16.09 Ct. Multi Color Sapphire Crystal from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

This specimen is a semi transparent, multi color sapphire weighing 16.09 carats, with finished dimensions of 21.13 x 7.36 x 5.55 mm. The piece is presented in a various shape format, with elongated lanceolate proportions derived from a rough crystal cut that preserves the natural termination and outline of the original crystal. The cut strategy here is deliberately restrained, using a minimal, organic faceting regime to maintain the stones inherent form while imparting targeted facet planes to enhance polish and light return. Clarity is graded very slightly included at eye level, which in practical terms means that internal features are present but do not dominate the gem when viewed from a typical viewing distance. Color intensity is medium, allowing distinct but nuanced interaction between the stones multiple color zones, and the polish is excellent, producing crisp facet junctions and a clean table that makes the internal architecture legible to inspection. This sapphire is natural, with no enhancement, and its provenance is Ceylon Sri Lanka, a region known for complex growth zoning and a broad palette of pastel to medium saturations. The Natural Sapphire Company stands behind the materials origin and treatment status.

The color distribution across this piece reads as a carefully balanced multi color field, with soft blue to steel blue wavelengths at one end transitioning into warm straw and honey tones along discrete growth sectors. The medium color intensity is an asset, because it preserves translucency and allows internal features to modulate color rather than conceal it. Under directional light the stone exhibits subtle pleochroic shifts, with blue, gray, and yellow brown axes becoming apparent as the pavilion and crown planes are rotated. This behavior is characteristic of corundum with anisotropic absorption and is especially attractive in a rough crystal cut where long, linear facets emphasize the pleochroism. Designers and connoisseurs often pair this multicolor sapphire with White Opal to create a textural and color contrast, because the opals soft white body color and diffuse play of color provide a luminous backdrop that amplifies the sapphires internal color zoning without competing with it. The result is a dialog between the sapphires structural chromatic layers and the opals broad spectral scatter.

The inclusions in this stone constitute its primary signature, and they are both diagnostic and aesthetically compelling. Fine oriented silk is present as millimeter scale needle arrays that align with the crystal growth direction, producing a soft diffusion of light that reduces harsh reflectance and imparts a velvety internal character. Discrete mineral platelets occur within several growth sectors, appearing as micro reflective islands that catch light at specific orientations and produce pin point flashes against the stones translucent body. There are angular crystal inclusions and occasional negative crystal cavities that preserve the morphology of trapped precursor phases, and these features are rimmed by subtle zoned color staining that follows the growth fronts. Inclusions of this sort create internal maps and filamentary networks that are visible with a loupe and that contribute to the stones fingerprint when the piece is recorded for inventory. The combination of oriented silk, platelets, and negative crystals, together with growth zoning, is consistent with Ceylon growth dynamics, and in this example these elements are distributed in a way that avoids concentration near the table, thereby maintaining eye level clarity while providing textural interest under magnification. Because the gem is unheated, these inclusions are stable and integral to the materials identity rather than the result of post excavation treatment.

From a practical perspective, the rough crystal cut and the stones inclusion architecture suggest particular approaches to setting and mounting. Orienting the long axis of the stone to run with the needle silk will emphasize the stones linear character and pleochroic shifts, while open back or low bezel settings will preserve translucency and permit transmitted light to reveal the internal maps. Metals with a warm tone will harmonize with the stones yellow brown sectors, while white metals will accentuate the blue facets and the opalescent references when paired with White Opal. Because the piece has excellent polish and no enhancement, standard care for corundum is appropriate, using gentle soapy water and a soft brush to maintain luster. For collectors this stone represents a collectible specimen level sapphire from Sri Lanka, offering a readable internal history in the form of oriented silk, mineral platelets, and negative crystals that together create an unmistakable signature. The Natural Sapphire Company documents the origin and treatment status of this gem, and we recommend viewing the piece under oblique light and a 10 times loupe to appreciate the full complexity of its inclusions and color zoning before committing to a design.