September Birthstone

Sapphire has represented September on the American list since 1912, and it has never shared the month with another stone in the United States. The deep blue most people associate with it fits the turn toward autumn, when skies clear and evenings cool. Sapphire is not limited to blue, though. It is corundum, the same mineral as July's ruby, and it also occurs in pink, yellow, orange, purple and colorless forms, while red corundum carries the ruby name.

Sapphire has traditionally symbolized sincerity, truth, faithfulness and nobility, qualities that gave it a long role in both religious and royal settings. In medieval Europe, clergy wore it as an emblem of Heaven, a choice that matched the stone's color to the sky above the altar. On the anniversary calendar it appears twice, at the 5th and 45th years, so the same blue gem can mark both an early milestone and one reached decades later.

The stones

Care

Warm soapy water is always safe for sapphire. Untreated and heat-treated stones can usually go in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner, but fracture-filled or dyed sapphires should only be wiped with a damp cloth. At 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphire can scratch most other gems, so a separate pouch keeps everything else in the jewelry box unmarked.

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