Natural Sapphire Gemstones
Sapphire is gem corundum (Al2O3) in every color except red, which is called ruby. Its classic blue comes from traces of iron and titanium, but sapphire also occurs in yellow, green, pink, purple, orange, white and black, and the pinkish-orange variety is known as padparadscha. With a Mohs hardness of 9 it is one of the hardest natural gemstones, and together with ruby, diamond and emerald it forms the classic "big four".
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Gemstone guide
Natural Sapphire Gemstones
About sapphire
Sapphire is the birthstone for September and has been worn for centuries, from medieval royal jewelry to modern engagement rings. Major sources today include Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Australia, Tanzania, Thailand and Myanmar, each known for its own range of colors. Heating is the most common treatment and permanently improves color and clarity; other treatments, such as beryllium diffusion, also exist and are named on our listings. For a closer look at sapphire colors, origins and treatments, read our guide Sapphire: The Many Colors of Corundum.
What you'll find in this collection
This is our largest collection. Most stones come from Madagascar, with others from Australia, Tanzania (including Songea and Tanga), Thailand and Sri Lanka. Blue is the most common color, followed by green, yellow, purple, pink, white, orange and black, plus a few bicolor stones. Cuts include rounds, ovals, octagons, cushions, marquises, pears and cabochons. Both heated and untreated sapphires are listed, and a small number are beryllium- or diffusion-treated; untreated stones also have their own Untreated Sapphires collection.
How to recognise sapphire
Sapphire is doubly refractive and pleochroic: a blue sapphire often looks violet-blue from one direction and greenish blue from another, which is why cutters orient the table carefully. Color often forms in straight bands that follow the hexagonal shape of the crystal, and fine rutile silk is common; heating usually dissolves it, so intact silk is one sign of an unheated stone. Its hardness and its density of about 4.0 separate it from blue spinel, tanzanite, iolite and glass.
Caring for sapphire
Sapphire is hard, tough and has no cleavage, which makes it an excellent everyday stone. Clean it with warm soapy water and a soft brush. Ultrasonic cleaning is safe for heated and untreated stones without fractures, but avoid it for stones with filled fractures or feathers that reach the surface.
Every sapphire is natural, and each listing gives its weight, size, origin and treatment, with photos of the actual stone.