Stone of the Month: Sapphire

Sapphire Earrings
by Vitrine

The traditional birthstone for the month of September is the beautiful blue sapphire. This gemstone is made up of an aluminum oxide known as corundum. What’s interesting about these stones is that they are directly related to rubies - the color is the only main difference between the two. In fact, most deposits of rubies or sapphires also contain a bit of the sister stone.

The word sapphire comes from the Greek sapphiros, which roughly translates to “precious to Saturn” - the term was generally used to describe any blue gemstone. The sapphires that we value today were not distinguished as a unique mineral until Roman times.

Sapphires can range in color from black to pale gray-blue, and are also found in shades of yellow, green and a pink stone referred to as padparadscha. The most common sapphire colors are all reminiscent of the sky, which is one of the qualities that makes them so popular for jewelry designers and collectors.

Copyright 2010 Oh Canada Team and Vitrine