About

Sapphires have few rivals in the world of gemstones. They belong to the corundum group of minerals, classified as a 9 on the Mohs scale: only diamonds are harder than sapphires. While this gem is largely cherished for its beauty today, it was often used in the making of axes and other sharp tools in China as early as 4000 BCE. Perhaps this durability has lead many to attach the sapphire to attributes such as truth, faithfulness, and permanence.

It is perhaps the blue sapphire that is the most sought-after form of corundum. Sapphires come in a range of colors, including pink, orange, yellow and even clear to black, depending on the presence of certain minerals contained in the corundum crystal. While blue sapphires have small amounts of titanium and iron, a corundum crystal with chromium is red, and is called a ruby.

Blue sapphires can be found in as many shades of blue that grace the sky, from the near-black of a moonless night, to the smoky pale blue of the horizon on a summer day. In fact, the ancient Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant blue sapphire, its brilliant color reflecting up into the sky.

Artist

Dahlia Kanner crafts her jewelry in a glassed-in studio surrounded by the woods of Rhode Island. Since finding her beginning as a jeweler fifteen years ago, Dahlia says her work has become more conservative, comfortable, and wearable, though she still approaches each piece as a small, sculptural piece of art.

Dahlia's love of nature is apparent in her jewelry, replicating the textures and forms of found natural objects. Perhaps her affinity for the natural world can be traced back to her earliest childhood ambition of owning an animal sanctuary.

Dahlia has two dogs, a Siberian husky named Kato, and a rottweiler/German shepherd named Zeke. Her favorite place in the world is the top of the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska, her sweetest indulgence is "always dark chocolate," and if Dahlia could be any animal (besides human) she would be a flying fox.

Details

• crafted with recycled sterling silver and fair trade blue sapphires
• eight 1-2mm sapphires bezel set into band
• 3mm wide band
• TLC for your sterling silver and precious gemstonejewelry