1.30 Ct. Bluish Green Sapphire from Madagascar

This 1.30 carat cushion shaped bluish green sapphire presents an exacting set of proportions for a gem intended to balance color saturation with optical performance. The stone measures 6.65 by 5.51 by 3.89 millimeters, producing a depth-to-average-diameter ratio of approximately 64 percent, a proportion that supports strong face-up color without overly sacrificing light return. The cutter has executed a mixed brilliant faceting scheme, combining a brilliant-style crown with a more structured pavilion faceting plan to harmonize scintillation and color distribution. The cushion silhouette, with its gently rounded corners and slightly domed crown, enhances perceived size and lends the pavilion facets room to create lively contrast patterns. An excellent polish indicates precise facet junctions and clean, mirror-like facet planes, optimizing internal reflection and the crispness of the stone’s scintillation.

Color is technical and nuanced, described as bluish green with a medium intense saturation. This balance of blue and green components yields a hue that presents distinctly blue in some orientations and greener in others, a behavior consistent with the dichroic tendencies sapphire can display. The medium intensity produces a versatile face-up appearance that reads well both in direct light, where the blue telegraphs more strongly, and in diffuse lighting, where the green undertone becomes more apparent. Because the gem is unenhanced, its native chromophore balance is intact and unaltered by heat or diffusion treatments, so the tone and saturation you see are the stone’s natural characteristics. The mixed brilliant architecture is particularly suitable for this color grade; the brilliant crown facets return light in flashes that brighten the blue component, while the pavilion arrangement retains deeper color in the windowed areas, producing a lively interplay between brilliance and color saturation.

Clarity is graded as very slightly included when evaluated at eye level, a designation that in practice means the stone has only minor natural features visible to a trained observer under normal viewing conditions. These inclusions do not materially interfere with the gem’s transparency or its ability to transmit and reflect light, and they serve as reliable indicators of natural origin and growth history. From a gemological perspective, the combination of very slight inclusions with excellent polish and the stone’s transparent body allows for optimal light performance: strong return, noticeable scintillation across the crown, and clear contrast between pavilion reflections. The cushion’s proportions and the precision of the mixed brilliant faceting ensure that inclusions remain visually unobtrusive, typically localized or masked by facet reflections, while the excellent finish minimizes surface light leakage and preserves visual depth.

Provenance significantly augments the intrinsic attributes of this sapphire. Originating from Madagascar, this stone carries the geological and market connotations associated with one of the world’s most important modern sapphire sources. Madagascar sapphires are valued for the breadth of hues they produce and for the frequent occurrence of attractive, unheated material that exhibits naturally balanced color and good clarity. For collectors and connoisseurs, documented origin from Madagascar adds provenance value because it places the stone within a known geological context where trace element chemistry and crystal growth conditions produce distinctive hues and appealing optical properties. At The Natural Sapphire Company we emphasize provenance because it informs both aesthetic expectations and long-term market desirability. The fact that this sapphire is unenhanced, combined with its measured proportions, mixed brilliant cut, and excellent polish, makes it an appealing choice for high-quality settings where natural color and traceable origin are priorities, and it is particularly well-suited to open-prong or low-bezel settings that allow light to enter across the crown and display the stone’s full range of bluish green tones.