Vedic Gems and Ayurvedic Jewelry

Jupiter

Yellow Sapphire is the primary gem for the planet Jupiter. Yellow Sapphire is another variety of the mineral Corundum, as are Ruby, Sapphire and the other color varieties of Sapphire such as Pink Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, Padparadscha, etc. Sapphire Corundum is the mineral second in hardest only to Diamond. Hardness is so highly prized a quality in gem minerals not only for it's durability, but also because the faceted gem may be polished with nice mirror like facets, which are more brilliant, or reflect more white light than a softer mineral.

Yellow Sapphire is readily available in unheated material and it's always best to be purchased from a Graduate Gemologist or with a gemological certificate insuring you of your gem's natural, unheated color. Yellow Sapphire is commonly heated to either enhance color or to melt certain types of inclusions. I find the heated colors to be mostly too dark, too gold and after a time working with the gems you can see that the gem has been burned. All of the gems that I sell are checked by me and at least one other gemologist and sold with a guarantee as to their natural, unheated color.

The Jupiter ring above is set with a 4.70 carat Yellow Sapphire and depicts the element ether in the pattern that appears to be carved into the gold. Ether is the element that Jupiter 'rules'. Jupiter and the Sun share rulership of the metal Gold.

Topaz of the Golden or Yellow varieties are secondary gems for Jupiter and Dr. David Frawley in his book The Astrology of the Seers, states that it is a secondary gem of 'almost equal energy.' Golden Topaz is sometimes referred to as 'precious Topaz' in the trade. This is an attempt to differentiate Golden Topaz from the many yellow, gold and brown gems that are erroneously called Topaz or have the word Topaz in their trade name. Citrine Quartz has been erroneously called 'Topaz Quartz'. Smoky Quartz has been erroneously called 'Smoky Topaz Quartz.'

Topaz is a very beautiful golden gem that is very hard, 8 on the Mohs scale, yet it has a distinct cleavage, meaning that it has prominent grains like wood and if knocked at the right angle little chips may easily accumulate on the facet junctions of the gem. Therefore, in a much shorter time than with many other gems, you could find your Topaz to be abraded and in need of repolishing. It is more affordable than Yellow Sapphire, roughly one quarter to one third of the price. You may consider wearing a Topaz as a pendant if you don't like the idea of the potential for abrasion, which would only occur in a ring that was receiving knocks from time to time.

Citrine is a variety of Quartz that is usually heat-treated. Amethyst Quartz material is used to heat treat and obtain the golden color typical of most of what is sold on the market as Citrine. Once your eyes are attuned to the types of colors that occur in natural crystals, you can easily perceive the typical Citrine color as a very unnatural, 'burned' color. There is such a thing as natural Citrine, yet it is usually available only in mineral specimens and occurs in colors that would be described as light brownish yellow or yellowish brown, very different from the golden colors one normally associates with Citrine.