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Purple and Violet Sapphires

A purple sapphire is a corundum whose colour combines the pink of chromium with the blue of iron and titanium, and a violet sapphire is one in which the blue side leads. The colour range runs from pale lavender to a deep, saturated purple, most of it unheated, and much of it from Madagascar, Tanzania and Sri Lanka. Byrex Gems offers purple and violet sapphires to the trade from Toronto, filmed unedited, with prices for approved buyers and viewings by appointment.

Among the purple and violet sapphires listed today: 11.38 ct Star Purple Sapphire, GIA, Ceylon Unheated, 5.83 ct Pear Purple Sapphire, GIA, Madagascar Heated, 2.26 ct Pear Purple Sapphire, 2.16 ct Round Double Cut Purple Pink Sapphire Pair, 2.14 ct Oval Violet Blue Sapphire, 1.55 ct Oval Purple Sapphire, Unheated and 5 more.

What makes a sapphire purple or violet

Purple in corundum is a mixed colour. Chromium gives pink and red; iron and titanium together give blue; when both are present in the right balance, the stone is purple. Shift the balance toward blue and the stone is violet, toward pink and it is a purplish pink, and lighten the tone and it is lavender. Vanadium can add to the effect and is responsible, with chromium, for the colour change that some stones show.

Madagascar is the largest source, producing purple and violet in a wide range of tones from the Ilakaka gravels. Tanzania's Umba valley has long produced purple and violet stones, including many of the colour-change sapphires on the market. Sri Lanka yields purple and violet alongside its pinks and blues, often in lighter tones with high clarity. Burma's Mogok valley produces intense purples that shade into its pinks and rubies.

The trade words follow the balance of colour. Violet is bluer and cooler, purple sits in the middle, and lavender is pale and soft. None of these are fixed points, and two buyers can describe the same stone differently.

How laboratories describe purple sapphire

A report describes the colour in plain terms: purple, violet, pinkish purple, violetish blue or reddish purple, depending on where the stone sits. The words lavender and lilac are trade descriptions and do not appear on reports. Where a stone changes colour between daylight and incandescent light, the laboratory tests for it and, if the change is distinct, describes the stone as a colour-change sapphire, usually naming both colours.

The treatment finding is often favourable. Heating does little for most purple corundum, and heating in some conditions can remove the blue component and turn a purple stone pink, which is sometimes done deliberately. Much of the purple and violet on the market is therefore unheated, and the report reads "No indications of heating" or the laboratory's equivalent. Heated stones exist and are reported as such. Diffusion is rare in this colour and is reported when found.

Origin opinions are given where inclusions and chemistry support them. Umba stones and Burmese stones have recognisable characters; Madagascar and Ceylon material can overlap, and reports sometimes state origin as inconclusive. Byrex stones carry reports from GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, Lotus, AGL and others, each in its own wording.

What to check before buying purple sapphires

View the stone in daylight and then under incandescent light, because every purple sapphire shifts to some degree. A violet stone often warms toward purple under a lamp, and a purple stone can turn reddish. Where the shift is strong, the laboratory may call it colour change, and the buyer should decide whether the piece wants that or not. Byrex films stones unedited so both looks can be compared before a visit.

Check the cut from the top. Purple is a medium-dark colour that goes black in a deep stone and washes out in a shallow one, so proportion matters more than in pink. Look for a window, and for the dark extinction that a poorly cut purple shows at its centre. Check for grey, which is the modifier that most reduces the appeal of a violet, and for colour zoning, which is common in Madagascar material.

Purple sapphires are easier to match than teal and harder than pink, because the balance of pink and blue varies from stone to stone. Pairs should be matched under both lights. The colour sits well in white metal, which keeps the cool side, and in yellow gold, which warms it. Setting is routine. Fine, clean, saturated purples in larger sizes are less common than the colour's low profile suggests.

What drives the value of a purple sapphire

Saturation and purity lead. A strong, clear purple or violet without grey is the stone the market wants, and the deep, saturated purples that approach the intensity of a fine pink are the scarcest. Lavender and pale violet have their own following among designers and are valued for softness rather than depth, so the two ends of the range are judged on different terms.

Colour change adds value when the change is distinct and both colours are attractive. A stone that is violet-blue in daylight and purple or reddish purple under a lamp, with a clean report naming the change, is a collector's stone. A weak or muddy change adds nothing.

Treatment matters less here than in pink or blue because most purple sapphire is unheated, but a heated stone still sits below an unheated one of equal look. Origin adds a modest premium for Burma and for Umba colour-change material. Clarity is expected to be good to the eye, and the cut must hold colour across the top. Purple remains one of the quieter fancy sapphire colours for the quality on offer, which is part of its appeal to designers.

Purple sapphire, amethyst and spinel compared

Purple sapphire was called oriental amethyst for centuries, and amethyst was the stone it was most often confused with. The two are easy to separate: sapphire is far harder, has a higher refractive index and greater brilliance, and keeps its colour in daylight better, since some amethyst fades with long exposure. For a ring worn daily, the difference in hardness alone decides it.

Purple and violet spinel is the closer look-alike and shares the same gravels in Sri Lanka, Burma and Tanzania. Spinel is singly refractive where sapphire is doubly refractive, and a laboratory separates them at once, but by eye the two can be very similar. Spinel in these colours has become sought after in its own right, and a buyer offered a purple stone without a report should ask which it is.

Synthetic purple sapphire is grown by flame fusion and other methods and is common in costume jewellery; it is separated from natural by growth features, inclusions and chemistry. Colour-change synthetic corundum, often sold as an alexandrite imitation, is also common. Tanzanite, iolite and purple garnet are softer or less brilliant and are seldom mistaken by the trade. A natural purple sapphire of any importance should carry a report stating that it is natural, with its treatment finding.

Buying purple and violet sapphires from Byrex Gems

Since 1988, Byrex Gems has supplied purple and violet sapphires to the jewellery trade from Toronto. The confidence of more than seven thousand trade customers has been earned one stone at a time. Many of our purple and violet sapphires come with reports from GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, GIA and other leading laboratories, and each stone is filmed in our office, exactly as it is.

Approved trade buyers see prices online. Everyone else is welcome to write: WhatsApp +1 (437) 450-3786 brings a reply within hours, and an email to info@byrex.com an answer the same day, seven days a week. What is listed is a part of what we hold: more purple and violet sapphires are kept in the vault, and what we do not hold ourselves we can source through our offices worldwide. We receive clients by appointment in Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Purple and Violet Sapphires: questions buyers ask

What is the difference between purple and violet sapphire?

Violet is the bluer, cooler end of the range and purple sits between blue and pink. Lavender is a pale, soft purple. These are trade descriptions; a laboratory report uses words such as purple, violet, pinkish purple or violetish blue to describe where the stone sits.

Are purple sapphires usually unheated?

Mostly, yes. Heating does little for purple corundum and can remove the blue component, so much of the supply is sold unheated with a report stating no indications of heating. Heated stones exist and are reported as such. Treatment must be disclosed at every sale.

What is a colour-change sapphire?

A corundum that shows one colour in daylight and another under incandescent light, typically violet-blue to purple or reddish purple. Laboratories test for it and describe the stone as colour-change when the shift is distinct. Many come from Tanzania's Umba valley.

Where do purple sapphires come from?

Madagascar produces the most, in a wide range of tones. Tanzania's Umba valley yields purple, violet and colour-change stones. Sri Lanka produces lighter, clean purples and violets, and Burma intense purples. Origin on a report is an opinion based on inclusions and chemistry.

How is purple sapphire separated from spinel and amethyst?

By a laboratory, quickly. Spinel is singly refractive and sapphire doubly refractive; amethyst is far softer with a lower refractive index. By eye, spinel can be very close. A report stating natural corundum settles the question, and Byrex stones carry one.

Does Byrex source purple sapphires for private clients?

Yes. Byrex sells to the jewellery trade and receives private clients by appointment. Purple, violet and colour-change sapphires are shown with their reports, and a particular tone or a matched pair can be sought through Byrex's suppliers when it is not in stock.

Which laboratories report on Byrex's purple sapphires?

GIA, GRS, SSEF, Gübelin, Lotus, AGL and CDC among others. Each report states the colour in the laboratory's wording, a treatment finding, and usually an origin opinion, with colour change noted where the laboratory finds it distinct.

Can I view purple sapphires in Toronto?

Yes. Byrex Gems shows stones by appointment at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Purple shifts between daylight and lamplight more than most colours, so viewing under both is recommended, and unedited footage is available to shortlist stones 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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