0.36 Ct. Blue Sapphire from Madagascar

This transparent 0.36 carat round blue sapphire measures 4.04 by 3.98 by 2.98 millimeters and exemplifies precise lapidary control, offered by The Natural Sapphire Company. The stone is cut as a mixed brilliant, combining a carefully faceted brilliant crown with a modified pavilion geometry to balance scintillation and light return. Clarity is graded as very slightly included evaluated at eye level, providing eye clean appearance under typical viewing while retaining internal features that attest to natural formation. Color is described as faint blue in intensity, a delicate and cool tone that reads as icy and versatile in a variety of settings. The sapphire has undergone standard heat treatment to optimize color saturation and remove secondary hues without altering the fundamental crystal structure. The polish is excellent, delivering crisp facet junctions and smooth facet planes that maximize optical performance, and the origin is Madagascar, a source known for well crystallized corundum with distinct trace element signatures.

The structural factors that produce this sapphire's exceptional sparkle originate in precise facet architecture and the intrinsic optical properties of corundum. The mixed brilliant arrangement places smaller, well proportioned crown facets around a balanced table to fragment incident light into numerous tight pinfire reflections, while the modified pavilion depth, approximately 2.98 millimeters on a mean diameter of about 4.01 millimeters, creates a relatively deep pavilion that intensifies internal reflection. The refractive index of sapphire, approximately 1.76 to 1.77, combined with low dispersion around 0.018, means that the gem favors strong white light return with subtle spectral flashes, rather than vivid fire. The cutter has exploited these parameters, setting crown and pavilion angles to favor total internal reflection at critical facet interfaces, producing broad flashes and pinpoint scintillation that interact with the faint blue hue to create a lively yet refined appearance. Excellent polish reduces surface scattering, preserving the contrast between bright and dark facet areas that gives the stone a three dimensional, lively presence under both diffuse and direct lighting.

Color and clarity attributes contribute directly to the perception of sparkle in this stone. The faint blue tone, derived from iron and titanium charge transfer typical of Madagascar corundum, sits lightly in the body color allowing internal reflections to remain bright and undiluted. Very slightly included clarity evaluated at eye level means that inclusions are minimal and do not interrupt the path of light through the crucial facet junctions, so scintillation remains continuous across the table and crown. Heat treatment has subtly deepened tone and improved transparency, without introducing surface reaching fillers or clarity enhancement, preserving natural crystal integrity. In practical settings this sapphire performs exceptionally when given exposure to light, therefore open or low bezel settings will allow maximum light entry and exit channels, while halo or pavé surrounds can amplify visual size without compromising the stone's intrinsic optical behavior. For clients seeking technical refinement and understated elegance, this Madagascar sapphire offers a finely tuned combination of facet geometry, material optics, and finishing that produces a sparkle both precise and unmistakable, available through The Natural Sapphire Company.