The celestial essence of sapphires left its mark on ancient history and modern society. For thousands of years till today, this precious gemstone is considered to be a gift from God. Moreover, astrologers believe sapphires to have exceptional spiritual, religious, and holistic medicinal significance.
You will find that this belief has remained strong ever since the ancient ages. These gemstones are very tough, rare, and have exceptional properties.
Earlier, sapphires were associated with alchemy and religion. However, as time progressed, humans started to find different applications of sapphire.
In this blog, we will discuss its ancient lore and how it shaped modern society.
The Ancient Lore Behind Sapphire and Its Effects on Modernism
You can find prominent mentions and influences of sapphire in ancient and modern beliefs or traditions. For many centuries, sapphires were used in astrology, healing rituals, and alchemy. Ancient priests and modern astrologers believe this stone can be immensely powerful if harnessed correctly.
Legend states that Helen of Troy had a large star sapphire in her jewelry collection, and it was the key to her desirability. In today’s era, sapphire jewelry has earned the top spots with diamonds and gold.
Lovers present each other with sapphire as it embodies the supernatural power of love, lastingness, obligation, and dedication. According to Leibish, you can find exquisite earrings, dazzling rings, gorgeous necklaces, and beautiful bracelets made from sapphire.
The Tale of Sapphire
During the medieval era, religious practitioners used sapphires to determine infidelity. They believed that women were unfaithful if the stone changed color. But, in today’s time, this stone is considered to be the embodiment of wisdom.
Hundreds of years ago, King Solomon used sapphires for his legendary seal and believed it gave him supernatural power to control earthly spirits.
In Roman and Greek culture, sapphires were associated with Jupiter and Zeus, respectively. Moreover, Arabian kings wore sapphires to protect themselves from harm and envy. This means sapphires influenced various cultures and religions.
For example, ancient Persians thought that Earth was balanced on sapphire. Hence, its color was reflected in the heavens. Buddhists believed sapphires had a calming effect that enhanced meditation and devotion.
This is still prevalent in modern culture as people wear sapphire to relieve mental agony. Moreover, in Christianity, sapphires were associated with piety, repentance, and chastity.
In 1981, Prince Charles gave Lady Diana the world’s biggest royal blue sapphire ring. Today, sapphires are also the symbol of honest leadership, motivation, and discipline.
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Uses of Sapphire in Modern Culture
As a result of historical influence and properties, sapphire became an important gemstone in modern culture. This gemstone has a high mechanical strength, making it one of the hardest minerals on earth. Moreover, it has a low coefficient of friction, which makes it durable.
With its transparency and high heat resistance, sapphires are chemically stable and corrosion-resistant. Therefore, the applications in modern culture include the following:
#1. Holistic Medicinal Purposes
For many centuries sapphires have proved their ability to help protect humans from fraud, harm, and treachery. In ancient times, it was said to emit healing essence to avoid skin diseases, plague, and fever. Moreover, the Christians used this gemstone for their lithotherapy techniques.
Albertus Magnus, the father of modern zoology and botany also studied lithotherapy with sapphires. Today, sapphires are said to enhance mental acuity, spiritual healing, and learning abilities.
The energy emitted from this gemstone can calm the nervous system and help achieve mental clarity. In modern Reiki healing, sapphire is an important crystal that can activate the third eye or open up the throat chakras.
As a result, you can achieve a deeper sense of self-consciousness. Earlier, it was believed that sapphire wearers can boost their immunity, treat blood disorders, and have a healthy gut. Ancient civilizations believed that sapphires cured hiccups and allergies.
Furthermore, sapphires are good for your eyesight and mental health if worn correctly.
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#2. Industrial Purposes
Sapphires have a lot of industrial applications due to the hardiness it possesses. The scratch resistance and high-transparency features have solidified its importance in the watch industry. For example, sapphires are sometimes used to make ball bearings or cover glass in high-end wristwatches.
Recently, it is being used for fingerprint authentication in smartphone sensor covers. You can also find sapphire in smartphone lenses. Moreover, this gemstone can withstand high temperatures and pressures.
That means it is resistant to plasmas and chemicals. As a result, you can find it in observation windows of space vehicles and testing equipment.
Sapphires have a high insulation capacity to electrical charges. Hence, industries can use it in plasma generation tubes like halogen lamps. The complexity of this gemstone allows light of various wavelengths to pass through it. That is why, it is used in IR barcode readers and in-vehicle infrared sensors.
Due to its thermal conductivity, sapphires are used to polarize video projections. Other applications include the making of sapphire containers and tubes for the chemical industry.
The Bottom Line
Sapphires are the most desirable gemstones in the world. For centuries, sapphires have been considered a luxury for aristocrats and royal blood. However, over the years, the application and usage of sapphire changed.
For example, it started being used to determine a woman’s infidelity. Sapphires were also used for holistic healing purposes. Now, this gemstone is being used in manufacturing watches, space vehicles, and more. In short, sapphires are timeless stones with influence on ancient and modern culture.
