DISCOVER LIFE'S PRECIOUS GEMS!

September is here.  September reminds me of how lucky I am not to be in school wondering how many snow days we would be getting in the upcoming winter.  Obviously, I wasn’t raised in South Florida.

Happy Birthday to our modest, discriminating and well organized Virgo friends.  Virgos are great.  They can do something that I have never been able to do… Balance a checkbook!

September’s birthstone starts with the same first letter as the word September….Sapphire   AKA Blue Corundum

The origin of the name “sapphire” could come from different languages. The Greek word “sappheiros” means “blue stone.”  The word “sapphire” can come from the Roman word “sapphirus”, a word they also used for lapis lazuli. Sapphire could also be derived from the Sanskrit  word “Sani” which means “Saturn” since sapphires are associated with the planet Saturn.  If that is the case, then why aren’t sapphires the stone for Capricorns, the astrological sign ruled by Saturn?  In general, sapphires are associated with the astrological signs of Virgo, Libra and Sagittarius. Blue sapphires are particularly beneficial for Geminis.

Like rubies, emeralds and other stones, sapphires were considered to be a prized possession by the royalty.  Sapphires were believed to keep kings safe from harm or envy.

Sapphires are usually blue, however they can be any color other than red or dark pink, which are considered rubies.  Pinkish orange sapphires are known as padparadscha.

The chemical makeup of sapphires is very similar to its close relative, ruby. Both are aluminum oxides with impurities. While chromium, the primary impurity in rubies, creates pink hues, sapphires have varying amounts of iron, titanium and / or chromium which produce a whole host of colors: blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange, green, gray, black or colorless. Yellow or green sapphires are a result of lesser amounts of iron.

Like rubies, sapphires are a very hard mineral, #9 on the Moh’s hardness scale. So, why are sapphires so hard when both of their main components, aluminum and oxygen are both lightweight elements?  The simplest explanation is that oxygen forms a particularly strong bond to aluminum.  These strong bonds pull both the oxygen and aluminum atoms closer together making it harder and more dense.

Here is an interesting tidbit:  Emery boards (AKA nail files) are composed of cardboard and emery.  Emery, a hard rock, composed primarily of corundum with some other minerals, is used as an abrasive. So, if the next time you get a manicure or pedicure and your thoughts turn to sapphires or rubies, you will know why.

Since sapphires are considered one of the 4 precious gems (along with diamonds, emeralds and rubies), sapphire specimens are often appraised. Their value depends upon several variables: color, clarity, size, how it is cut and where it was mined. Sapphires and rubies are often found growing in the same area, with one sometimes more prevalent than the other.

Since sapphires are popular, artificial sapphires have been lab created for over a hundred years now. They are often subjected to heat treatments which can intensify the blue.

Because sapphires are particularly hard and durable, they have many applications in the decorative, industrial and electronic fields. They have been used in wrist watches, infrared optical instruments, windows and solid state electronics, to name a few.

Even though rubies and sapphires are very similar in composition, they each have their own metaphysical “properties.” The properties of rubies can be found in our July Birthstone blog.  Even though all sapphires share some of the same properties, the various colors of sapphire have their own specific vibration and metaphysical properties. We will touch on some of the main properties of sapphires with an emphasis on blue sapphires.

Sapphires represent wealth, success and strength.  They ease our frustrations, help us achieve our dreams and desires and provide us with life’s “gifts.”

Sapphires give us a powerful mind, thought process, ESP, dream recall and meditative astral travel. Sapphires open up and sharpen our mind and intuition, removes negative thoughts and allows us to focus and bring our ideas to fruition. These blue gems bring us wisdom, a desire for learning, contentment, serenity, pleasure and an appreciation of beauty. Sapphires are also used in hypnosis and past life regressions in helping us remember our prior lives, their lessons and the emotional issues that we carried over from them into this life.

Many folks believe that there is a connection between the blue sapphire and blue of our sky.  Maybe that is why this fabulous gem is associated with the angelic realms.

For those who may be easily persuaded by others or who rely on others for advice, listen up.  Sapphires can make us more confident in our knowledge and opinions.

Their association with serious Saturn should bring no surprise that sapphires are all about organization, self discipline, restraint, staying focused, achieving goals and providing help with the tasks that seem mundane.

Many channelers work with blue sapphire to awaken both the throat and third eye chakras.  When these two chakras are in synch, the 3^rd eye vision and psychic abilities are increased making it easier to receive information from higher realms.

In addition to the many emotional and spiritual properties, sapphires have some pretty phenomenal health and healing benefits.  Blue sapphires can ease headaches, vertigo, inner ear and eye issues. They are also beneficial for blood and cellular dis-orders, curtailing excessive bleeding and for fortifying the walls of the veins.

Today, Australia supplies the largest amount of sapphires with the finest specimens coming from there, Thailand, India,  Sri Lanka and other Southeast Asia countries.  Sapphires are also mined in Pakistan, Madagascar, East Africa, Africa and the U.S.