September: Sapphire
September's birthstone is Sapphire.
History & Origin
The official designation of "precious stone" applies to 4 gemstones: diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald.
Part of the corundum family, sapphire is recognizable by its brilliant blue color... although it can be colorless or any other color, except red, which is reserved for rubies.
It is believed that the word sapphire derives from the Hebrew or Chaldean Saphar and can be found with very slight modifications in all languages.
Sapphires can be found in pink, green, yellow, purple, and other colors, or they can be colorless or have other hues. The blue variety is the most well-known. The purplish-pink or orangish-pink shade, called "Padparadscha" sapphire (translated from Sinhalese as "lotus flower"), is the rarest and most sought after.
Since the early 20th century, synthetic sapphires and rubies have been produced in laboratories. Due to its high scratch resistance, synthetic sapphire is notably used for watch glass.
Blue sapphire deposits are found in many countries such as the United States, Canada, and humid tropical areas like Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Burma.
Characteristics
Sapphires are made of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) crystals containing impurities (oxides) that give them their color (titanium and iron for blue, vanadium for violet, chromium for pink, iron for yellow and green).
The color is due to the emergence of energy levels within the corundum's band gap, resulting from the presence of impurities. These levels alter the emission and absorption spectra of the material and thus its color.
Blue sapphires can therefore have different tones: light blue, vivid blue, deep blue, intense blue, or dark blue. They can also be more or less tinged with violet.
Sapphire has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale.
Overview of birthstones by month
January: Garnet
February: Amethyst
March: Aquamarine
April: Diamond
May: Emerald
June: Alexandrite or Pearl
July: Ruby
August: Peridot
September: Sapphire
October: Tourmaline
November: Citrine
December: Tanzanite
