Sapphire Colors

Sapphire Colors

This are corundum gemstones the red ones are rubies and all other sapphires.

The color of a blue sapphire result from an entirely different mechanism than of rubies, the process is known as intervalence charge transfer. Involved in this are traces of both titanium and iron. 

The mystery of the magnificent blue color was not discovered until recent times. Auguste Verneuil, the “father” of the synthetic ruby discovers that titanium and iron were responsible for the blue color but the mechanism involved eluded detection until much later.

A few hundredths dot percent of titanium in corundum produces no color whatsoever; while the same amount of iron imparts only a pale-yellow color appears. However if both iron and titanium are present together, beautiful deep-blue color results. Iron and titanium both substitute for aluminum in the corundum crystal and color structure.

Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds are precious gemstones because they are very rare and once they are cut and polished really fascinating. 

Although the blue sapphire is still the most sought after pink and white colored gain more popularity by the day. 


One of the simple reason is that pink and white sapphire can easily compete against diamonds in terms of beauty and quality because they are almost as hard often more attractive and prices are not inflated by manipulations and stockpiling of South African and Russian Jewish groups who pull the people "over the table"|.

Sapphire Colors

Actually, many pages here are dedicated to semi-precious stones In the ASEAN countries, Myanmar (Burma) is a typical production country and Thailand is doing the sales. There are two other heavyweights such as China with Jade and India which buy the raw colored stones in the countries around but they are more focused on the domestic market.  

This probably will change slowly now (2016) because of the opening of the country. In the past it was always shared like that, the first ones extracted the gemstones and the other sold them. Clearly visible with Ruby and Sapphire where the production is around Mogok and Mong Hsu and most of the gems and jewelry are sold in Bangkok and Chanthaburi.

Major trade with colored stones is in Bangkok and Chanthaburi in Thailand

Every day hundreds of people from all over the world come to buy the precious gems. Although most of the traded raw and loose gems have undergone some kind of heat and other treatments since everyone knows that it won't be a real problem. This two places also have the necessary infrastructure to handle this business.

Now how gemstones are created and embedded in natural mineral deposits in various geological environments. The ranges are from a time when the earth for formed due to a volcanic eruption. They are characterized and classified by the various geological parameter.

Fascinating Blue Gemstone Colors

Together with some diamonds to add "fire" or sparkling it could give a perfect engagement ring in blue or pink colors. The demand for the stone is maybe a bit less as a ruby with the right parameter but quite similar. Since this two gemstones come from the same family which is corundum they are always found in the area, they are also on the market as synthetic stones.

Now, what is the main difference? If the stone has no inclusions at all it’s probably a synthetic one just the same as the red version because natural gems of this type without inclusions are extremely rare.


The blue stone is a bit like jade when sold and someone asks for quality parameter because every dealer makes his own price and this leads to manipulations. If you stick to the four "C'", color, cut, carat, the clarity you are on the way for a good buy. This is the parameters which are valid for every gemstone, all color variants of sapphires.

Further values to check are the origin, Burmese gemstones are higher rated. Heat is often used to melt out impurities, but this is a difficult subject because without a proper laboratory environment nobody can find that out. The problem is heated stones always have a much lower value but since you are not able to know, yes or no.

The dealer usually always tells you whatever you want to hear so keep one thing in mind if you buy let’s say over $ thousand have the precious stone evaluated in a lab to be on the safe side. You can be sure everywhere they sell them there is an evaluation possibility somewhere, in Yangon check at the Bogyoke Market.

The other divisions is, is it a cabochon which usually is round and diffuse inside, this is the least expensive of the natural sapphire family. Actually, there is one exception and this is star sapphires which for a star when a light source is pointed to them because of the internal structure with rutile needles, that's the same with rubies and produce certain special colors. Keep in mind sapphire and rubies are corundum.