HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR SEPTEMBER FRIENDS!

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DID YOU KNOW?

-Although typically thought of as blue, sapphires come in a rainbow of colors. Its hues vary from violet, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and intermediate hues. Sapphires in any color but blue are called “fancies.” However, red is an exception because it is classified as ruby. Sapphire gets its color from their corundum. The trace elements determine the color, a classic blue sapphire contains traces of iron and titanium, whereas traces of chromium can turn the stone pinkish. A larger amount of chromium is responsible for turning a sapphire into a ruby.

Summit’s Rainbow Earrings, Ring and Bracelet

-The remarkable hardness of sapphires, which measure 9 on the Mohs scale, is second only to diamond. That’s why sapphire is one of the few gemstones that make a great alternative for an engagement ring.

-Sapphires have been famous for thousands and thousands of years as precious gemstones in ancient Persia, Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages.

-Greeks wore sapphire for guidance when seeking answers from the oracle. Buddhists believed that it brought spiritual enlightenment, and Hindus used it during worship. Early Christian kings cherished sapphire’s powers of protection by using it in ecclesiastical rings.

-Medieval kings wore sapphire and many believed that the gems would protect them in battle. Sapphire became a symbol of royal love in 1981 when Britain’s Prince Charles gave Lady Diana a 12-carat blue sapphire engagement ring. Prince William later gave this ring to Kate Middleton when he proposed in 2010.

-Sapphire gemstones in themselves are rare, however the rarest sapphire comes in pinkish orange colour and has a special name called padparadscha (tongue twister, we know!). The name is derived from a Sinhalese word for lotus flower. These gemstones can be found in Sri Lanka and are sifted from Sri Lankan rivers.

Summit’s Estate Ring

-Not known to many, and intriguing to everyone whoever’s heard of the term, Star Phenomenon is exhibited by sapphires. When inclusions create a pattern of a star, a star pattern is formed on the surface of a dome like cabochon cut sapphire stone. These inclusions make the sapphire special and are often called “star sapphire”

Summit’s Estate Star Sapphire Rings

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SUMMIT’S ESTATE SAPPHIRES PIECES

-If only they came with their story of how they came to be.

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JUST SOME OF SUMMIT’S SAPPHIRES JUST FOR YOU

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“BARK” YOUR CALENDARS!!!

YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR ANNUAL PET ADOPTION EVENT

SATURDAY SEPTEMEBER 30TH 11:00 AM TO 5:00 PM

7821 BIG BEND BLVD WEBSTER GROVES

Come by Summit Jewelers and help us find forever homes for our furry friends!  Enjoy food and drinks, photobooth, face painting, a 50/50 raffle, and of course, beautiful jewelry!

All proceeds will go to Stray Rescue of St. Louis, Stray Paws, and Care St. Louis.

www.strayrescue.org  www.straypawsrescue.com  www.icarestl.org

*Summit will pay all adoption fees for animals 6 months and older the day of the event.

Any extra pet supplies you have to help these rescues to continue to save as many furry friends is greatly appreciated.

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FAMOUS SAPPHIRES AROUND THE WORLD

Roughly the size of an egg, the 423-carat Logan Sapphire is the world’s largest faceted blue sapphire.

Part of the Royal Crown Jewels of Queen Elizabeth II, this sapphire was originally acquired by Robert II of the House of Stuarts in the 14th century. The Stuart sapphire rests on the crown band, weighing 104 carats with a cabochon-cut. It is one of the most historically significant sapphires.

The 62.02-carat, rectangular-cut natural unheated & untreated cornflower blue sapphire is one of the most famous sapphires in the world. American Tycoon John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased it directly from the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan.

The Blue belle of Asia was auctioned for $17 million at Christie’s in 2004. It set the record for the most expensive sapphire ever sold at public auction. It was originally bought in 1937 and intended as a coronation gift to Queen Elizabeth II. However, it never ended up in the Queen’s possession. The stone has changed ownership many times in the past century. It is the centerpiece of a majestic diamond necklace featuring nine tassels adorned with a string of small white diamonds. Each tassel terminates in a larger oval-cut white diamond.

Great mystery surrounds the world’s largest faceted blue sapphire. After the gem was discovered in Sri Lanka in 1907, the ring was bought by an American collector and vanished completely from the public eye. It took nearly a century for it to resurface, at a 2004 Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction, where it became the largest faceted sapphire ever to be auctioned, only to be quickly claimed and hidden away once again.

While the Stuart sapphire represents the monarchy, the George IV sapphires are from Lilibet’s own past and therefore they are one of her favorite jewelry items.  The sapphire and diamond encrusted necklace and earrings were gifted to the queen by her father on the occasion of her wedding to Prince Phillip in 1947.  It is also referred to as the Victorian Suite because the piece is believed to have been made somewhere in the middle of the 19th century.  The queen added her own touch to this relic of the past by having the necklace shortened in 1952. She had the largest stone removed and set in a separate pendant.

The star of India is one of the largest star sapphires in the world. It weighs 563.35 carats and is considered unusual because it has naturally occurred stars on both sides of the stone.  It was discovered in Sri Lanka and is currently housed in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Star of India was stolen in 1964. Fortunately, it was located months later in Miami and promptly returned to the Museum.