Sapphire: The Bluest of Blues

Sapphire, September's one and only birthstone, is one of those precious gemstones that needs little to no introduction. Say sapphire and most of us immediately picture that glorious, rich, deep blue. But did you know... sapphires aren’t necessarily blue? They can be pink, yellow, green, purple, orange, white and just about everything in between. Apparently a coat of many colors.

Composition: Sapphire is a variety of corundum, a mineral made primarily of aluminum and oxygen. In its pure form, corundum is actually colorless, but adding tiny bits of other elements creates its wonderful range of colors. Iron and titanium give us the classic blue sapphire. Believe it or not, ruby is also corundum. And red corundum gets its own name, while all of the other colors remain known as sapphires. Seriously, who made up these rules?

History: We humans have been enamored with sapphires for thousands of years. Ancient Greeks and Romans associated them with protection, while medieval clergy wore blue sapphires for their association with heaven. Over the centuries they became associated with royalty, loyalty, truth and faithfulness, and found their way into crowns, religious treasures and some seriously spectacular jewelry.

Wiggle your toes and get back into your body.

Metaphysical: Sapphire has long been associated with wisdom, intuition, truth and spiritual insight. It is believed to calm the mind, encourage mental clarity and help with communication. Blue sapphire is particularly associated with the throat chakra and is thought to encourage honest communication and self-expression. It has also traditionally been considered a stone of protection, helping to quiet unwanted thoughts and bring a sense of peace.

Ear Candy.

Why It's Still Popular: Sapphires continue to appear in everything from traditional engagement rings to simple contemporary jewelry, and tiny faceted sapphire beads are every bit as genuine as the enormous stones surrounded by diamonds in the crown jewels. There’s also something comforting about a gemstone with this much history looking perfectly at peace hanging from a single piece of silver wire. Not bad for a very pretty lump of aluminum oxide.