September Birthstone Jewellery, Sapphires

Birthstone Jewellery always makes a popualr present. If you know someone with a September Birthday the stone to buy is the blue Sapphire set into a piece of vintage jewellery. Remember if you buy a piece of sapphire set vintage jewellery it is the most unique gift as you rarely ever find two piece of vintage jewellery the same.

The Sapphire is the official birthstone for the month of September as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also one of the birth stones for the Zodiac signs of Pisces, Taurus, Virgo and Sagittarius.

Sapphire earrings

Sapphire is the non-red variety of corundum class of gemstone (the red variety of corundum is ruby). A 9.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness, sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral. Only diamond is harder, thus making sapphire a very wearable stone.

Sapphires with inclusions of tiny, rutile needles exhibit an optical property called asterism. This is the star shaped effect seen in star sapphires and is usually only seen in cabochon cuts.
Star sapphires usually have six ray stars, but twelve ray stars are also known. Rarely, when sapphires are cut en cabochon, they can demonstrate a cat’s eye effect. This effect displays a thin band of light down the center of the stone and is known as chatoyancy.

Sources: India, Burma, Ceylon, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Brazil and Africa.

sapphire ring

Hardness & Toughness: Sapphire’s hardness is exceeded only by that of diamond – and the diamond is the hardest mineral on Earth! Thanks to that hardness, and excellent toughness, sapphires are easy to look after, requiring no more than the usual care on the part of the wearer. Care and Cleaning: Warm soapy water is usually considered best, but the ultra-sonic and steam-cleaner are generally considered to be safe.

AntiquesAvenue shop always has a nice selection of Sapphire Vintage Jewellery for you to buy for that September present and if you dont know anyone else I would like a large Sapphire for my birthday later this month ( hint, hint)