With its name taken from the Greek word "Sappheiros", Sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September.

Long associated with romance and royalty, Sapphire belongs to the Corundum family of minerals, and whilst the term sapphire usually refers to the blue variety, the gemstone can be found in a rainbow of other colours.

With famous sapphires including the Rockefeller Sapphire (a 62.02ct rectangular step cut stone that was unearthed in Burma, and subsequently acquired in 1934 by financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr.), perhaps the best-known Sapphire in recent years is the 12ct blue gem surrounded by diamonds in the Sapphire engagement ring first worn by Princess Diana, and then given by her son Prince William to Kate Middleton, now the Princess of Wales.

Historically important sources for the September birthstone are Kashmir, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and Sri Lanka.

Discovered in Kashmir, India in 1881, when a landslide high in the Himalayas exposed a large of pocket of "cornflower blue" crystals, between 1882 and 1887 thousands of large, beautiful crystals were recovered. The stones faceted from these crystals established Kashmir's Sapphire reputation as one of the world's most covered gems.

The Mogok area of Myanmar is another location famed for producing Sapphires. Its jungle-clad hills hemmed by mountains make for a dramatic landscape, with the Sapphires found here typically occurring alongside ruby deposits, but in much smaller quantities that its red counterpart.

And for more than 2,000 years, Sri Lanka has also been an important source of the September birthstone. The blue and fancy-coloured stones mined from the alluvial gravels of this "jewel box of the Indian Ocean" can display remarkable brilliance and saturation, and in addition, the island's milky white "gueda" sapphires can be heat treated to achieve a rich blue colour.

Specifications

• Mineral: Corundum
• Chemistry: Al₂O₃
• Colour: Every colour except red
• Refractive Index: 1.762 to 1.770
• Birefringence: 0.008 to 0..010
• Specific gravity:4.00
• Mohs Hardness: 9

Also given as a gift to celebrate a 5th or 45th wedding anniversary, at Brufords we hold in stock a stunning selection of Sapphire jewellery perfect for those September birthdays. 

Visit us online HERE, or shop our full collection in-store at The Beacon, Eastbourne.

Information Taken From The GIA (Gemological Institute of America)