Take a look at the beautiful September Birthstone

September’s birthstone is the beautiful blue stone sapphire. It was first discovered in ancient India and over the millennia there were found numerous other deposits all over the world.

Just like any gem, the sapphire is formed over thousands of years inside Earth’s crust. However, unlike others, it is very easily washed away by rivers and taken long distances until it settles temporarily on the river bed where, thanks to its intense blue color it is easily spotted by treasure hunters.

The Indians attributed sapphire with all sorts of properties, such as the ability to develop wisdom and spirituality. The Romans used them as jewels that were thought to offer some divine favors to the owners.

In the middle ages, alchemists thought it helped them get telepathic capabilities.

These days, sapphire is the September birthstone, the fifth and 45th wedding anniversary stone, and the zodiac gem for Taurus.

It comes in all shades of blue, from very light to dark. However, the most valuable ones are the medium blues, generally called Kashmir blues because of their origin place.

There are sapphires that come in other colors than blue, such as violet, purple, yellow, green and of course, the famous Padparadscha. They are numerous, so they are actually quite cheap.

Some jewelers apply heat treating to sapphire to enhance their colors. Only diamond is tougher than them, although you should be careful not to scratch them. Most scratches come by rubbing a sapphire to another sapphire, or by direct hits applied to the stone.

The September birthstone is definitely a great gift for anybody, not just to those who celebrate their birthday in this month.