Stunning September Sapphires!
Stunning September Sapphires!
It's finally here everybody! September !!!! You know what that means... (besides pumpkin spice everything popping up) we are talking about Sapphires!!
Were you or born in September? The bad news is you only get one birthstone.... The Awesome news is that you get to have SAPPHIRE as your birthstone! Who needs choices when you get sapphires! The beautiful birthstone for those born this month and the anniversary stone for a 5th or 45th anniversary. Also, 65 year anniversary is known as a Sapphire Jubilee - what?! Sign me up for one of those!
I know, I know - I am getting a little crazy with the exclamation points. You are just going to have to go with it... just this once. I will try to take it down a notch or two, but seriously guys it's SAPPHIRES!!
Obviously we love gemstones here. If we didn't we would be in the wrong line of work, but truthfully sapphires are a house favorite. OK fine, one of us has a September birthday - but we would love them anyway. They are beautiful, strong and come in almost every color of the rainbow.
"Almost?" You may ask? Technically red sapphires are classified as Rubies. Other than red, sapphires come in every color you can think of. There is a lot of flexibility for those born in September. Of course, when thinking of a traditional sapphire a beautiful royal blue stone comes to mind. Don't get me wrong, I am over the moon about blue sapphires, but all the different colors of sapphires are pretty darn cool. Pink and yellow have been gaining a lot of popularity lately. Now that I think about it, some of my favorite pieces in our cases right now feature colored sapphires. The gorgeous Padparascha is a sapphire sought after by those in the know. This sapphire is a pink/orange color - think of a salmon or coral color- Yikes!!! They are truly striking.
Bored with single color stones? I hear ya. Ever hear of a color change sapphire? The color of the sapphire changes depending on the light - similar to how an alexandrite changes color. You have to see it to believe it. Color change sapphires typically change from blue to purple - but there are several variations. Unfortunately they are extremely rare, but trust me when I say "WOWZA!".
I can't forget to mention the star sapphire. Cabochon cut, this sapphire will show a wonderful star on top. Some of the best examples we have seen have come from vintage jewelry from the 1920's and 30's. Set in platinum with diamonds - get me a napkin, I'm drooling just thinking about it!
Sapphires are the perfect colored stone to go with engagement and wedding sets. "Why?" you ask? "I thought you just said rubies are?" ... Ok. Fine. I did. Sapphires are the ruby's cousin though, and also are a particularly hard stone measuring 9 on Mohs scale. Their hardiness makes them an ideal stone for pieces you would wear every day, like.... (wait for it)...a wedding set!
They work well either as accents to set off a beautiful diamond or as a show stopping center stone. Just ask us about it - several of us have sapphires in their wedding and engagement rings or stack sapphire bands with our wedding sets. Sapphires were the engagement stones of choice in the 18th and 19th centuries. You want more validation? How about Victoria Beckham? Ok so she has like 13 engagement rings.. hmmm. Penelope Cruz has a sapphire engagement ring given to her by husband Javier Bardem, and Elizabeth Hurley has one too. Speaking of Elizabeth's, Elizabeth Taylor had a sapphire engagement ring for her second marriage. And probably the most famous Sapphire engagement ring of all time.. Princess Diana anyone? Hello? Kate Middleton Duchess of Cambridge ?!? If it works for them it most certainly works for me.
Fun Fact time: the name "Sapphire" comes from the Latin sapphirus or Greek sappheiros meaning "blue stone". They are known as the stone symbolizing loyalty, nobility, sincerity and integrity. Feeling ultra spiritual? Sapphire is known as the gemstone of creative expression, inner peace and meditation. It is said to aide in the alleviation of pain and add to personal expression.
Sapphires are a very special stone to me and I hope they will be to you too. Sapphires are a striking stone and trust me you don't have to be born in September to wear them. Although, if I had a September birthday I would use that as an excuse to wear them constantly!
I could bore you with the details of their mineral and elemental make up. I could write another dope poem, this one with a sapphire theme... But, I think it is time to cut me off or this blog will go on forever. The point is, sapphires are a gorgeous stone anyone can and should wear. If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times I LOVE SAPPHIRES!
For more information visit our friends at the AGS and GIA