7.71 Ct. Blue Sapphire from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

A heart-shaped sapphire carries within its form the kind of symbolic weight the ancients reserved for talismans and royal gifts, and this 7.71 carat heart from Ceylon reads like a chapter from that long story. At 9.60 by 11.73 by 8.59 millimeters, its proportions are generous, offering presence without the dramatic scale of museum pieces, and its mixed brilliant cut has been executed to emphasize both scintillation and depth. The mixed brilliant facet pattern gives each turn of light a lively interplay of flashes and color, a different kind of spectacle than the broad, velvety blue of the most famous historical sapphires. Where the Logan Sapphire and the Stuart Sapphire are celebrated for their commanding, almost brooding fields of color and public histories, this gem presents a refined, transparent intensity that reads more personal and wearable, perfect for an heirloom that will be seen up close and held close to the heart.

Color is the language by which sapphires speak, and this stone speaks plainly with an intense blue that is unmistakably Ceylon. Sri Lanka’s gem-bearing soils have been the source of some of the world’s most beloved sapphires for two millennia, and this gem shows the island’s legacy in a concentrated, luminous form. Its hue carries the clarity and vivacity that collectors have historically prized in Ceylon sapphires, a slightly lighter, brighter blue than some of the deeper Burmese tones, but with a saturation that feels resolute rather than pastel. In contrast to the Star of India, which mesmerizes with its asterism and monolithic presence, this heart-shaped gem offers a dynamic optical personality: faceted brilliance and optical transparency that reveal internal life rather than the singular, celestial sheen of a star sapphire. The result is a jewel that combines a historic island pedigree with the modern desire for color that both gleams and communicates.

Clarity and finish are often what separate an admired gem from an exceptional one, and this sapphire’s clarity assessment—very very slightly included at eye level—places it in a category of stones that are essentially eye-clean to most observers while retaining natural internal character. These minute inclusions, when viewed under magnification, are a testament to the stone’s natural origin and do nothing to diminish the visual purity of the intense blue. The excellent polish further elevates the stone’s presentation, allowing the mixed brilliant facets to act as mirrors that amplify sparkle and color dispersion. Heat treatment, the enhancement noted for this sapphire, is a time-honored and stable practice in the trade that improves color and transparency while being fully accepted by connoisseurs and laboratories. Taken together—size, shape, cut, clarity, and polish—this sapphire offers the kind of balanced attributes that make it desirable both for immediate wear in a bespoke setting and for long-term collection.

The provenance and form of this gem frame its unique value in a way that connects the personal to the historical. From the island of Ceylon, through the hands of cutters and polishers who shaped the mixed brilliant heart, to the present moment where The Natural Sapphire Company presents it, this sapphire is a modern heirloom in the making. It invites comparison to the illustrious sapphires of history without imitating them: it is smaller and more intimate than the famed public gems, yet its heart shape and intense, transparent blue give it a noble bearing more akin to a private renaissance piece than a museum centerpiece. For a setting, imagine the sapphire as the centerpiece of a finely proportioned solitaire ring or a scalloped pendant where the light can animate every facet; its substantial 7.71 carat weight and excellent polish will ensure it reads visually larger than the numbers alone suggest. In short, this heart-shaped Ceylon sapphire offers a rare convergence of history, craft, and romantic symbolism, a gem that speaks both of ancient trade routes and of modern, enduring love, curated with assurance by The Natural Sapphire Company.