‘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
September’s birthstone is the sublime sapphire, one of the ‘big three’ of colored gemstones (the other two are rubies and emeralds), and one of the five precious gemstones overall (diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires and pearl). Sapphires make excellent jewelry not only because of their rarity and beauty, but also because of their extreme durability, a quality shared with diamonds.
Sapphires can be found in several countries including Australia, Burma, Cambodia, China, Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the US. There are transparent sapphires, and other types as well, e.g. the star sapphire, with a star-like appearance due to its optical property, asterism. Another rare type of star sapphire is one that shows ‘chatoyancy’, a cat’s eye effect. These are seen with sapphires that are cut in a cabochon style. Another rare variety of sapphire is the color-changing sapphire. This type of sapphire exhibits different colors under different light.
Loose Blue Sapphire Gemstones
Interesting fact: Did you know? The sapphire is a variety of the corundum mineral, just like rubies. Rubies, however, are of the red variety of corundum, whereas sapphires are of the non-red variety. Blue is by far the most popular color for sapphires, but they can actually come in a number of colors. You can read more about sapphires in the Gemstones section.
