Facts and Folklore by Wynn Fabbri
"Say, do you remember.............dancing in September..........never was a cloudy day......"
Lyrics and music by Allee Willis, Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth Wind and Fire
Not only is September one of the loveliest months of the year, September has for its birthstone, one of the most beautiful of all colored stones, the blue sapphire. The word sapphire comes from the Greek word sappheiros which means "blue stone". Sapphire is formed in many colors. It is a variety of the mineral corundum. Sapphires are given on the 5th, 23rd and 45th wedding anniversary.
FACTS: Sapphire is aluminum oxide. Trace amounts of elements such as iron give blue sapphire its color. Other colors of corundum such as yellow, purple, red, orange or green are caused by elements such as titanium, magnesium, copper or chromium.
Sapphires are rated as 9 on the Moh's hardness scale which makes them very suitable for jewelry, wristwatch crystals and watch movement bearings. They are also used for electronics, highly durable windows and scientific instruments.
While there are other corundum mines throughout the world, the finest color and quality of blue sapphire comes from Sri Lanka, which was formerly known as Ceylon. The colors that are produced in these mines are the most beautiful of blue hues, from a light blue to a very vibrant true blue.
Folklore: Sapphires symbolize truth and sincerity, nobility, faithfulness, loyalty and purity. Sapphires are thought to ease tension and mental illness and protect against colic and rheumatism. Also, sapphires are thought to have the power to attract divine favor and foretell the future and create spiritual enlightenment and wisdom. It is believed that when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, he handed them over carved on a sapphire slab. The Sinhalese believed that the star sapphire was a protection against witchcraft.
