SAPPHIRE
Specimen sap-11

Dims: 4-3/4" x 5" x 3-1/2"

Wt: 2lbs., 12 oz

Kola Peninsula, Russia

This is basically a huge hunk of a Syenite or Pegmatite that is loaded with Sapphires of surprisingly good color! It's difficult to determine lengths, but there is one crystal that is at least 1/2 inch in diameter, and many between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. There seem to be some Hornblende crystals included in the matrix. This is one of the best pieces that I've seen in our entire stock. The color on these crystals is excellent, and there are lots of them!

Dims: 0.5" x 0.2" x 0.2" (1.3 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 3.35 ct

Sri Lanka

I suppose that we could call this an actual "Ceylon Sapphire" crystal, though it is probably better just to say that it came from Sri Lanka. In any case, it is a wonderful little crystal that has excellent hexagonal bipyramidal form and is in reasonably good condition, as the tip of one termination is broken off and missing. It has a pearly-to-greasy luster, and shows striations along its length that run parallel to its basal plane. Its color ranges from a deep, royal blue at its central plane to colorless at the tip of its intact termination. It is transparent, and though it appears somewhat cloudy due to a few inclusions and considerable color zonation, it has reasonably good clarity. Except for its damage and one tiny outgrowth, it has a continuous and uninterrupted crystal form.

Dims: 0.6" x 0.2" x 0.2" (1.3 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 3.95 ct

Sri Lanka

Another lovely Sapphire crystal from the famous island of Sri Lanka, this small thumbnail specimen has an elongated hexagonal dipyramidal form, though one of the terminations is broken off. It is in otherwise excellent condition, with well-defined edges and slightly warped but flat faces whose dull vitreous luster is interrupted by many striations that follow its basal plane. The intact termination has a very pale blue color and is transparent and quite clear, but clouds up and deepens in coloration where the termaination faces meet the "prism" faces. From there the color pales slightly and starts to slowly change from blue to red, and ends at the breakage point as a definitely pale red coloration. It is generally transparent, though the one area of cloudiness and several internal fractures and inclusions spoil its clarity. I have never seen a sapphire crystal in which the coloration makes such a smooth and gradual change as it does in this one.

Dims: 0.6" x 0.2" x 0.2" (1.3 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 2.25 ct

Sri Lanka

Though this Sapphire specimen does not have the prized blue coloration that others in our selection have, it redeems itself through the completeness and excellence of its hexagonal dipyramidal crystal form. It is in excellent condition, with no visible human-induced damage, and it has well-defined edges and faces that show a vitreous luster between their basal striations. The crystal has a very faint blue coloration and a subtle cloudiness that makes it appear almost opalescent. It is still transparent and clear enough to see through, though there is a basally-oriented layer of cloudy inclusions where the two pyramids' bases meet. There are also a few small rusty inclusions near this cloudy layer that indicate an internal fracture. I think I like this Sapphire best of all because of its excellent form and near-opalescent appearance.

Dims: 0.6 x 0.3 x 0.2" (1.5 x 0.8 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 1.1 g

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

This small thumbnail specimen consists of a single hexagonal bipyramidal Sapphire crystal. This crystal is in excellent condition, as no human-induced damage is visible. Its form is good, though its edges are rather rounded, and its luster is so dull as to be almost waxy. However, it has a wonderful pale-blue coloration and is transparent and quite clear, though there is a concentration of internal fractures and inclusions in the basal plane where the two pyramids meet. Some of these cracks are lined with rust, and there is one tiny inclusion that has a rather bright red color- it may possibly be a tiny, thin intergrown ruby. There is no host rock present. This crystal and others that we may have from this locality were mined and smuggled out of Sri Lanka about 3 years ago.

Dims: 0.6 x 0.2 x 0.2" (1.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 0.7 g

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

This small specimen consists of a rather warped hexagonal bipyramidal Sapphire crystal. It is in very good condition, showing only a very small amount of human-induced damage, and has a very warped but definable form. Its edges are very well-defined even with the warped shape, and its faces are heavily striated but relatively clean, possessing a bright pearly luster. It has a pale blue coloration with a hint of gray and is transparent. The crystal is somewhat clear, as it contains a few internal fractures and several inclusions; the material itself appears slightly "foggy", and the specimen was intergrown with at least one other crystal at one time. There is no host rock. This crystal, like others in our selection, was mined and smuggled out of Sri Lanka about 3 years ago.

Dims: 0.6 x 0.2 x 0.2" (1.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 0.7 g

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

This small hexagonal bipyramidal Sapphire crystal is in relatively good condition, showing only a small amount of fresh damage. It does have considerable damage, but this damage shows slight partial healing, and so occurred prior to its being mined. Its form is quite warped, but its edges are still well-defined and its faces, though striated, are relatively clean and possess a bright pearly-to-vitreous luster. There are two very small Sapphires that are partly intergrown with the larger one; these crystals do not exceed 3 mm in any dimension and show good form. All have a pale blue coloration with a hint of gray and are transparent. The largest crystal is only partly clear, as it contains many internal fractures and some large inclusions; three of these inclusions are in the form of heavy layers of cloudiness that are basally-aligned.

Dims: 0.6 x 0.3 x 0.2" (1.5 x 0.8 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 1.0 g

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

Although this Sapphire crystal shows considerable damage and malformation, one of its traits makes it worthy of study. It is actually made up of two crystals that are heavily intergrown parallel to each other, which is likely mostly responsible for its lack of good form. It is still a definable hexagonal prism, however, and several of its edges are well defined and a few of its striated faces are flat and clean, possessing a pearly-to-vitreous luster. The crystal is transparent and moderately clear, containing several internal fractures and various inclusions. Its color is bizarre- each end of the crystal is colorless, with maybe a very pale blue tinge, but the center of the crystal shows a splash of ruby-red coloration. Apparently, the malformed Sapphire grew off of a ruby "seed crystal", enveloping it during its growth. This is the first specimen of this sort that I have seen- though one of our previous Sapphire specimens did have a noticeable change of color from blue to red, this variation is much more abrupt. Like most of our sapphire specimens, there is no host rock present.

Dims: 0.6 x 0.2 x 0.2" (1.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 1.2 g

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

This single Sapphire crystal is in very good condition- although it shows a substantial area of breakage, so that one of its termination tips is missing, this damage occurred prior to the mining of the specimen, and so is not human-induced. It has slightly warped but otherwise good hexagonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and striated but clean faces that possess a pearly-to-vitreous luster. Its color is pale blue. The Sapphire is transparent and shows considerable clarity, but contains a few cloudy inclusions, some internal fractures, and several solid inclusions, most of which look like tiny crystals that were trapped within when the larger crystal formed. There is another tiny, incomplete Sapphire crystal intergrown at the broken end, but there is no host rock.

Dims: 0.6 x 0.3 x 0.2" (1.5 x 0.8 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 1.0 g

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

A single, warped Sapphire crystal comprises this small thumbnail specimen. Though it appears to be not quite complete, none of the damage that it has suffered is fresh or human-induced. Because of this damage, only part of one termination is present- the rest of the crystal, however, has a disjointed but easily definable hexagonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and heavily stepped and striated but clean faces that possess the standard vitreous luster. It has a very pale "cornflower blue" coloration and is transparent and moderately clear, as it contains many tiny bubbles and other impurities. There is no host rock present.

Dims: 0.8 x 0.4 x 0.4" (2.0 x 1.0 x 1.0 cm)

Wt: 2.0 g

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

A single hexagonal bipyramidal Sapphire crystal makes up this small thumbnail specimen. This particular crystal is one of the largest in our present stock and is in very good condition, as it shows only one or two tiny spots of fresh damage. Its form is good, as its edges are slightly rounded but still definable, and its faces are striated but clean and possess a rather dull pearly luster. Though the crystal is actually colorless, rusty inclusions and staining give it a pale golden-orange tint. It is transparent and moderately clear, as it contains many air bubbles and a few cloudy inclusions and internal fractures. There is no host rock of any sort present.

Dims: 0.4 x 0.2 x 0.2" (1.0 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 0.5 g

Ratnapura District, Sri Lanka

This small Sapphire crystal is in excellent condition, showing only one spot of visible damage that might not be human-induced- it is difficult to be sure. It has excellent hexagonal bipyramidal form, with well-defined faces and striated but clean faces that possess a rather dull pearly luster. The Sapphire has good pale-blue coloration and is transparent and moderately to very clear. It does contain several highly visible inclusions, three or four of which I sincerely believe are tiny pyrite cubes. They are rather difficult to study under 10-power magnification, though. There is no host rock of any sort present.

Dims: 1.0 x 0.2 x 0.2" (2.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 2.0 g

Passara, Uva Province, Sri Lanka

The larger of the two Sapphire crystals that make up this specimen is in excellent condition, but the smaller one is damaged and broken. The large crystal makes up almost the entire specimen, anyway, so the broken crystal does not really detract from the general appearance. The larger Sapphire has a reasonably good though slightly warped hexagonal dipyramidal form, with well-defined edges and striated but generally clean faces. It is generally colorless, but contains several rusty inclusions that give it a pale rust color. These inclusions also spoil its clarity, rendering it only dimly translucent. There is no host rock present.

Dims: 0.5 x 0.2 x 0.2" (1.3 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 0.9 g

Badulla, Sri Lanka

This sapphire crystal is in moderately good condition, as the tip of one of its two terminations is broken and missing. Its hexagonal dipyramidal form is excellent, however, featuring well-defined edges and striated but clean faces that possess a dull, vitreous luster. It is colorless but slightly rust-stained, transparent and quite clear in one pyramid, though the other is rather heavily included and internally fractured. There is no host rock present, as is usual for crystals from Sri Lanka.

Dims: 0.6 x 0.2 x 0.2" (1.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 cm)

Wt: 0.4 g

Passara, Uva Province, Sri Lanka

This small specimen consists of a single doubly-terminated hexagonal Sapphire crystal. It is in excellent condition, showing no visible damage, and has a slightly warped but still discernable hexagonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and relatively clean but striated faces that possess a rather dull, pearly-to-waxy luster. It is generally colorless though slightly rust-stained, and is transparent and moderately clear, containing several inclusions. There is no host rock present.

Dims: 0.7 x 0.5 x 0.3" (1.8 x 1.3 x 0.8 cm)

Wt: 3.7 g

Sri Lanka

This small thumbnail specimen consists of at least 3 intersecting Sapphire crystals. The largest of these crystals has dimensions of 0.8 x 0.4 x 0.3" (2.0 x 1.0 x 0.8 cm), and is at least twice as large as the next largest crystal. All but one are undamaged and in good condition, and all have a slightly warped but moderately good hexagonal prismatic form, with well-defined edges and clean faces. They are colorless, though rust-stained, transparent and moderately clear, as each contains several internal fractures. Their luster is vitreous. There is no host rock of any sort present.

Dims: 0.5 x 0.3 x 0.1" (1.2 x 0.8 x 0.2 cm)

Wt: >1 g

Umba, Tanzania

This odd little Sapphire shard appears to lack any hexagonal form. However, the piece does show, if not actual form, at least definite healing over its uneven surfaces. It shows obvious breakage in two places and has a pale yellow color and a vitreous luster. It is also transparent and quite clear due to its thinness. There is no host rock present.

Dims: 7 x 5 x 3 mm

Wt: >1 g

Umba, Tanzania

This Sapphire shard has no definable crystal form whatsoever. Though a small portion of its surface seems to show partial healing, the rest of it consists of uneven, fresh damage. Its one redeeming quality is its bright red color and moderate transparence (its red color is not right for notation as a ruby). Its surfaces show a vitreous luster and it contains a few visible internal fractures.

Dims: 0.4 x 0.2 x 0.2" (1.0 x 0.4 x 0.4 cm)

Wt: >1 g

Umba, Tanzania

This incomplete, misshapen Sapphire crystal has a highly warped form and shows moderate damage in the form of a few conchoidal surface patterns. Its color is peculiar in the fact that it changes abruptly from nearly colorless to pale blue. It has a vitreous luster and is transparent and quite clear, containing only a few internal fractures and flaws. No base or host material is present.

Dims: 0.4 x 0.3 x 0.2" (9 x 7 x 5 mm)

Wt: >1 g

Umba, Tanzania

This thumbnail piece consists of a single broken piece of a Sapphire crystal. It shows no evidence of crystal form- all surfaces show either conchoidal or uneven damage surfaces and the resulting vitreous luster. The piece has a beautiful blue coloration and no obvious zonation. It is transparent and moderately clear, containing several large internal fractures that would make cutting difficult.

Dims: 0.4 x 0.3 x 0.1" (1.1 x 0.8 x 0.4 cm)

Wt: >1 g

Umba, Tanzania

A warped, incomplete Sapphire crystal makes up this thumbnail piece. It shows considerable damage in the form of fresh, conchoidal surfaces, some older damage and some obviously crystalline faces, making its luster range from greasy to vitreous. Its red-violet color is quite attractive, and it is transparent but slightly milky and contains several internal fractures.

Dims: 0.4 x 0.3 x 0.2" ( 0.9 x 0.7 x 0.6 cm)

Wt: 3.85 ct. (0.77g)

Umba, Tanzania

This is a cuttable yellow sapphire chip, showing no crystal faces. Two sides show the imprint of the host rock, while the remaining sides are fracture faces. One edge of the crystal is a dark brown, while the the rest is a clear honey color. There are a couple of parallel darker planes through the crystal, reminiscent of the phantom crystals so common in quartz, but they are only visible when viewed just right. A 2 ct teardrop could be carved from this chip.

Dims: 0.84x0.31x0.27" (2.14x0.80x0.69cm)

Wt: 6.0ct (1.2g)

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

At first, I thought that this was a hexagonal dipyramid with one tip broken off. But a loupe reveals an interesting six-way pattern on that flat end, indicating that it is a growth pattern. Also, instead of being just one sapphire crystal, this actually has two more tiny crystals attached. And, there is a square hole which appears to be filled with quartz crystals. The quartz, and the crevices of the sapphire, have a somewhat dirty appearance from minerals that are not easily removed.

Dims: 1.07x0.28x0.27" (2.71x0.71x0.68cm)

Wt: 0.09oz (2.6g)

Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

This is a nearly colorless sapphire crystal. It has a dull luster which hides its interior except in several evenly spaced bands that allow light to pass. Near the base of the crystal, another very small sapphire crystal, golden in color, is attached, and this one shows signs of damage (its tip is missing, for one). The larger crystal has a hexagonal cross section, and tapers towards the tip, although it is rather crooked, as well. When held to a bright light, the transparent bands appear dark, giving this crystal a striped appearance.