2.01 Ct. Blue Sapphire from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

Ceylon has quietly shaped the language of luxury for centuries, supplying the courts and workshops of kings and jewelers with sapphires that define classical elegance. This 2.01 carat oval blue sapphire from The Natural Sapphire Company is part of that unbroken tradition, a transparent gem that carries both provenance and personality. Measuring 7.31 by 6.03 by 5.59 millimeters and cut in a mixed brilliant style, the stone marries the storytelling of origin with the practical art of light management. Its clarity is graded slightly included at eye level, a common and honest hallmark of natural corundum that confirms authenticity rather than diminishing presence. With intense color intensity, excellent polish, and no enhancement, this Ceylon sapphire presents itself as a pure expression of the island’s geology and the long lineage of craftsmen who have turned rough crystal into timeless jewelry.

Looked at in hand or set against a warm gold or cool platinum mount, this oval sapphire speaks in deep, saturated blues that retain lively movement as light crosses the facets. The mixed brilliant cut is chosen to exploit corundum’s refractive character, producing a lively scintillation and crisp facet definition that plays across the pavilion and crown. Compared to other well known sapphire sources, Ceylon stones often read lighter and more vivacious than the velvety cornflower blues associated with classic Kashmir material, and they can show a more expansive, cloudlike play of light than some of the denser, highly saturated Burmese examples. Where heated stones sometimes trade variable inclusions for uniformity of tone, an unenhanced Ceylon like this one keeps the natural interplay between blue and subtle violet overtones, a quality many collectors prize because it signals origin and authenticity as much as beauty.

When we compare reflective qualities within the corundum family and among blue gemstones commonly chosen for heirloom pieces, a few technical differences define what you see. Sapphires have a refractive index around 1.76 to 1.77, which means they return light with a solidity and depth rather than the fiery spectral flashes of higher dispersion gems. In practice this sapphire’s mixed brilliant facet arrangement emphasizes bright white flashes and strong contrast, delivering more scintillation than a step cut sapphire of similar weight, and more consistent return of light across the face than heavily windowed cuts. Against other blue gems, such as tanzanite or spinel, this Ceylon sapphire offers greater durability and a sturdier, denser reflection; tanzanite’s trichroism and softer cleavage produce a more dramatic color change but a different, more layered kind of light response, while spinel tends to reflect a simpler, glassier brilliance. Even compared to heated sapphires, unheated Ceylon stones often show a fresher, more three dimensional reflectivity because their internal features interact with light in a way that can create subtle halos and flashes rather than a flat uniformity. The excellent polish on this gem enhances facet crispness and edge definition, which is why, when set, its light performance reads as both noble and immediate, a light that invites inspection and rewards it with a steady, classic glow.

For someone seeking a sapphire with both historical resonance and contemporary performance, this 2.01 carat, oval mixed brilliant Ceylon sapphire by The Natural Sapphire Company stands as an exemplary choice. It will sit comfortably in a classic solitaire or as the keystone of a more elaborate design, offering the sort of enduring appeal that is passed from generation to generation. Its natural, unenhanced status and careful cutting make it a gemstone that reflects not only light but also a lineage of geology and craft, an heirloom in waiting that brings the long history of Ceylon sapphire lore to the present moment.