September Birthstones: Sapphire and Lapis
I love blue gemstones — aquamarine has been a favorite for years — but I never paid much attention to sapphire until a friend’s engagement ring mixed sapphire and diamonds. Gorgeous.
Over the years, as I began learning about gemstones, I found sapphire even more intriguing, especially in untreated form.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
As for lapis lazuli, it holds a special place in my memory. My mother gave me an antique ring for my birthday — my eighth I think — with an oval lapis set in gold. I loved it. But at some point soon after, the stone was lost.
Could I have hit it while playing and knocked it out, never noticing it was gone? Or was it never properly set?
Either way, my mother was furious, it was never replaced, and I have that tiny ring in my jewelry box, its setting still empty as if waiting for the day it gets a new stone.
Sapphire: September's traditional birthstone
September's traditional birthstone, sapphire, is one of only three "precious" gems, the other two being ruby and emerald. Sapphire is a member of the corundum mineral family, and while most of us think of it as blue, it actually comes in a variety of colors.
The finest sapphires come from Kashmir, Burma, and Sri Lanka, each with different characteristics (and of course, related price points).
You may also have heard of Montana sapphires — yes, mined in Montana in the US — found not only in blue but in shades of teal, yellow, green and pink, and considered extremely beautiful.
At 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphire is one of the hardest gemstones there is (with ruby also a 9, and only diamond harder at 10). Given its extreme durability, it's an excellent choice in any jewelry design, and especially in rings. Princess Diana's engagement ring is perhaps the most well-known sapphire ring in recent memory.
Fun facts about sapphire
A few more fun facts:
- "Parti sapphires" show a mix of blues, greens and yellows in a single stone.
- Sapphire's peachy-orange variety called padparadscha sapphire is rare and highly prized.
- Collectively, the range of colored sapphires — pink, yellow, orange, green, purple, padparadscha and even white are referred to as "fancy sapphires."
- In terms of spirituality and lore, sapphires have long been associated with wisdom and loyalty.
Despite the multiple colors sapphire comes in, my personal preference runs toward blue — specifically the very soft, cornflower blue of unheated sapphire. No heat, no enhancement, just the color exactly as Mother Nature made it.
Lapis lazuli — September's alternate birthstone
Lapis lazuli is not a single mineral, but rather is composed primarily of lazurite, with flecks of gold pyrite and white calcite. Its stunning blues range from denim blue to medium electric blue — which I think of as "Yves Klein blue" — to a deep ultramarine.
As much as I love smaller stones of nearly pure blue, I'm very drawn to designing with those stones that show the gold flecks of pyrite that are so much a part of this gemstone's signature look.
Lapis has been mined in Afghanistan for over 6,000 years, with ancient Egyptian applications known to include jewelry, amulets, and other objects. Historically, lapis is also known to have been ground down to the pigment ultramarine — the most prized blue in Renaissance painting.
On the Mohs scale, lapis is relatively soft at 5-6, which means it's best for earrings, necklaces and pendants, which are less likely to get knocked about or scratched through daily wear.
While some lapis is treated by dyeing it to enhance its color, you should know that dyed lapis is more likely to fade over time. And you should always ask if the lapis is dyed before purchasing it.
Note: I do not work with dyed lapis; I use untreated stones and love their rich color with natural variations in hue, as well as their flecks of gold and wisps of white.
Fun facts about lapis
Fun facts and more lore and symbolism about lapis? Try these:
- Spiritually, lapis is thought to enhance intuition, support dreams and visions, and also to quiet the mind.
- Historically, ancient peoples considered it a stone of magic.
- While prized for millennia for its stunning blues, you may be surprised to learn that lapis also comes in a blue-green variety, which occurs when diopside or epidote are present (both green).
- According to lore, lapis was ground down for pigment used in Cleopatra's eye makeup! (Whether or not you believe that tale, I leave up to you.)
A note on sapphire treatment
A note on treatment: the vast majority of sapphires on the market are heat-treated to enhance color and clarity. It's standard practice and widely accepted.
My preference is to use unheated sapphire — stones whose color is entirely natural. Unheated sapphires are significantly rarer and harder to source, and that rarity is reflected in their value.
By the way...
One of my favorite mid-century artists is Mark Rothko, with a September 25 birthday. No doubt you would immediately recognize one of his canvases, known for bold blocks or regions of color, and one of the primary sources of inspiration for my Color Field Collection.
If you haven't seen a Rothko lately, you should! Visit your local museum to see his work, or peruse online.
Jewelry shown above: