mohs scale -- only one step down from the hardest rocks, diamonds. And each uncut sapphire has different colors, and different intensities of color, depending on the angle you view them. So those who cut these gems must be especially careful to cut each one in the best way to get the largest size and the most beautiful color. Star sapphires, with their smooth surfaces and twinkling stars that seem to move with the light, are especially captivating – they are often given the odd distinction of being almost too pretty to be real. These sapphires, and also star rubies, show white six- to twelve- legged stars in the dome of their cabochon (a cabochon is a stone polished smooth, rather than faceted). This twinkling effect comes from Asterism, from the Latin for star. The star is seen when light reflects off of inclusions of tiny, rutile needles in the stone. How can a gem that can hold a star within its surface not be viewed in a spiritual, meaningful way? Ancient writers claimed that the Ten Commandments were written on sapphire, making this gem most sacred. Many very ancient texts call sapphires simply a blue stone, so it may have been confused with lapis lazuli from time to time. Considering the hard surface of sapphires, the only way the Ten Commandments could have been written on sapphire at that time was indeed by the hand of God. The blue-colored sapphires have long been thought of as a symbol of purity and love. These stones are believed to provide strength and help you stay on a spiritual path. In that light, the stone is thought to aid you in communicating your truth and beliefs. It is also called the wisdom stone, and each color of sapphire is thought to bring a different sort of wisdom. Blue is a color associated with law, order and structure. This seems very accurate if you think of those who wear blue as their uniform today. So, the "sapphire blue" has become associated with things that are reliable and everlasting. With this sentiment, and the stone’s beauty, women in countries all over the world have started choosing sapphires for their engagement rings. Cost and the relative scarcity of the favorite "true blue" color have led to a bit of a decline in the sapphire's popularity. Many sapphires are heat treated for various reasons, color enhancement being one, and lab-created sapphires are quite easy to find. But for purists, only the real thing will do. The cost of a sapphire goes by the usual cut, clarity, color and size, but additionally, its origin can play a factor. Those with a true knowledge and appreciation for this blue gem believe the Kashmir hue, with its velvet-like shine, intense blue, and slight violet undertone, is the most perfect and valuable. Burmese sapphires are also quite prized; their colors range from the deepest cornflower to the richest royal. While these places are known for the best, Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka is know as the oldest place to find these gems. But most of the blue stones come from Thailand or Australia. Other locations these gems are found include East Africa, Madagascar, and various locations in the United States.
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