Planet: Saturn / Shani Gemstone: Blue sapphire

Briefing the Nature of the Planet
Saturn is symbolic of cruelty and irritations in life for people. It is adverse in nature. It originates apprehensions of chronic diseases, accidents, enmity, financial crisis, depression of mind and retardation in business.

Favourite Colour : Blue, Black
Favourite Day : Saturday
Favourite God / Deity : Lord Hanuman

The ill effects of Saturn can be minimized and the good effects can be increased according to Indian mythology by doing the following tasks. Any or all of these, one can select as per one's convenience.
• Donating in charity a piece of black cloth, silk cloth, a cow, a buffalo, a mare, black grams and Black Til (Sesamum Seeds) on Saturday will amply influence Saturn to bestow benefits on devotees and to keep away from adverse effects, because these are the colours and objects dear to Saturn Planet.
• Donating a piece of copper to a Dakot (A Person who accepts the offerings forwarded on Shani Dev) on Saturday will reduce ill effects of Saturn.
• Donating in charity, Mustard oil on any Saturday to a Dakot will appease Saturn Planet.
• Wearing blue sapphire on any Saturday on the middle finger after testing its suitability is considered to bring favours of Saturn. Once worn on any Saturday, the ring should be continuously worn for a long time.
• Offering Mustard oil and Black Flowers in Hawan (Fire Sacrifice) will also add the favour of Saturn.
• Giving away in charity iron articles or immersing iron metal in flowing water are suggested to please Saturn.
• Distributing all seven cereals (Wheat, Bajra, Kangani, Moong, Urad, Barley and Black Gram) to the needy/poor on any Saturday will help to appease Saturn.
• Wearing of ring made out of worn out Black horse shoe on the middle finger starting from any Saturday and continuing to wear the same for the period under the influence of Saturn is likely to bring fruitful results in business, giving security against accidents and minimize the depressions of daily life.
• Wearing a ring in the middle finger, made out of old nail taken out of Boat also escorts the ill effects of Saturn Planet.
• Hanging black horse shoe (worn out one) on the door, driving with nails is strongly recommended to ward off evil effects of Saturn Planet and earn his favours.
• Applying black vermilion on the forehead (Tilak - Spinus Mark) will please Saturn.
• Charity and help given to physically handicap lepers are considered to please Saturn.
• Fasting on Saturdays, especially in winter season appeases Saturn.
• Chanting of Vedic Mantra of Saturn with Rudraksha Mala.
• Reciting of Beej (Seed) Mantra of Saturn with Rudraksha Mala.

Saturn / Sani

Saturn (In Sanskrit - Shani) is darkness, the enemy of light. When it is well placed in the seventh house, or well aspected, it gives its natives integrity, wisdom, spirituality, fame, patience, ability to lead, authority, long life, organizational abilities, sincerity, honesty, love of justice, awareness of right and wrong (because it rules the inner conscience), nonattachment, and asceticism. When it is ill-posited or ill-aspected it brings miseries, sorrow, delay, obstruction, disappointment, disharmony, disputes, dejection, difficulties, despondency, and destruction (death). It makes its natives undisciplined, irresponsible, dishonest, dull, addicted to drugs, sadistic, greedy, lonely and afraid. Accidents, humiliation, prison, lawsuits, suicidal tendencies, fear of theft, thefts, blame, enmity, pessimism, and premature aging are also attributed to an ill-aspected or ill-posited Saturn. In the body, Saturn rules the nails, hair, teeth, bones, and nervous system. Diseases of the ears, jaundice, gout, deafness, depression, anxiety, insanity, and asthma are also connected with a Saturn that is ill-aspected or badly placed in the birth chart.
Saturn rules over the zodiacal signs Capricorn and Aquarius. Mercury, Venus, Rahu, and Ketu are its friends and the Sun, the Moon, and Mars are its enemies. Jupiter is neutral in friendship. Its friendly zodiacal signs are Taurus and Gemini and it works well and gives good results in Sagittarius and Pisces. Enemy signs are Cancer, Leo, and Scorpio. Saturn gives its best results – or worst results – between thirty-six and forty-two years of age.


Saturn / Sani Mantra to Chant
Aum Sham Shanaishcharaye Namah Aum

Gemstone for this planet: Blue Sapphire/Neelam

The blue sapphire is a gem of the corundum family. Sometimes white sapphires, rubies, and blue sapphires are found in the same mine, and that is why there is a mixture of colors in the crystals of these gems. Ruby is harder than white sapphire (known as pukhraj), and blue sapphire is harder than ruby and it is hardest of all. Saturn is given the post of an attendant in the solar system. According to Linga Puran, Saturn is born from the exuberant light mass of the lord Rudra and according to Markendaya Purana , Saturn was born to Chhaya-the wife of the sun. Its speed is very slow that is why he is called 'Shaneshchar' which means a slow mover. In Indian astrology, Saturn is considered to be a malefic amongst the malefic but its last effect is happy. Throwing man into misfortunes and calamities, the Saturn ultimately saves the man. He is regarded the strongest of all planets. Saturn rules the owners of the zodiacal signs Capricorn and Aquarius. Blue Sapphire is the gemstone of Saturn. It rules the direction west.

General properties of Gemstone

Planet : Saturn
Cosmic Color : Violet
Sign : Capricorn
Element : Air
Time : Sunset
Day : Saturday

Qualities:
Smoothness
High specific gravity
Uniformity in color
Color similar to that of the neck of a peacock, or a velvety corn-flower-blue
Solid and compact body
Good cut and nice shape
Transparence
Brilliance, exhibiting a star-like effect from inside when viewed in reflected light, emitting rays of light from inside.

Effect on the wearer:
Blue sapphire/Neelam shows its effects sooner than any other gem. It is proved fruitful or effective to the wearer, it will destroy his diseases, faults, sorrows, poverty and increases his food grains, prosperity, strength, glory, life-span and off-springs. It also restores the property which the wearer might have lost prior to the wearing of the blue sapphire. If it is proved unfavorable, it may make all the efforts, activities fruitless and may destroy every thing of the wearer.
Blue sapphire is most useful especially to the transporters, property dealers, contractors, mill owners, dealers in machines, laborers, hawkers, policemen, workers of local self-government and financers. It is also said that it can give peace to the heart of the man if it is worn near the heart. According to a Buddhist monk evil thoughts are destroyed and mind as well as behavior remains pacified by wearing blue sapphire. Morality remains firm in ladies who wear blue sapphire. It should be taken off, if its colour is changed or it is cracked because this is a warning to the wearer that he should change his gem.

The gemstone helps to prevent the following diseases :
Paralysis, asthma, rheumatisms, teeth problems, bones problems.

Rituals for wearing Blue sapphire:
The weight of the gemstone should not be less than 3 Ratti (360 mg).
Blue sapphire should be embedded in silver or iron ring.
Its ring should be kept in a copper bowl full of water on Saturday. It should be worn after pouring the water of the bowl on the roots of a peepal tree, two hours before the sun set in the left middle finger reciting the Mantra.
One should pray to Saturn for bestowing the best results and providing help in overcoming difficulties.
One should donate black urad, salt, mustard oil, soap, tea leaves, money (Dakshina) according to one's capacity at the feet of peepal tree and pray for well being. Male buffalo should be fed with green leaves and cotton seed and Shivalinga should be bathed with milk.
Day for wearing: Saturday
Time for wearing: Sunset

Source
Blue sapphire is found in India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Australia, Kashmir, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Tanzania, Kenya, and the United States.