Showing posts with label birthstones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthstones. Show all posts

Thursday, September 9, 2010

September Birthstone = The Precious Sapphire


Sapphire is the traditional, as well as the modern birthstone of September. It is also the birthstone of Virgo, the sixth zodiac sign. Sapphire is also considered to be the anniversary gem for the 5th and the 45th years of marriage. Sapphire is one of the four precious gemstones (the others being the diamond, ruby and emerald). Sapphire exists in a myriad of colors, including pink, orange and lavender as demonstrated in the two Over the Moon Jewel designs above. However, blue sapphire is well-known and highly prized.

There was a notion in ancient times that the earth is set on sapphire, and hence, the sky is blue. Sapphire is associated with physical and emotional balance. Attributes like wisdom, purity and sympathy are linked with sapphire. Sapphire also stands for qualities required in a healthy relationship, like loyalty, faithfulness, truth, sincerity, constancy and reliability. Therefore, it signifies long term relationships. Sapphire also said to inspire clarity of thoughts and improve problem solving capacity. It is said to protect the possessor from evil thoughts. In ancient times, sapphire was used to perceive future. Hence, it is also believed, that sapphire strengthens the power of intuition

The name sapphire is believed to originate from 'sapphirus', the Greek word, meaning blue. Sapphire has been found in Sri Lanka, since the 7th century. It is also found in Australia, America, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

April Birthstones - Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend!

The modern birthstone for those born in April is the Diamond, while the traditional birthstones for April are Sapphires and Diamonds.

About Diamonds: Known as one of the hardest substances on earth, diamonds are thought to be billions of years old. The word diamond derives from an ancient Greek word, "adamas", meaning invincible. Arguably the most prized of all crystals, diamonds come in a range of colors: clear, pink, purple, red, orange, yellow, blue, green, and black. Color depends on the kind of impurities present. Blue ones have traces of boron, and yellow diamonds have minute amounts of nitrogen. One of the most popular gems throughout history, diamonds are linked to love, eternity and strength. This has contributed towards diamonds being the most popular gems of all time when it comes to romance, such as engagement rings and wedding bands.

About Sapphires: Sumptuous sapphire has been linked with faith and purity, as well as foresight. It was thought that the stronger the sparkle of the gem, the more faithful and honest the wearer. Sapphire is thought to bring physical and emotional balance. Sapphire is also normally given as the 5th and 45th wedding anniversary. The Greek word for blue “sapphirus” gives sapphires their name. Sapphires come in magnificent colors that span from pink and lavender hues to a rare orange color and the most popular deep blue sapphire that helped earn its name. My sapphire necklace below consists of faceted multi-colored sapphires, and can be found on my website http://overthemoonjewel.etsy.com.