1.40 Ct. Yellow Sapphire from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

This certified yellow sapphire from Ceylon offered by The Natural Sapphire Company is a 1.40 carat, transparent fancy shape measuring 5.88 x 8.35 x 2.96 mm, with a faint yellow color and very slightly included clarity evaluated at eye level. The gem has been heat treated, a stable and well understood enhancement that refines tone and saturation while preserving the stone structure. The cut is a step cut, executed to emphasize planar facets and broad reflective planes rather than the intense scintillation associated with brilliant cuts. The excellent polish across crown and pavilion facets maximizes surface luster and allows the stone to present a clear, architectural light performance that is characteristic of finely executed step cutting in corundum.

From a cutting and craftsmanship perspective, this fancy shaped step cut demonstrates precise facet junctions and consistent symmetry along its elongated outline, with a length to width ratio of approximately 1.42, creating an elegant, elongated profile suitable for bespoke settings. The step cut concentrates the viewer on the stone s clarity and its internal architecture, producing mirror like flashes that travel across the table and pavilion steps as the stone is moved. The cutter has prioritized broad, even facet planes and controlled pavilion proportions to optimize light return for corundum s refractive properties, and the excellent polish reduces surface diffusion so that internal features and the faint yellow tone read cleanly through the gem. The girdle thickness is calibrated to support secure mounting while maintaining proportional balance between crown height and pavilion depth, ensuring structural integrity without sacrificing optical performance.

In terms of color and optical behavior, this faint yellow sapphire exhibits a subtle warmth that acts as a luminous veil rather than a saturated field, and this faint tone contributes to a high level of apparent brightness in daylight and mixed lighting. Corundum s refractive index of approximately 1.76 to 1.77 and its high surface luster produce a distinctly different brilliance character than that of diamond. Diamond, with its higher dispersion and dispersion value around 0.044, yields strong fire and scintillation, particularly in a round brilliant cut. By contrast, this step cut yellow sapphire, with corundum s dispersion near 0.018, delivers restrained fire but exceptional directional reflectivity and a satin like brilliance that emphasizes clarity and color over fractured scintillation. Compared with more common brilliant cut sapphires, many of which are cut to maximize scintillation, this step cut controls light in broader flashes, resulting in a sophisticated, architectural presence that reads as luminous rather than glittering, while offering a visual scale that often appears larger per carat due to its elongated table and shallow crown design.

For the buyer who values technical refinement, provenance, and cutting excellence, this Ceylon yellow sapphire represents an exceptional option. The very slightly included clarity grading at eye level means that inclusions do not distract from the clean planes and light return, and the heat treatment is a conventional enhancement that stabilizes color without compromising durability. The gem is ideally suited to designs that showcase its step cut silhouette, such as bezel settings that protect the girdle and emphasize the stone s planar geometry, or minimal claw settings that allow the stepped pavilion reflections to interact with surrounding metal. The Natural Sapphire Company offers this sapphire with full certification and attentive mounting recommendations, and our craftsmen can advise on prong geometry and metal selection to complement the faint yellow tone and achieve optimal light performance in final jewellery.