Royal Blues: Sapphire and Lapis Lazuli, September’s Blue Hued Birthstones
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Welcome back to Rock Talk with Angel!
September babies, it’s your time! When you’re on the hunt for dark blue in the gemstone healing world, it’s almost a guarantee that you’re looking for help with intuition, psychic work, or higher mind. Or perhaps you simply love the looks of a rich blue gem! At one time, the deep blue birthstones of September were allocated only to the wealthiest and ruling classes of ancient societies. Read on to learn a bit about these royal gems, Sapphire and Lapis Lazuli!
5 Facts about Sapphire
1. Sapphire is the gem form of the mineral corundum, a family of gems that boast the highest hardness level of any gem except diamonds. At a 9, the corundum family is extremely durable and long-wearing.
2. Sapphire is commonly thought of as being blue; while is this the most frequently worn color, sapphires can be nearly any color. Red corundums are known as rubies.
3. Blue Sapphire is associated in modern gemstone healing with royalty, intuition, nobility and truth.
4. Sapphires were highly prized in ancient times; they were thought to enhance enlightenment, protection, and truth throughout cultures such as Ancient Greece, Christian culture, and beyond.
5. Some of the most famous sapphires are Kashmir, Ceylon, and Sri Lankan. Padparascha sapphires are extremely rare and famous (the latter is a champagne orange-pink shade that is often imitated and highly desirable.)
1. Lapis Lazuli is an ornamental rock, composed of blue lazurite, white calcite, and golden iron pyrite. Due to its high tenacity and workability, it has been carved into decorative objects for hundreds of years.
2. The Lapis Lazuli mines of Afghanistan are some of the longest continuously operating mines on earth, and have been operating since the time of Cleopatra.
3. The ultra-rare blue pigment (fittingly known as ultramarine) is formed from crushed lapis lazuli, and was used for pigments and makeups in ancient Egypt.
4. Lapis Lazuli is associated in crystal healing with royal virtue, psychic power, and inner visions. It’s connected to the third eye chakra.
5. Lapis Lazuli is a controversial gemstone material, as it is widely known that militant organizations such as the Taliban have profited directly from the mineral and gem trades in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s also known to be sold simultaneously by small family and artisanal operations, sometimes the only source of income these families may have access to.
Unfortunately, this dichotomy is a truth of the mineral industry that leaves us with ethical decisions to make as individuals; it’s far from the only gem material that suffers from issues like this, and it’s important to know how you feel about it before purchasing.
Come back next month to learn about the mysterious and ultra-colorful birthstones of October! Follow Phenomenal Gems to learn more about the mineral world and its lore, and to discover treasures of your own.