When considering a sapphire, color is king. The most important element in pricing a blue sapphire is color saturation; the hue directly reflects the value of the stone. Of course, personal preferences are an important factor in making a choice, but when assigning value to a stone, naturally colored sapphires in a medium to medium-dark tone with excellent pure blue saturation are the most rare and most valuable.

Sapphires are formed in every gem color except red. Red corundum is known as ruby. Blue sapphires develop in the earth’s crust under great heat and pressure while in the presence of the blue coloring elements of iron and titanium.

Gemological identification of sapphire is possible by reading a refractive index of 1.762-1.77 on a spectroscope.

Unlike diamonds, where inclusions are looked upon as flaws, inclusions in sapphires are valuable tools for revealing origin identity and confirming natural formation. While major eye visible inclusions reduce the value of a stone, certain inclusions, visible under magnification, do not undermine the value. In fact, these inclusions can increase value if they point to the most prized origins or confirm the gem to be an untreated specimen.

From our archives: Early 20th century Art Deco platinum and diamond ring with 6.48 carat Kashmir sapphire.

From the years 1882 to 1887, when not covered in snow, throughout the summer months the mines were worked day and night until they were depleted. For thirty more years, unsuccessful efforts were made to find additional deposits in the area. After great effort, only poor specimens were found and the mines were officially abandoned in 1927.

This fascinating history makes Kashmir the scarcest origin for fine sapphires. The stones are highly sought after because they are the epitome of a perfect specimen. They have a superior deep blue hue to them with a mysterious and almost sleepy quality. Some gem enthusiasts describe this attribute as ‘blue velvet’. Stones certified to be of Kashmir origin achieve substantially higher prices as compared to all other origins of sapphires.

“Blue pebbles” were discovered while prospectors were searching for gold in 1878. It was not until 1894 that the "blue pebbles" were recognized as sapphires.

Sapphire mining began in 1895 after a local rancher sent a cigar box of gems he had collected to an assay office, which in turn sent them to Tiffany’s in New York, where an appraiser pronounced them "the finest precious gemstones ever found in the United States.” These lively stones are typically small in size and have a fine steely blue color.

The finest specimens have been mined at the Yogo Gulch in central Montana. Other small mine operations exist in Montana but the quality has been inferior to the ones mined at Yogo Gulch. Most stones from these other sources require heat treatment to be marketable. An English company was the first to commercially produce from the area and many of those stones were sent to Europe to be faceted and sold throughout England and the European continent. Montana specimens are typically small making untreated Montana sapphires over one carat in size quite rare and valuable.

Burma is famous for producing the most beautiful rubies in the world. While the blue sapphires are not as well known, they are also quite fine. On average, the sapphires from Burma are more pure blue than Ceylon stones. Distinguishable by a fine rutile silk found in many Burmese sapphires, these stones are typically saturated rich blue without any of the classic undertones of the sapphires from Ceylon.

These are some of the locations that produce sapphires from magmatic geologic conditions. These sapphires are known as “basaltic” and formed slowly in cooling magma flows under the earth’s crust. Basaltic stones have a darker, sometimes inky appearance. While they can achieve a pleasant blue color, they are typically darker than ideal with black undertones. Basaltic stones are often untreated but are generally considered less valuable than the brighter metamorphic examples.

Madagascar Sapphire, Oval Blue Sapphire 2.52 Carat

Sapphires were discovered in Madagascar off the southern coast of Africa in the late 1990’s. It has become a major producing source of fine sapphire material. This rare find of a new material source is producing gems that give the classic sources a run for their money. Today, the market is placing the value of these stones between that of Ceylon and Burmese stones. However, in recent years some very fine specimens have actually been confused for Kashmir sapphires, making them a good value. The finer stones are found in the metamorphic deposits in southern Madagascar.

First discovered in 1962 in the Umba Valley of Tanzania, the majority of the sapphires from Tanzania are found in three locales: the Umba River Valley in the north, and Tunduru and Songea in the south.

The gem gravel of the Umba River Valley has been a major source of fancy sapphires for at least half a century. The area yields sapphires in all colors of the rainbow often in pastel tones not common to any other origin. Most of the mining activity is small scale with most stones being recovered from alluvial deposits of the Umba River.

Bell & Bird classic three stone diamond ring with a cushion cut sapphire and two old European cut stones. Handcrafted in our 18k old gold with a simple squared band. This one of a kind ring features a, central 3.62 carat Umba Sapphire. Sold