1.62 Ct. Bi Color Sapphire from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

Beneath the emerald canopy of Sri Lankan highlands, a story began in molten time, where heat and pressure shaped corundum into a gem that would one day rest in your hand. This sapphire was born in Ceylon, an island whose soils have been feeding the world with some of the most poetic sapphires for centuries. Small teams of artisanal miners worked the gravels and weathered rock, following the same rhythms their families have used for generations, until a crystal with an unusual whisper of two tones emerged from the riverbed. At The Natural Sapphire Company we trace each sapphire back to its place of origin, and this stone came to us carrying the voice of Ceylon, a gentle combination of pale blue and a soft, almost silvery champagne hint, a bi color personality that holds the memory of its geologic birthplace. The story of the gem is not only where it was found, but how it was respected along the way, sorted and selected by eyes that know the language of color and light.

When you first lift this gem, its measurements tell you why it feels special, it weighs 1.62 carat and measures 6.92 x 5.39 x 4.49 mm, a radiant shape that was chosen to balance weight and brilliance. The cut is radiant, a precise geometry designed to bring the best of pavilion depth and crown facet interaction to a rectangular outline with softened corners. Clarity is very very slightly included when evaluated at eye level, a grade that means the stone is transparent and lively to the naked eye, with only the most minor natural features that underscore its authenticity. Color intensity sits at a medium light level, which allows the bi color nature to breathe, shifting between cornflower blue and a pale golden tone as the gem tilts under light. The polish is excellent, which means facet junctions are crisp and surfaces are highly finished, maximizing both reflection and transmission of light. Importantly, this sapphire has no enhancement, so the color and clarity are wholly natural, an unaltered expression of Ceylonese formation and the care of those who handled it.

The journey from rough crystal to this radiant cut stone required the eye and patience of a cutter who understood both the mineral and its story. Faceting decisions are never purely mathematical, they are an exercise in listening to how a particular rough will speak when struck with form. For this bi color sapphire the cutter chose a radiant cut to reconcile two competing aims, to preserve as much carat weight as possible, and to open up the internal color dynamics so that each hue is readable from multiple angles. The pavilion angles and crown depth were tailored to encourage light to return to the viewer as scintillation rather than as flat color, which is why the stone flashes lively, showing facets that ripple between blue and champagne depending on the source of light. Hand finishing and meticulous polishing brought out a clarity that may be subtle in gemological language, but which translates into an immediate sense of life and vitality when the gem is set. At The Natural Sapphire Company we often describe such a gem as ready for a design that allows both of its tones to show, a setting that frames color without fixing it into one identity, so that the wearer carries a small wonder that changes with light and mood.

In comparing the reflective qualities of this sapphire to other gemstones in its category, a few distinctions stand out. Among Ceylonese sapphires this stone leans toward the lighter, more transparent end of the spectrum, which produces a brighter, airier brilliance than the deeper, velvety appearance that some sapphires from other origins display. Compared with sapphires that have been heat treated to intensify color, this unheated stone shows a more complex interplay of hue and light, a subtle pleochroism that reveals different colors at different angles, rather than the uniformity that treatment can produce. In practical terms the radiant cut enhances internal reflections in a way that makes this gem appear more lively than many traditional mixed cushion cuts that emphasize depth of color over facet sparkle. If you place it beside a comparable spinel, you will notice that spinel often returns light with a slightly snappier brilliance due to different optical properties, yet it lacks the same pleochroic personality that gives a sapphire a shifting narrative. Compared with tanzanite, which shows strong dichroism and dramatic color change but is softer and more prone to wear, this sapphire offers greater durability and a subtler, steadier play of light. Diamonds will always outmatch colored gems in pure dispersion and fire, but a sapphire like this one offers a different kind of beauty, one that privileges color depth and the way light interacts with hue, rather than chasing rainbow flashes.

This bi color 1.62 carat radiant sapphire is a conversation piece, a jewel that invites a second look and that tells the story of where it began and how it was shaped. Its reflective character is defined by a crystalline transparency, an excellent polish that sharpens every facet, and a cut that amplifies both color and scintillation in balanced measure. For those who appreciate sapphires for their history, their geological poetry, and their subtlety, this stone offers a rare combination of provenance, untouched natural color, and thoughtful cutting. At The Natural Sapphire Company we take pleasure in matching stones like this to settings that honor their origin and their optical signature. If you would like more information about how this sapphire will perform under different lighting, or guidance on mounting it to show both of its tones, we are here to share what we know, and to help you bring this Ceylon story to life in a piece you will wear and cherish.