The Ceylon sapphire is a type of sapphire that comes from the country of Sri Lanka. The reason it is called the “Ceylon sapphire” is because up until 1972, that was the name of Sri Lanka. These are the most famous types of sapphires because this is easily the most prolific country for the production of these gorgeous blue gems. Not only that but the mines of this country are the oldest in the world. This country first became highly well-known for this gem back in the 2nd century A.D. By the 4th and 5th century, this country began trading these gems internationally.
Famous Ceylon Sapphire
Some of the most famous sapphires in the world came from Sri Lanka, such as the Logan sapphire (which is 423 ct.) and the Star of India (536 ct.) just to name a few. While this type of gem does have some competition when it comes to the high quality gems that come from Madagascar, Ceylon sapphires are still among the most popular on the market. One of the reasons for that is because it has a high valuation due to its stunning color. These sapphires have a more vivid color than some other varieties, tending to lean towards a brighter and lighter color versus the darker colors that you often find in the Thailand and Australian varieties.
There is a section in Sri Lanka, located in the southern part of this country near Ratnapura, where the gems are primarily mined from. This location is known as the “City of Gems”, just a bit southeast of the city Colombo. While Sri Lanka is primarily known for the most stunning blue sapphires that the world has to offer, you can find a wide array of beautiful color sapphires here. This includes such gorgeous colors as green, yellow, violet, pink, and a very rare variety known as padparadsha (which is a red-orange color). The pink varieties are also pretty rare and very small when they are found, only measuring at less than 2 ct.
Treating Ceylon Sapphires
Despite being such a small country, the high amount of production from here far exceeds anywhere else. In fact, they produce so much of the high quality sapphires that they can just toss any of the lower grade materials that they mine. In recent years, they created different processes such as heating to create an even more vivid coloring to these gems. They have also discovered that if they heat the gem with beryllium, they can turn these gems into a stunning yellow color gem by using the lesser materials. These lesser quality gems were once dismissed before this heating process, but now they can also sell for surprisingly high prices.
Sapphires are a truly popular option, especially thanks to the ring that was originally given to Princess Diana for her engagement to Prince Charles. This excitement has been revived as a result of the trendsetter Kate Middleton now wearing this famous gem. You cannot deny the stunning beauty that you can get when you have a piece of jewelry with Ceylon sapphires in them.