Sapphire:
The September birthstone has been popular since the Middle Ages and, according to folklore, will protect your loved ones from envy and harm. Sapphires are mined from alluvial deposits or from primary underground workings.
Pictured: Uncut Rough Blue Sapphire
Sapphires from different geographic locations may have different appearances or chemical-impurity concentrations, and tend to contain different types of microscopic inclusions. Because of this, sapphires can be divided into three broad categories: classic metamorphic, non-classic metamorphic or magmatic, and classic magmatic.