Sapphire is the most fantastic gemstone in the world. During the natural formation process, different minerals have mixed with the sapphire base material to make an unlimited variety of color shades. For easy reference, we categorize them into broader categories such as blue sapphires, pink sapphires, etc. However, every single natural sapphire has its own uniqueness. In this article, we will discuss the general classification of sapphires based on their colors.

What is the most popular sapphire color? Blue Sapphires

Blue sapphires are the most popular sapphire variety. Historically, blue sapphires were the de-facto color for sapphire gemstones. Some even do not know that there are sapphire colors other than blue sapphires. A highly saturated darker blue variant which is known as the royal blue sapphires are considered the most desirable color variety for blue sapphires. A bit lighter highly saturated blue variant similar to the color of cornflower flowers which are obviously called cornflower blue sapphires are also equally valuable.

Princess Diana's engagement ring is the most well-known single piece of jewelry in the world having a gorgeous oval-shaped blue sapphire at its center. The use of blue sapphire in crown jewelry is one of the reasons why blue sapphires are historically popular all across the world. Ceylon blue sapphires which are considered the best of their kind are becoming rarer. The below picture shows a heart-shaped cornflower blue sapphire against a cornflower flower background. This color looks stunning in different light conditions whereas darker royal blue color may look dull in low-light conditions. However, a royal blue color will look gorgeous in bright daylight.

Buying and keeping good quality and good size blue sapphires are a very good investment. Sapphire prices are increasing more rapidly than the price of gold or diamonds. Sapphires are rarer than diamonds. Lab-created sapphires are not considered as an alternative to mined natural sapphires because the value of lab-created sapphires is next to nothing. This is because the process of creating a sapphire in a lab is very inexpensive compared to growing a diamond in a lab. However, the lack of quality standardization makes it difficult for an average investor to invest in blue sapphire gemstones.

It is important to debunk some of the myths about the color quality of blue sapphires. Many believe the darker the blue color the better the sapphire. Even though specific color ranges such as royal blue sapphires and cornflower blue sapphires are favorable, your personal preference should be the priority. We find the light blue color sapphires equally beautiful. When we go beyond a certain level, the sapphires become unfavorably darker and look dull. There is no universal quality standard for sapphires. Therefore, sapphires selling for very similar prices in different markets can be significantly different in their quality. And also two very similar quality sapphires can be on sale for significantly different prices. If you want to get a good quality sapphire for the right price, the best way is to contact someone who specializes in sapphire and has a significant amount of in-house inventory.

The most expensive sapphire color. The Padparadscha Sapphire

Known as the king of sapphires, the padparadscha sapphires are considered the most expensive sapphire of all. When a sapphire has a seamless mix of pink and orange colors, it qualifies to be a padparadscha sapphire. The best padparadscha sapphires are still found in the sapphire mines in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The best stones are traded very fast and get off the market. The best way to get an excellent padparadscha sapphire is to get one from a premium jeweler by paying a premium price or finding someone close to the mines in the supply chain.

There are several myths and misconceptions about padparadscha sapphires. The trickier idea is that they are rare. Yes, it is rare; one of the rarest gemstones in the world. But there is a catch. Sapphires come in every color you can imagine. If you define a narrow range of colors and give that a name, you'll get a unique variety of sapphires. And the narrower the definition, the rarer it is. However, because padparadscha sapphires are historically identified as an exclusive variety, it has a great demand for them.

Padparadscha sapphires are considered very beautiful. A clean and lustrous padparadscha sapphire with the right combination of pink and orange will be an absolute beauty. Just being a padparadscha does not make a sapphire beautiful. Many of the padparadscha sapphires on the market, even though they command higher prices, are not very beautiful stones.

There is no universal standard to judge whether a sapphire is a padparadscha or it is not. A few popular labs have strict standards, while others have a more relaxed approach. A pink sapphire with a hint of orange or an orange sapphire with a hint of pink can be a padparadscha sapphire if you can clearly observe the combination of pink and orange. 18K gold has 75% gold while 9K gold has a little less than 40% gold. Can 9K gold be called gold or not? If the mix of pink and orange is roughly equal, we get the best padparadscha color quality. But when pink or orange becomes more prominent than the other that fades this quality away. However, where we should stop calling a sapphire a padparadscha is very subjective. If the value of the padparadscha is low to medium range, we may not need to worry too much about it being strictly padparadscha. A lab certificate from any legitimate laboratory would be good enough. However, if you are buying a premium stone and paying a large sum, it is always a good idea to ask for a certificate from a well-known laboratory.

Our favorite sapphire color - Pink Sapphires

Pink, rose, fuchsia, punch, blush, watermelon, flamingo, ... the list goes up to more than a hundred different pink varieties and pink sapphires found in every color on the list. Every sapphire varieties come in different color variants, but not all their color variants are equally beautiful. But when it comes to pink sapphires, the majority of pink color variants are very beautiful. This is the reason why pink is our favorite sapphire variety. Pinks come in very extravagant colors as hot pink and charming colors as baby pink.

Even though they are not inferior to blue sapphires, they are not as popular as blues because of their historical significance and market dynamics. Therefore, pink sapphires can be a little cheaper than blue sapphires.

Yellow Sapphires

Yellow sapphires.

White Sapphires

The mineralogical term for the sapphire mineral is corundum. The chemical formula of corundum is Al₂O₃ (Aluminium Oxide). Pure corundum is colorless. When trace elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, etc. present in the body, the sapphire gets different colors.

The color of white sapphires can be easily classified using the same color chart we use to grade diamonds. Best-quality white sapphires are perfectly colorless. This is similar to the grade D in the diamond color grading scale.

In the lower color grades, diamonds are turned to light brownish color. But in the case of white sapphires, they can turn into any color. Some white sapphires can have an unnoticeable very light blue, yellow, or pink tint. This can be recognized when compared against the grading scale. But once a single piece is used in a piece of jewelry, it won't be noticed.

White sapphires are the best alternative to diamonds. They are cheaper than diamonds and a good white sapphire can be as beautiful as a diamond. The video below is a great discussion on the subject.

Green Sapphires

Green sapphires with a single green hue are rare, but the rarity does not make them more expensive. The color of a green sapphire can never beat the other green gemstones such as emerald and tsavorite garnet. Apart from those two competitors, there are many other semi-precious gemstones with better green than an average green sapphire.

Green sapphires mainly come from the Madagascar mines. Australian sapphires can have a nice green color. However, they are often mixed with other colors as dark blue or pale yellow. When we can observe different color bands in a sapphire, we call them party sapphires. A party sapphire with green as the prominent color also can be considered a green sapphire. However, since there are sapphires with single green hues, expecting a single color hue in a green sapphire makes more sense.

Purple Sapphires

Purple sapphire.

Violet Sapphires

Violet sapphire.

Orange Sapphires

Orange sapphire.

Black Sapphires

Black sapphires are an extremely dark variety of blue sapphires. They are also called deep blue sapphires. There are almost opaque. Against a strong light source like a gemmologist's torch, we can observe a slight transparency and a dark blue shade.

Peach Sapphires

Peach, nectarine, apricot, ... yes we have a sapphire for every fruit in the world. This is just another fashion trend. However, the peachy baby pink color goes very well with wedding themes. And a peach sapphire with the right hue can be extremely charming and beautiful.

Peach sapphires became very trendy during the last few years. If you need a unique piece of jewelry, peach color sapphires are a good option. Since peach is a very light tone, a sapphire with a good luster will make it very beautiful. Luster is something that is very difficult to capture in a video or photograph. For example, the peach sapphire shown in the video below is shinier and glittery than it looks in the video.

Teal Sapphires

A good size sapphire for an engagement ring should be between 1 to 3 carats. A good quality blue sapphire stone in this range can be out of the budget for many. When sapphire prices surged, manufacturers started using certain inexpensive sapphire varieties in their affordable jewelry collections. This can bring up trends that last for a few years or even a decade. One of the great examples of this is teal sapphires.

Yes, teal sapphires are unique and beautiful. But they are not top of the range. The most important color quality of a sapphire is saturation. Saturation is how close the color is to its closest pure hue in the color wheel. Teal sapphires are low-saturated gemstones and in most cases, they are lackluster and have less clarity too.

What are Fancy Sapphires?

Historically, any light color sapphire which does not fall into the main four categories of blue, pink, yellow, and white were considered a fancy color sapphire. Peach sapphires, very light yellow or pink sapphires, and many other unique colors belong to this category.

Is there anything called Red Sapphires?

Yes, red sapphires are rubies. Historically, ruby was recognized as a different kind of gemstone than sapphires. However, mineralogically, it is the same mineral.