Have you ever thought to yourself, "why is my birthstone important and where does it even come from?" I have in the past, because without research, I had no idea why my birthstone was deemed what it is. We use birthstones in our Birthwood rings along with the wood for each birth month. We crush up the stones and use them as an inlay in each month's ring. Each birthstone has meaning associated with it and a deep geological history. In this segment of our new blog series "The Wonderful World of Birthstones" we will delve into the stone of September, saphhire ! This one is for all you Virgo's and Libra's out there.
Sapphire is a form of the mineral corundum, and it exists in a range of colors from light to dark blue. Corundum is the second-hardest mineral after diamond and occurs in a wide variety of colors. Sapphire is any form of corundum that is not red, as red varieties are called rubies. Sapphires can be formed in crystalline limestone, gneiss, schist, and other crystalline rocks. Gem varieties occur chiefly in placer (river gravel) deposits.
Sapphires were believed to have special protective powers, such as preventing envy and protecting the wearer from poisoning. Some ancient cultures even thought that if a sapphire container held a venomous snake, it would die. To the ancient and medieval world, Sapphire of heavenly blue signified the height of celestial hope and faith, and was believed to bring protection, good fortune and spiritual insight. It was a symbol of power and strength, but also of kindness and wise judgment. In addition, people believed that sapphire had medical healing properties, such as the ability to cure colic, rheumatism, blindness, and mental illnesses. Today Sapphire is still a Stone of Wisdom, a royal stone of learning, mental acuity and psychic activation, a seeker after spiritual truth.
Sapphire is traditonally the stone known to be used as a 45th anniversary gift. It was also one of the 12 precious stones to be set in the breastplate of the High Priest of Israel.
Now that you know a little bit more about the wonderful world of sapphires, go check out our sapphire and willow wood Birthwood ring for the month of September!
