In Ancient Egypt, sapphires were associated with the wisdom of the all-seeing Eye of Horus, which makes this gemstone the perfect birthstone for the month of September. Then, as now, September was a month for celebrating learning and knowledge. During September’s autumnal equinox, when day and night are in balance, the ancient Egyptians celebrated the wisdom of Isis, who used her knowledge to resurrect her dead husband, Osiris. And since ancient sapphires were prized by the Egyptians for their eye-opening qualities, they have come down to us as the birthstone for September--the month that starts our academic year, and our own quest for wisdom.
But when the ancients talked about sapphires (derived from saphirus, the Latin term for ‘blue stones), they were almost certainly referring to lapis lazuli. Modern sapphires are velvety blue gemstones made of corundum and they are second only to diamonds in hardness. By contrast, lapis lazuli, the ancient sapphire, is a semi-precious gemstone with white and gold inclusions. Modern sapphires come in a variety of colors, though they are most famously blue, but lapis lazuli is made of a mixture of minerals that render them almost exclusively azure.
No matter which kind of sapphire the ancient writers saw, the oracular Eye of Horus was omnipresent in their minds. So strong was the connection between eyes and the blue gemstones, that Egyptian physicians turned ancient sapphires into powder to be used as an eye wash to help patients see more clearly. Cleopatra herself used ancient sapphires in her eye shadow and the Egyptian Book of the Dead even describes a powerful magical amulet in the form of a carved eye made of sapphire.
To be continued ..........
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Topic: About September Sapphires from Ancient Egypt to Today (Read 1490 times)