Vedic Gems and Ayurvedic Jewelry

Saturn

Sapphire is the primary gem for the planet Saturn. In the gem trade when we say 'Sapphire' we mean Blue Sapphire. All of the other colors of Sapphire require the color name to distinguish the variety, i.e. Yellow Sapphire, Colorless (White) Sapphire. And the red variety is Ruby.

Sapphire is usually heat-treated and in the case of Blue Sapphire this is probably just as well as it is invariably one of the top selling colored gemstones and many people could be unknowingly strengthening their Saturn! The heat treatment of gemstones renders them impotent, so much ill fortune is probably averted thanks to the common practice of heat treatment. Color may be enhanced as well as clarity through the use of heat by melting certain types of inclusions. Sapphire is a gem that you must purchase from a Graduate Gemologist or with a gemological certificate assuring you that your Sapphire is natural, with no evidence of heat treatment.

As with all of our gems we want to avoid certain types of inclusions such as dark included crystals. Certain types of inclusions are preferable and some are even signs that the gem has not been treated. Synthetic Sapphire is readily available and is distinguishable from the natural through gemological testing.

Saturn is a powerful natural malefic so care must be used in increasing it's influence through the wearing of a Saturn gem. For certain birth charts Saturn is a temporal benefic, or a positive influence, one that certain people may benefit from. If you have been recommended to wear Blue Sapphire by a professional Vedic astrologer, do make sure that your birth time is extremely accurate as the time of birth determines if Saturn is a temporally malefic or benefic influence for you. If you are not sure of your birth time, or have not worked with your chart long enough to know that your time is accurate based on the events of your life, I would recommend having a professional chart rectification done by a professional astrologer who specializes in this work. A list of the events of the life is usually supplied and the astrologer 'tweaks' the chart back and forth to fit the chart time to the events that have occurred.

Lapis Lazuli is a widely accepted secondary gemstone for the planet Saturn. Lapis Lazuli is classified as a rock, composed of three or more different minerals; primarily Lazurite, Pyrite and Calcite. Lazurite is the beautiful brilliant dark blue material that has been prized throughout history for it's use in ornamentation as well as it's use as a powerful pigment used in the production of ultramarine paint and dyes for cloth. The small 'gold' specks or streaks are composed of Pyrite and Calcite is the white material, which may be dyed. The most valuable Lapis in the trade is the material that has as little Pyrite or Calcite as possible. I find that most people like a certain amount of Pyrite as they like the 'gold' flecks. Watch for dying, waxing, plastics, etc.

Amethyst is sometimes mentioned as a Saturn secondary gemstone. Amethyst is purple Quartz and is occasionally heated and commonly synthetic. Its inexpensive price does not warrant gemological testing for dealers and testing may not be conclusive. For this reason, Lapis Lazuli is a much better secondary gem choice. I recently experimented with a twelve carat Amethyst that I have owned since my days living in Brazil. I read in Manik Chand Jain's Occult Power of Gems that Amethyst is a Mercury gem. After my experiment, I would agree with Jain, and found the Amethyst to be more in alignment with Mercury than with Saturn.