No reason to feel blue

September’s birthstone is unique among gemstones. Second only to diamond in terms of hardness, it is a variety of the mineral corundum and comes in a plethora of colours including pink, yellow, orange and green, with the red variety going by the name ruby. Its most preferred colour however, is most definitely a beautiful deep BLUE!! Have you worked it out yet? I’m sure you have. We are talking about Sapphire.

Symbolising sincerity, faithfulness, and purity of the soul, sapphire has long been associated with royalty and romance, with one of the most famous sapphires having rested on the Imperial State Crown worn by Queen Victoria. Other incredible sapphires continue to grace royalty- with the engagement ring that Prince Charles once gave to Lady Diana now donning the finger of her daughter-in-law Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge- and are regularly seen on fashion models and celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, Liz Hurley and Victoria Beckham.

For centuries sapphires have also decorated the robes of clergy members as protection from impure thoughts and temptations of the flesh and warriors would have once presented their young wives with sapphire necklaces so that they would remain faithful- it was believed that the stone’s colour would darken if worn by an adulterer or adulteress, or by an unworthy person.

Despite the fact that they come in a variety of hues, the majority of us hear the word ‘sapphire’ and think of blue, as their extraordinary colour is still the standard against which other blue gems—from topaz to tanzanite—are measured. Generally found in Australia, Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), Madagascar, and the United States, their colours range from very light to very dark violet-blue to green-blue. Colour-change sapphires (https://www.fredjmalcolm.com/products/cushion-cut-sapphire-and-diamond-cluster-ring), as the name suggests, alternate from violet blue in daylight to deep red purple in incandescent light.

So now you know! If you are lucky enough to have been born in September, you can honestly justify the purchase of one of our beautiful sapphire and diamond rings, necklaces or bracelets, without fear of the gem turning dark due to your unworthiness.