Stone of Wisdom: the enchanting Sapphire

Now that we are well into the month of September, it is only right that we turn to that most treasured of birthstones: the Sapphire, gemstone of wisdom.

"Sappheiros", the Greek word from which we derive our modern English spelling, means "blue stone", and some scholars believe that the original reference was to lapis lazuli, another blue stone that reminded the ancients of the sky. The Latins called it "Sapphirus" which also meant blue.  Because of this association with the heavens, Sapphire was generally believed to be a celestial stone that was favored by Zeus, and Apollo of the Greeks, and the Persians believed that a giant Sapphire supported the whole earth which was reflected in the color of the sky.

The Hebrews had a tradition of belief that the Sapphire was a stone of prophecy and wisdom.  As well as featuring in the Breastplate of the High Priest Aaron, with Sapphire/Lapis Lazuli being inscribed with name of the tribe of Benjamin, the Sapphire is also an important gemstone in the New Heaven of Revelations as recorded by St. John.

No culture on earth has failed to appreciate the regal quality and enchantment of the Sapphire, and why not?  The most popular color on the planet, is blue.  It is the color of the sea and sky, and evokes thoughts of strength as well as eternity.  It should be no surprise that men and women have come to associate the Sapphire with an enduring and calm balanced life.  Fidelity, chastity, and temperate behavior have been ascribed to this gemstone, and to those to whom it is given.  It was believed that if the person who wore such a jewel did not possess these qualities, the Sapphire would grow dim in time.

At Margulis Jewelers, our love of the Sapphire is well evident.  Choosing to present only natural Sapphires as our ancient predecessors would have, modernized by elegant facet cutting, we delight in presenting only the best colors for our guests.  Happy is the man or woman whose birthday falls in this month!  Treasured by both, if you have someone special celebrating a mile stone, anniversary, or especially a birthday this month, consider a royal gift in the Sapphire.

Life and Death: Finding the Right Goldsmith!

It only makes sense to begin any conversation about the life of jewelry, by discussing the art of preserving your treasured pieces.  Let us begin the journey with finding the right goldsmith!

Arguably the least understood aspect of repairing or maintaining jewelry surrounds the enigmatic goldsmith.  Who is this wizard in the shadows who so often appears as a simple middle aged man in a lab coat?  The simple truth is that he is an artist, a craftsman, an architect and engineer.

The eye of the goldsmith is just as valuable as his dexterous hands, and the skills learned over years of practice cannot be gained overnight or matched by machines.  In truth the goldsmith tells even the jeweler, what can be achieved and what cannot, and let me assure you that many things can be achieved.  The important element to take away from this praise of the goldsmith trade, is the simple truth that such experts are guides for the client as well as the designer.

At our store, we have experienced many problems over the years related to design flaws in the jewelry brought to us for repair.  Often enough, the reason a lady or gentleman chose the piece of jewelry to begin with, was for its artistic beauty that appealed to them at the time.  However, many occasions have shown that the piece of jewelry either did not hold up to the lifestyle of the man or woman who owned it, or inherent weaknesses in the design led to cracks in under galleries or loss of prongs to name a few issues.

Our goldsmiths have proven time and again to be experts at recognizing quality work as well as inferior, and with more than 70 years of experience between the two of them on staff, we have been able to accurately assist our clients for many decades.

All of this leads to the one big point I am trying to make: you need to have a trustworthy goldsmith!  Whether you would choose the two gentlemen on our staff to assist you or not, it is important that ask close friends and co-workers to whom they entrust repairs and maintenance of their treasured jewels.  With the world of problems that many of our clients find with the goldsmiths they have used in the past, it is of the utmost importance that you can trust the men and women you choose to work with.  It really is a matter of life and death for your jewelry!


John Lowe
Staff at Margulis Jewelers