The Sapphire Empire

Do your chakras need cleansing? Have you had to defend yourself against serpents lately? Having difficulty with your telepathy and precognition? 

…Well, maybe you need a sapphire. 

Sapphires, being the highly coveted and sumptuous gems that they are, have over time accrued a substantial history of lore almost as long and impressive as that of the stone itself. Sapphires come from just about every continent on Earth; with mines in India, Brazil, Madagascar and beyond…we even have some sapphires here at the gallery that were collected from the rivers of Montana by our very own Eve and Maurice! (Feel free to read more about their adventure here.) As such, it is no surprise that in nearly every country and culture, there have come to exist many different legends and tales about the ancient uses, powers, and virtues of this stone.

Sapphire Talisman of Charlemagne

A short list of sapphiric uses from history, to give you an idea, are as follows: as an antidote for poisons, as a symbol of St. Paul, the ability to kill snakes, a gem for Autumn, Jupiter, Saturn, Taurus, and Venus, as an antidepressant, and a good way to stimulate both astral travel and precognition. 

Perhaps most commonly throughout cultures, sapphires have been found useful as a talisman. Frequently worn by royalty and the nobility, they were believed to grant powerful protection to the wearer. Towards the end of the 11th century, somewhat ironically, it was even believed that they could protect the wearer from envy.

Vamana (Vishnu) with Bali

Sapphires have also garnered mention as a stone of great worth and prominence in many major religions, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and more. They have secured a place on the breastplate of the ancient Jewish high priests as one of the twelve stones representing the tribes of Israel, as well as being included in a description of the throne of God from the book of Exodus. They have also gained several mentions throughout the Vedas texts of Hinduism, in which sapphires were initially borne from the body of the demon, Bali, whose body   took the form of thousands of scattered gemstones upon his death. Sapphires, specifically, were his eyes. It is important to note, however, that in ancient texts such as these, it is not uncommon for the term ‘sapphire’ to have actually referred to lapis lazuli or other blue stones, meaning simply ‘blue.’

Today, sapphires continue to play an important role in our culture’s consciousness, cropping up in all kinds of symbolic and prominent ways. Blue sapphires, such as those in Eve’s appropriately named “Medieval Betrothal” ring, are even now frequently preferred for use in engagement rings over other gemstones, being one of the first stones in history to have been cut for the purpose of betrothal as they have continued to symbolize loyalty, stability, and fidelity.

“Medieval Betrothal” by Eve Alfillé

Sapphires also make fantastic engagement rings due to their incredible hardness (a 9 out of 10 on the MOHs hardness scale), being exceeded in strength by nothing on Earth but diamonds.

…As October imminently approaches and brings with it the advent of the season for anybody with an opal or tourmaline birthstone, we wish those of you who celebrated your births in September the absolute best of wishes! We hope that you have enjoyed the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the stone that you were born for.