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Articles, How-To's and Interviews -
Spirit and Spa
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Written by Kathy Robinson
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Who knew there were so many birthstones for each month? There are at least three for the month of September. The modern and traditional birthstone is sapphire, mystical birthstone is agate and the Ayurvedic (ancient Indian medicine) stone for September is moonstone. Traditional birthstone charts date as far back as the 15th century. The modern birthstone list was made official in the United States in 1912. There are too many agates to mention here and we‚ll wait to address moonstone when its official month comes along in June. Alternate birthstone charts often include lapis lazuli and spinel.
Sapphire is a variety of corundum (red corundum is ruby) and is the second hardest natural mineral. They are found in a variety of colors but most people think of blue when they think of sapphires. Fancy colored sapphires are denoted with a prefix such as Padparadscha sapphire (orange-pink). You can find sapphire mined in Australia, Africa, China and the United States. Sri Lanka, Thailand and Cambodia produce some of the finest blue sapphire today. Sapphire is also found in India and Pakistan.
Many people believe the mystical properties of sapphire include:
improved communication, inner peace and healing properties for a
variety of illnesses. It is used to stimulate the throat chakra and
third eye.
Quite a bit of gemstone lore can be found about sapphires. It is
associated with the god Apollo (Jupiter) and was worn by ancient Greeks
when consulting their oracles. Sapphire was thought to be an antidote
against venomous bites, was very popular amongst witches and was
honored by magicians as the most powerful gemstone. Long a favorite of
royalty and the clergy, sapphire was worn to protect their owners from
harm. The blue symbolized heaven and was worn to attract blessings from
above.
Star sapphires have tiny needles of rutile which gives the sapphire a
star shape that can be seen when the stone is cut into a cabochon. The
star appears to move when viewing the sapphire from different angles.
These were often fashioned into protective amulets. The "moving" star
was believed to ward off the evil eye.
Kathy Robinson
The Maiden's Treasures
Also see Kathy's jewelry for sale in DivaTribe's Store, and watch for more birthstone of the month articles.
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