Color Change Sapphire Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

Finished version of Emerald Cut Color Change Sapphire
Finished version of Emerald Cut Color Change Sapphire by Daniel Stair

Color Change Sapphire Value

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Sapphire Value via Gem Price Guide

Kashmir Sapphire

Certified origin. Untreated material.

Average brilliancy of 40 to 60%. Add to 20% or deduct to 10% for other cutting. Prices for ovals and cushions. Add 8% to 10% for rounds and pears. Add 10% to 20% for emeralds and marquis.

Top Grade: vB 5/6, 6/6. B 5/6, 6/6.
Top Grade 1 to 2 carats 2 to 3 carats 3 to 4 carats 4 carats plus
VVS ,000 to ,650/ct ,000 to ,000/ct ,000 to ,500/ct to ,000/ct
VS/SI ,000 to ,000/ct ,000 to ,700/ct ,000 to ,000/ct to ,000/ct
SI/I ,000 to ,000/ct ,000 to 24,600/ct ,000 to 27,600/ct to ,000/ct
Very Good Grade: V 4/6, 5/6, 6/5. bV 5/6, 6/6; vB 5/5, 4/6, 6/5.
Very Good Grade 1 to 2 carats 2 to 3 carats 3 to 4 carats 4 carats plus
VVS ,000 to ,300/ct ,600 to ,400/ct ,000 to ,000/ct to ,000/ct
VS/SI to ,100/ct ,000 to ,700/ct ,000 to ,000/ct to ,500/ct
SI/I to ,300/ct ,000 to ,000/ct ,400 to ,600/ct to ,500/ct
Good Grade: V 4/5, 5/4, 5/5, 6/4, 6/5, 7/5; bV 4/5, 4/6, 5/4, 5/5, 5/4, 4/5; vB 3/5, 4/4, 6/3, 7/5, 5/4, 4/5; B 3/5, 4/4, 6/3, 7/5, 6/4, 5/4, 4/5.
Good Grade 1 to 2 carats 2 to 3 carats 3 to 4 carats 4 carats plus
VVS to ,200/ct to ,700/ct ,000 to ,000/ct to ,000/ct
VS/SI to /ct to ,200/ct ,000 to ,000/ct to ,000/ct
SI/I to /ct to ,500/ct ,000 to ,000/ct to ,900/ct
Fair Grade: V 3/4, 3/5, 4/4, 4/3, 5/3, 6/3, 7/4; bV 3/5, 4/4, 5/3, 6/3, 7/4, 7/5; vB 3/4, 4/3, 7/4, 6/2, 5/3; B 3/4, 4/3, 7/4 6/2, 5/2, 5/3.
Fair Grade 1 to 2 carats 2 to 3 carats 3 to 4 carats 4 carats plus
VVS to /ct to ,200/ct to ,500/ct to ,500/ct
VS/SI to /ct to /ct to ,000/ct to ,000/ct
SI/I to /ct to /ct to ,500/ct to ,700/ct

Other Blue Sapphires

Heat treated material. Average brilliancy of 40% to 60%. Add to 20% or deduct to 10% for other cutting. Prices for ovals and cushions. Add 8% to 10% for rounds and pears. Add 10% to 20% for emeralds and marquis. Note: If certified Burmese and untreated, add 50%, except fair or lower grades.

Typically, mid-quality untreated blue sapphire will sell for 20-30% more than a treated stone of the same quality. Top-quality unheated stones could get a premium of 50% or higher, especially if they're large.

Top Grade: vB 5/6, 6/6; B 5/6, 6/6.
Top Grade 1 to 2 carats 2 to 3 carats 3 to 4 carats 4 carats plus
VVS to /ct to /ct to /ct to ,500/ct
VS/SI to /ct to /ct to /ct /ct
SI/I to /ct to /ct to /ct /ct
Very Good Grade: V 4/6, 5/5, 6/6; bV 5/6, 6/7; vB 5/5, 4/6, 6/5; B 4/6, 5/5, 6/5; vslgB 4/6, 5/6, 6/6.
Very Good Grade .5 to .75 carat .75 to 1 carat 1 to 2 carats 2 carats plus
VVS to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
VS/SI to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
SI/I to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
Good Grade: V 4/5, 5/4, 5/5, 6/4, 6/5, 7/5; bV 4/5, 4/6, 5/4, 5/5, 6/4, 6/5; vB 3/5, 4/4, 6/3, 7/5, 5/4, 4/5; B 3/5, 4/4, 6/3, 7/5, 6/4, 6/4, 5/4, 4/5; vslgB 7/5, 5/4, 6/4, 4/5, 6/5, 5/5; gB 4/5, 5/5, 6/5.
Good Grade .5 to .75 carat .75 to 1 carat 1 to 2 carats 2 carats plus
VVS to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
VS/SI to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
SI/I to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
Fair Grade: V 3/4, 3/5, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 6/3, 7/4; bV 3/5, 4/4, 5/3, 6/3, 7/4, 7/5; vB 3/4, 4/3, 6/2, 7/4, 5/3; B 3/4, 4/3, 7/4, 6/2, 5/2, 5/3; vslgB 3/4, 3/5, 4/3, 4/4, 5/3, 6/3, 7/4; gB 3/5, 4/4, 5/3, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4, 7/4; vstgB 4/4, 5/4, 6/4.
Fair Grade .5 to .75 carat .75 to 1 carat 1 to 2 carats 2 carats plus
VVS to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
VS/SI to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
SI/I to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct

Fancy Sapphires

Average brilliancy of 30% to 40%. Add to 20% or deduct to 10% for other cutting. Prices for ovals and cushions. Add 7% to 10% for rounds, pears and marquis. Add 15% to 30% for emerald cuts.

Pink Sapphire

Top Color: stpR 3/6, 4/6; RP 4/6; rP 4/6 No trade data available Very Good Color: slpR 4/6; stpR 4/5; RP 3/5, 4/4, 4/5; rP 3/5, 4/4, 4/5; P 4/5.
Very Good Color .5 to .75 carat .75 to 1 carat 1 to 2 carats 2 carats plus
VVS to /ct to /ct to /ct to ,500/ct
VS/SI to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
SI/I to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
Good Color: slpR 3/5, 4/4, 4/5; stpR 3/4, 3/5, 4/4; RP 3/4, 4/3; rP 3/4, 4/3; P 3/4, 4/4.
Good Color .5 to .75 carat .75 to 1 carat 1 to 2 carats 2 carats plus
VVS to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
VS/SI to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
SI/I to /ct to /ct to /ct to /ct
Fair Color: slpR 3/3, 4/3; stpR 3/4, 4/3; RP 2/3, 3/3; rP 2/3, 3/3; P 3/, 4/3.
Fair Color .75 to 1 carat 1 to 2 carats 2 carats plus
VVS to /ct to /ct to /ct
VS/SI to /ct to /ct to /ct
SI/I to /ct to /ct to /ct

Yellow Sapphire

Top Color: Y 3/5; oY 3/5. Very Good Color: Y 3/4; oY 3/4. Good Color: Y 3/3, 4/4; oY 3/3, 4/4. Fair Color: Y 2/3, 4/3; oY 2/3, 4/3.
Yellow Sapphire to 2 carats 2 carats plus
Top Color to /ct to /ct
Very Good Color to /ct to /ct
Good Color to /ct to /ct
Fair Color to /ct to /ct

Green Sapphire

Top Color: vslbG 6/3, bG 6/3, G 6/3. Very Good Color: BG 6/3, vstbG 6/2, 5/3, 6/2; bG 4/3, 5/3, 6/3; vslbG 4/3, 5/3, 6/2; G 5/3, 7/3; slyG 5/3, 6/3; yG 6/3. Good Color: BG 4/3, 5/3, 6/2; vstbG 4/3, 5/3, 7/3; bG 4/2, 5/2, 7/3, G 5/2,6/2; slyG 5/2, 6/2, 7/3; yG 5/3, 6/2, 7/3; styG 5/3, 6/3; styG 5/3, 6/3. Fair Color: BG 4/2, 5/2; vstbG 4/2, 7/2; bG 3/2, 7/2; vslbG 7/2; G 4/2, 7/2; slyG 4/2, 7/2; yG 5/2, 7/3; styG 5/2, 6/2.
Green Sapphire to 1 carat 1 carat plus
Top Color to /ct to /ct
Very Good Color to /ct to /ct
Good Color to /ct to /ct
Fair Color to /ct to /ct

Purple Sapphire

Top Color: RP 6/6, 5/6; rP 6/6; P 6/6. Very Good Color: stpR 5/5, 6/5; RP 5/5, 6/5, 7/5; rP 5/6, 6/5; P 5/6, 6/5; bP 5/6, 6/5. Good Color: slpR 5/3, 6/3; stpR 5/4, 6/4, 7/4; RP 5/4, 6/3, 6/4, 7/4; rP 5/4, 5/5, 6/4, 7/5; P 5/4, 5/5, 6/4, 7/5; bP 4/5, 4/6, 5/5. Fair Color: .
Purple Sapphire to 2 carats 2 carats plus
Top Color to /ct to /ct
Very Good Color to /ct to /ct
Good Color to /ct to /ct
Fair Color to /ct to /ct

Other Sapphires

White Sapphire .5 to 3 carats 3 to 5 carats 5 to 15 carats
to /ct to /ct to /ct
Color Change Sapphire .5 to 1 carat 1 to 7 carats
to /ct to /ct
Blue Cabochons .5 to 1 carat 1 to 7 carats
to /ct to /ct
Star Sapphire .5 to 1 carat 1 to 5 carats
Blue to /ct to /ct
Fancy Colors to /ct to /ct
Black to /ct to /ct

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Color Change Sapphire Information

DataValue
NameColor Change Sapphire
Is a Variety ofSapphire
Crystallography Hexagonal (trigonal). Crystals common, often barrel-shaped, prisms with flat ends, sometimes bipyramidal; also massive, granular, in rolled pebbles.
Refractive Index 1.757-1.779
Colors Usually, blue, bluish purple, and violet-purple. More rarely, green, yellow, and pink.
Luster Vitreous to adamantine.
Polish Luster Vitreous to subadamantine.
Fracture Luster Vitreous.
Fracture Conchoidal; frequent parting
Hardness 9
Specific Gravity 3.99-4.10; usually near 4.0.
Birefringence 0.008-0.009
Cleavage None
Dispersion 0.018
Luminescence Natural color change sapphires: inert to strong red in LW, inert to moderate red to orange in SW. Synthetic color change sapphires: moderate orange to red in LW and SW, may fluoresce red in LW and mottled blue in SW.
Wearability Excellent
Transparency Transparent to opaque.
Absorption Spectrum The ferric iron spectrum dominates these stones. In green and blue-green gems, rich in iron, there are lines at 4710, 4600, and 4500 in the blue-green region. Also lines at 4500 and 4600 may seem to merge and become a broad band. The three bands described are generally known as the 4500 complex and are very distinctive in sapphires. Some blue Sri Lanka sapphires also show a 6935 red fluorescent line, and the 4500 line is very weak in these gems. Synthetic color change sapphires show a line 4740. See main Sapphire gem listing for more information.
Phenomena Asterism, color change, chatoyancy.
Birthstone September
Pleochroism Very pronounced. See main Sapphire gem listing.
Optics RI: o = 1.757-1.770; e = 1.765-1.779 (usually 1.760, 1.768); Uniaxial (-).

Color change sapphires are those that change color between light sources.