September Sapphires
Sapphires are the birthstone of September. They are believed to symbolise wisdom, serenity, and focus. This gemstone makes for a beautiful gift for a birthday, engagement or simply as a special piece of jewellery.
Sapphires are also the traditional gift for those celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary. Sapphires have also become very popular when set as an alternative centre stone for engagement rings.
As a natural gemstone, sapphires are very hard and durable and are ideal as an everlasting piece of jewellery.
On the ‘Mohs Scale of Hardness’, sapphire scores a 9 out of 10. This means that only a diamond scratches a sapphire. As a result, sapphire makes a fantastic choice for an engagement ring as they can be worn every day due their everlasting durability.
What are Sapphires?
Sapphires are made of the mineral corundum. Corundum mixed with small doses of other elements determines the colour of the gemstone. These combinations allow the sapphire to morph into almost every colour under the rainbow. That’s right! A rainbow of hues. When most people think sapphire, the Princess Diana heart-of-the-ocean royal blue colour comes to mind. A classic blue sapphire contains traces of iron and titanium, whereas traces of chromium turn the stone pinkish.
Australian sapphires are traditionally a dark blue to a very royal blue colour, but are found in many other colours e.g. yellows, greens, and a combination of both which are referred to as parti sapphires. Sapphires are also mined in Tanzania, Thailand, Cambodia, Malawi, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and the United States. Again, these gemstones vary considerably in colour, size, and price.
The rainbow of hues creates the following range of color in sapphires:
- Pink sapphires
- Yellow sapphires
- Orange sapphires
- Padparadscha sapphires
- Purple sapphires
- Green sapphires
- White sapphires
- Star sapphires
Another variety of corundum are rubies. Rubies are distinguished by their distinct bright red colours – the brighter the red they are, the more valuable they are.
Parti Sapphires
The sapphire gemstone which has increased in popularity are parti sapphires. Parti sapphires were relatively unknown in mainstream jewellery design until recently. They are made of a natural blend of two or three colours; generally yellow, green and blue. These gemstones display a different colour depending on the angle you look at. At Gold River Jewellers, we have a wide range of coloured sapphires and parti sapphires to show you. Let us help you choose the right gemstone for you.
Love sapphires? Create your sapphire engagement ring. Explore our range of beautiful sapphire pieces. Explore rings, necklaces or earrings
