Sapphire - September Birthstones
The throne of celestial
judgment is supposed to rest on sapphire. According to the Book
of Revelation, it is the second stone in the foundation of the New
Jerusalem.
One ancient writer noted that
"the figure of a ram or bearded man engraved on a sapphire
has the power to cure a person from many ailments and free him from
poison or demons." At the time it was believed to remove all
impurities and foreign matter from the eyes. It is said that Charles
IV used an oval sapphire for this purpose.
Oriental tradition described
the sapphire as a guiding gem, one that warded off evil omens and
brought good fortune to its owner. the nineteenth century explorer
Sir Richard Burton, who translated The Arabian Nights, owned a large
sapphire and claimed that it brought good horses and prompt service
wherever he went.
Ranging from pale sky-blue to
the deepest indigo, the sapphire was believed to have the power
to attract divine favor. Ever since it was called the "gem
of gems" by the bishop of Rennes in the twelfth century, it
has been a favorite for ecclesiastical rings. The ancient Egyptians
said that wearing a sapphire would make the stars move into a favorable
position and that the star sapphire -- a sapphire in which the crystalline
structure reflects light in the form of a six-rayed star -- appeared
especially for this purpose.
Since the sapphire was supposed
to produce such beneficent magic, evil could not prevail in its
presence. The very proximity of the stone would kill reptiles as
well as venomous insects. The sapphire was long honored as a talisman
against evil spirits. When King Solomon adopted the sapphire for
his seal, the stone became even more of a symbol of wisdom and clear
thinking. This latter quality is the one it still represents today
as the birthstone of September.
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