1.11 Ct. Bi Color Sapphire from Montana

This is a transparent 1.11 carat oval bi color sapphire from Montana, presented by The Natural Sapphire Company, with dimensions of 6.84 by 5.23 by 3.47 mm, a mixed brilliant cut, and an excellent polish. The stone exhibits a medium intense color that reads as a warm yellow with subtle green and orange shifts across different facets, consistent with Montana provenance. The clarity is graded very slightly included at eye level, which contributes to a clean visual field and consistent light transmission, and the gem has been heat treated to stabilize and enhance its color in a routine and transparent manner. The mixed brilliant pavilion and crown proportions have been executed to balance face up color and light return, and the oval outline provides additional surface area for color interactions while maintaining comfortable mounting dimensions for a range of jewelry settings.

Optically, this sapphire shows a combination of bright internal reflection and well controlled scintillation, owing to the mixed brilliant cut and the excellent polish. The transparency allows significant light to pass into the stone, where the corundum structure directs that light back through the crown facets with good contrast between light and dark facets, producing a lively but not overly flashy appearance. The bi color nature contributes a pleasing color shift as the viewing angle or light source changes, a behavior related to pleochroism that is more pronounced in some sapphire material than others, and which this specimen presents in a restrained and attractive manner. Because the gem is very slightly included at eye level the internal reflections remain clear and uninterrupted, preserving crisp facet junctions and a bright, satiny luster. Heat treatment in this instance has been applied to refine hue and remove minor color zoning, without compromising the underlying transparency or surface polish, and the result is a gem that reads reliably under mixed lighting while revealing subtle internal color variation when examined closely.

When compared to other gemstones in its category, this Montana bi color sapphire offers a distinctive balance of refractive properties and color play. Corundum, the mineral species of sapphire, has a refractive index around 1.76 to 1.77 and a dispersion that is low relative to high fire gems, so the primary optical appeal is brilliance and color rather than spectral fire, and this sapphire exemplifies that characteristic with strong light return and restrained fire. Against other sapphires from classic locales, Montana material is frequently appreciated for its lighter to medium intensities and complex secondary tones, and this gem follows that pattern with a nuanced bi color expression rather than a single saturated hue. Compared with spinel and tourmaline of similar size and clarity, this sapphire displays a slightly higher luster due to corundum density and polishability, and it typically exhibits less pleochroic contrast than strongly dichroic tourmaline varieties while offering greater hardness and surface durability than those alternatives. Versus chrysoberyl, which can show exceptional brilliance and higher pleochroism in some stones, this sapphire tends to be rounder in its color transitions and to prioritize even light distribution. In practical terms, the gem is suited for daily wear because of corundum hardness and the solid polish, while its mixed brilliant geometry renders it visually dynamic under both ambient and focused lighting, making it a versatile choice for contemporary and classic settings.