Today I’m honoring and celebrating the mighty sapphire, birthstone of September. I’ve come to use sapphires more and more in my work as I love the range of colors available and the hardness of it–making it a perfect stone for every day wear.
You may have thought, like many do, that sapphires can only be a rich deep blue color. There have been many famous and highly prized sapphires of this color for sure but that leaves out the rest of the rainbow. These stones can be any color–except for red, these we know as rubies! If you found a crystal ruby or sapphire you would see they have the same torpedo shape, but the addition of chromium is what gives that incredible red color. (Pink is where things get confusing–sometimes sold as rubies and sometimes sapphires, there doesn’t seem to be a clear line between them).
Sapphires have been worn by royalty for centuries, being desirable for protection from poisoning and bringing luck and power. I decided this was the year I would begin wearing a sapphire ring–not because I’m emulating royalty (or warding off poison) but because it felt like the perfect stone to strengthen my own personal power. Since it’s such a hard stone, a 9 on the moh’s scale where diamond is a 10, strength is a part of its character.
Known as the stone of Saturn, it has been prescribed especially in vedic astrology as an aid to weak Saturn placements in the birth chart. Saturn is the planet of patience, obstacles, and perseverance and it seems sapphires share or compliment some of these qualities.
When I look up the energetic meanings of stones I try to look for the similarities among books and sites–for sapphires these are: good for focusing and organizing your energy, thoughts, and beliefs. In Taoist stone medicine they believe sapphires to be useful for strengthening the third eye, wisdom, promoting honor and integrity, and giving fire or enthusiasm to your work –along with aiding too many physical ailments to name.
The sapphires you see in my work are often from Montana as I love their color and I purchase them from a company who focuses on ethical mining and this is a good source for that. But sapphires are also found in Australia, Tanzania, Madagascar, and many places in South Asia. (This isn’t to say those sources are unethically mined either)
Chances are you’re even carrying sapphire in your pocket without knowing it….because of its strength it’s been used in the screens on smartphone cameras and fingerprint readers (as well as wrist watch glass). But it’s much more fun when you can see them sparkle in a ring or an earring don’t you think?
There you have it, a little back story on a well known gem. Are you partial to the deep dark blue that is probably most prized? Or would you prefer green or yellow…..maybe you would love a star sapphire (I have one on my sale page right now), the way they play with the light. My vote’s on purple!
Thanks, as always, for being here!
Xo Meryl
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