SAPPHIRES

Sapphires also the stone of wisdom, royalty, prophecy and divine favour. Sapphires are steeped in history and lore of nearly every religion. In ancient and medieval times, blue Sapphires were the ultimate symbol of celestial hope and faith, and was believed to bring protection, good fortune and spiritual insight. It was a symbol of power and strength, but also of kindness and wise judgment.

In Hebrew folklore, King Solomon and Abraham both wore talismans of Sapphires. The Greeks wore sapphires for wisdom at Delphi when seeking answers from the Oracle at Apollo’s Shrine. Buddhists believed sapphires brought spiritual enlightenment, whilst the Hindus often used sapphires in their temple offerings and to align astrological influences. In Christianity it was used in ecclesiastical rings, and was cherished by kings and nobility for its powers of protection and insight.

As a talisman, Sapphires were thought to preserve chastity, discover fraud and treachery. They protected its wearer from poison, plague, fever, skin diseases as well as black magic and mystical ill-wishes.

Sapphires may be transparent to opaque. Blue is considered Sapphire’s “true” colour and the colour most often associated with the stone but can be found in a range of hues from pale to deep azure or dark royal blue, to indigo, with the most highly desired colour being the velvety cornflower blue.The name Sapphire is derived from the Latin sapphirus, Greek sappheiros, and Sanskrit sanipryam, meaning “blue stone.”

In modern times, Sapphire is still considered to be the birthstone of those born in September and can be gifted for 23^rd wedding anniversaries. More recently the blue sapphire enjoyed a renaissance when Kate Middleton was betrothed in 2010 with the same engagement ring which was originally owned by Princess Diana. This engagement ring that was initially given to the then Lady Diana Spencer for her engagement to Charles, Prince of Wales in February 1981, was chosen by Diana simply because she loved it. The engagement ring set in 18 carat white gold, consisted of 14 solitaire diamonds elegantly surrounding a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire. This ring would be valued at £28,000 at today’s current exchange rates. This ring provides the perfect inspiration.