5.17 Ct. Blue Sapphire from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

There are few gems that carry the weight of centuries in their color and presence, and this cushion blue sapphire from Ceylon is one of those pieces that seems to arrive already familiar. Like the storied sapphires of royal treasuries, it evokes the same lineage that made the Logan Sapphire and the Stuart Sapphire emblematic of heritage and power, while recalling the famed Star of India in its island origins. Ceylon has supplied the world with blue sapphires for generations, and this stone demonstrates why. The island is celebrated for producing sapphires with a crystalline clarity and a lively, luminous blue that differs from the dense velvety blue of Kashmir sapphires, and yet shares the regal depth that has adorned monarchs and collectors for centuries. When you hold this gem, you feel the same timeless pull that led civilizations to prize blue sapphires as symbols of wisdom, protection, and fidelity, and you sense immediately why these stones have been chosen for coronets and compacts through the ages.

At the heart of its appeal are exacting qualities that place it in a class of its own, and which our gem cutters and graders at The Natural Sapphire Company present with confidence. The sapphire weighs 5.17 carats, in a cushion shape that measures 10.38 x 8.23 x 6.70 mm, and it is cut in a mixed brilliant style to balance depth of color with scintillation. Evaluated as eye clean at normal viewing distance, it offers a clarity that allows light to pass and play through its facets without obstruction, a trait that recalls the celebrated clarity of historic gems while remaining distinctly modern. Its color intensity is vivid, a bright and saturated Ceylon blue that flashes both electric and deep tones as it moves, and its polish is excellent, so every facet edge is crisp and every flash is true. The stone has been heat treated, a traditional and widely accepted enhancement that refines color and uniformity while preserving the natural character of the sapphire. Taken together, these features make this gem a rare balance of size, color, and purity, qualities that have defined great sapphires throughout history but are rarely found in one stone at this carat weight.

For a collector or a client seeking an heirloom to pass through generations, this sapphire reads like a classic commission. Its cushion outline and mixed brilliant faceting bring forward both vintage elegance and contemporary brilliance, making it ideal for a solitaire ring that recalls royal portraits, a three stone engagement setting that speaks to enduring love, or a bespoke pendant that frames the stone like a miniature treasure from an old collection. In comparison to famous sapphires that adorn crowns and museums, this gem offers a practical intimacy, a scale that fits a daily celebration of beauty rather than a distant display. It is the kind of stone that builds an immediate story, named for the island that gave it life, judged by modern gemological standards, and finished with the craftsmanship that collectors expect from The Natural Sapphire Company. Owning this sapphire is to hold a fragment of the long sash of gem history, a wearable chapter that connects classical tradition to contemporary taste, and a piece designed to be admired now and treasured for generations to come.