Sapphire: September’s birthstone

Sapphire is a variety of the mineral Corundum and measures 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which is pretty high, only one down from diamond. Sapphires are most often found in Sri Lanka, however they are also mined in Madagascar, Tanzania, Thailand and Burma. Sapphire is the birthstone for September but alternatives for September are also moonstone and agate.

Sapphire is a beautiful gemstone that is traditionally used in engagement rings and other pieces of fine jewellery. Although traditionally associated with a rich blue colour, sapphire is available in most colours under the rainbow. However, if it is red in colour it is a ruby, or if it is pink and orange it is known as a Padparadscha. So if you’re looking for a piece of jewellery featuring a gemstone it is worthwhile looking at sapphires as they are available in so many colour choices, not to mention they do tend to be quite a sparkly stone, making them a really beautiful gemstone for any piece of jewellery!

Sapphire engagement rings

Sapphire is a brilliant choice for an engagement ring (even if it isn’t your birthstone) as it is one of the most hardwearing gemstones (with only diamond being more hardwearing). So if you want to wear your engagement ring everyday it is a sensible choice.

It is worth remembering that although sapphire is a more durable gemstone, it is still a natural material, so you should remove your ring if you are doing anything hands on

Traditional Blue sapphire

When we think of sapphire most of us think of the traditional deep blue colour, much like the 12ct sapphire set in the beautiful engagement ring worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. Sapphire is also available in various different shades of blue, everything from pale blue to a very dark almost black coloured blue.

This means that sapphire is a great choice if you are looking for a graduation of blue tones for the side stones of your engagement ring, as shown in this stunning bridal set.

Sapphire is also available in green.

Pink sapphires tend to be a mid pink; however here is a stunning example of a hot pink sapphire

Yellow sapphire can be really vibrant like the canary yellow sapphire in this engagement ring.

Peach sapphires can be a little more difficult to find. They are a beautiful stone and they can be more on the pink or yellow/brown side as shown in these examples.

Sapphires can also be found in purple, however it is worth noting that this can be a little bit trickier to find. Despite this, we have previously sourced vibrant deep purple sapphires and paler lilac sapphires.

Sapphires also look amazing when paired with diamond(s) in an engagement ring. The stones complement each other perfectly and create extra sparkle within a design.

Birthday or special occasion presents

If you’re looking for the perfect present for someone special with a September birthday, then we have beautiful pieces within our customisable collection. You can choose to have a stone set within a piece of jewellery from the collection, and for a September birthday a sapphire would make a really personal gift.  You could also choose to add a personal message with hand engraving on to one of these lockets.

There are also bangles, pendants, cufflinks and signet rings to choose from in our customisable collection.