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Green Sapphires

A green sapphire is a corundum coloured by iron, in which fine zones of blue and yellow combine so the stone reads as green. The colour runs from a cool bluish green to a warm yellowish green, most of it unheated, and its hardness makes it a practical alternative to emerald and tsavorite for rings worn daily. Byrex Gems offers green sapphires to the trade from Toronto, filmed unedited, with prices for approved buyers and viewings by appointment.

Among the green sapphires listed today: 4.18 ct Oval Green Sapphire, Unheated, 3.13 ct Oval Green Sapphire, Unheated, 3.07 ct Oval Green Sapphire, GIA, Madagascar Unheated, 1.81 ct Round Double Cut Green Sapphire, Heated, 1.75 ct Cushion Green Sapphire, Heated, 1.40 ct Round Double Cut Green Sapphire, Heated and 1 more.

What makes a sapphire green

Green corundum is usually a mixture rather than a single colour. Iron on its own gives yellow; iron with titanium gives blue; and most green sapphires contain both in zones so fine that the eye mixes them into green. This is why green sapphires often show blue or yellow flashes when turned, and why the colour can shift under different lights.

Australia is the principal source, from the Queensland fields and the New England district of New South Wales, where green, teal and parti sapphires have been mined for over a century. Thailand's Chanthaburi region produces green in medium and dark tones, often heated. Montana's deposits yield pale, bright greens and blue-greens, and Madagascar produces green across the range. Tanzania and Nigeria contribute material that is often strongly zoned.

The finest green sapphires are clean, bright and even, with a colour that stays green under warm light. Many are dark, and the challenge for the cutter is to keep the colour from closing up.

How laboratories describe green sapphire

A report describes the colour as green, bluish green, yellowish green or greenish blue, depending on where the stone sits, and may note colour zoning. There is no grade, and words such as forest, olive or mint are trade descriptions that do not appear on a report. For zoned stones, the laboratory may describe two colours or note that the colour is unevenly distributed.

Most green sapphire is unheated, because heating does not improve a green that depends on the balance of blue and yellow zones and can push it toward blue or yellow instead. The report reads "No indications of heating" or the laboratory's equivalent. Some Thai and Australian material is heated to lighten dark stones, and the report states it. Diffusion is uncommon in green and is reported when found.

Origin opinions are given where inclusions and chemistry allow. Australian and Thai material from basalt-related deposits shares a character that laboratories recognise, and Montana stones have their own, but overlap exists and reports sometimes state origin as inconclusive. Byrex stones carry reports from GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, Lotus, AGL and others.

What to check before buying green sapphires

View the stone from the top in daylight and then under a lamp. Green sapphire can turn more yellow, more blue or greyer with the light, and a stone that reads a clean green in both is the one to buy. Byrex films stones unedited so this can be judged before a visit.

Check the tone. Much green sapphire is dark, and a deep stone can go almost black at the centre. Look for a cut that keeps the colour open across the table, and for a window in shallow stones. Check for grey and brown, which dull the colour, and for zoning: a band of blue or yellow across the table is a flaw in a stone sold as green, though it can be a feature in a stone sold as parti.

Green sapphire is available in larger sizes than most fancy colours, particularly from Australia, and clean stones of a good size are easier to find here than in pink or padparadscha. Pairs are moderately hard to match because of zoning. The colour sits well in yellow gold, which warms it, and in white metal, which keeps it cool. Corundum is hard and tough, so setting is routine, and this durability is the main reason designers choose green sapphire over emerald for rings.

What drives the value of a green sapphire

Colour purity and brightness lead. A clean, open green of medium tone, without grey, brown or a heavy yellow or blue cast, is the stone the market wants, and such stones are a small part of the supply because most green rough is dark or strongly zoned. Bluish green and yellowish green each have their buyers; a true green between the two is the scarcest.

Tone matters more in green than in most colours. A stone that is too dark loses its colour in a ring, and a stone that is too light looks washed out, so medium tone with good saturation sits at the top. Clarity is expected to be good to the eye, and the cut must keep the colour open.

Treatment status matters, but the premium for unheated is modest, since most green sapphire is unheated anyway. Origin adds a modest premium for Montana, whose stones have a following. Size counts, but less than in pink or padparadscha because large green sapphires exist; a large stone of fine colour is still uncommon. Green sapphire remains one of the quieter corundum colours, which is part of its appeal for designers who want a durable green that is not emerald.

Green sapphire, emerald and tsavorite compared

Green sapphire was called oriental emerald in the old trade, and the comparison still frames the stone. Emerald is a beryl that is softer than corundum and is almost always included and fractured, so it is routinely oiled or resin-filled and needs care in setting and wear. Green sapphire is harder, usually clean, usually untreated, and tolerates daily wear in a ring without the precautions emerald needs. Its colour is cooler and less saturated than fine emerald, and the two are seldom confused by eye.

Tsavorite, the green grossular garnet from Kenya and Tanzania, is closer to emerald in colour and is not normally treated, but it is softer than corundum and is scarce in large clean sizes. Chrome tourmaline and green tourmaline are softer again. For a designer, the choice comes down to colour versus durability: tsavorite and emerald for the purest green, green sapphire for a stone that will take hard wear.

Synthetic green sapphire exists but is uncommon compared with synthetic blue and pink, and is separated from natural by growth features, inclusions and chemistry. Green glass and green cubic zirconia are obvious to the trade. A natural green sapphire of any importance should carry a report stating that it is natural, with its treatment finding.

Buying green sapphires from Byrex Gems

A Toronto house for the jewellery trade since 1988, Byrex Gems counts more than seven thousand jewellers, designers and dealers among its customers. Many of our green sapphires are accompanied by reports from GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, GIA and other leading laboratories, and each is filmed in our office so that you can judge it before it travels.

Prices are shown to approved trade buyers. For anything else, WhatsApp +1 (437) 450-3786 reaches us within hours, and info@byrex.com is answered the same day, seven days a week. What is listed is a part of what we hold: more green sapphires are kept in the vault, and what we do not hold ourselves we can source through our offices worldwide. Viewings are by appointment in Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Green Sapphires: questions buyers ask

Are green sapphires usually unheated?

Yes, most are. Heating does not improve a green that depends on blue and yellow zones blending, so most green sapphire is sold unheated with a report stating no indications of heating. Some Thai and Australian stones are heated to lighten them and are reported as such.

Where do green sapphires come from?

Australia is the principal source, followed by Thailand, Madagascar and Montana, with Tanzania and Nigeria contributing zoned material. Origin on a report is an opinion based on inclusions and chemistry, and basalt-related sources such as Australia and Thailand can be hard to separate.

Is green sapphire a good alternative to emerald?

For durability, yes. Green sapphire is harder than emerald, usually clean and usually untreated, and it tolerates daily wear in a ring. Its colour is cooler and less saturated than fine emerald. Designers choose it when the piece must take hard wear.

How does green sapphire compare with tsavorite?

Tsavorite is a garnet with a purer, more saturated green, not normally treated, but softer than corundum and scarce in large clean sizes. Green sapphire is harder and more available in size. The choice is colour against durability.

Why do green sapphires show blue or yellow flashes?

Most green sapphires are coloured by fine zones of blue and yellow that the eye blends into green. When the stone is turned or the light changes, one component can show through. A stone that stays green under daylight and lamplight is preferred.

Does Byrex source green sapphires for private clients?

Yes. Byrex sells to the jewellery trade and receives private clients by appointment. Green sapphires are shown with their reports, and a particular tone, size or origin can be sought through Byrex's suppliers when it is not in stock.

What does a green sapphire report say?

It states that the stone is natural corundum, describes the colour as green, bluish green or yellowish green, gives weight and measurements, a treatment finding on heating, and often an origin opinion. Byrex stones carry reports from GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, Lotus, AGL and others.

Can I view green sapphires in Toronto?

Yes. Byrex Gems shows stones by appointment at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Green shifts with lighting, so viewing in daylight and under a lamp is recommended, and unedited footage of each stone is available for shortlisting first.

Byrex Gems, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds for the trade since 1988, and for private clients by appointment.

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