identified this stone yet
Natural Pink Sapphire
| Hardness | 9 |
| Specific gravity | 4.00 |
| Refractive index | 1.762-1.770 |
| Crystal system | 六方晶系（三方晶系） |
From pale baby pink through cherry-blossom and rose, to vivid hot pink and salmon tones approaching padparadscha. The most prized stones show clean, saturated pink without grey or brown undertones.
- in fine needles, sometimes hexagonally arranged
- nclusions
- Straight or hexagonal color zoning
- nclusions, occasionally with zircon halos
- Doubly refractive, uniaxial negative (subtle )
- Dichroism: pink and pale purplish pink
- 01Natural silk plus weak strongly supports natural origin
- 02 visible at 10× indicate Verneuil synthetic
- 03Round gas bubbles point to glass or flux synthetic
- 04Color concentrated on edges in immersion can indicate beryllium diffusion
- Mohs 9 — excellent daily wear durability
- Ultrasonic and steam are safe unless the stone is fracture-filled or diffusion-treated
- Store away from prolonged direct sunlight as a precaution for any rare unstable color
Roughly $200–$1,000 per carat for commercial Madagascar material, climbing to $5,000–$20,000+ per carat for top vivid pink and unheated Mogok stones.
Note: Heat treatment is standard and accepted in the trade. Beryllium-diffusion treatment to push toward padparadscha tones is a serious value issue and must be disclosed. Stones over 3 carats with unheated lab reports trade at a strong premium.
Pink sapphire is corundum (Al₂O₃) with light chromium content. Where the border between 'pink sapphire' and 'ruby' is drawn varies by lab and tradition — GIA leans more permissive toward calling lighter stones pink sapphire, while some Asian labs would classify the same stone as ruby. Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Myanmar, Tanzania, Montana and Vietnam all produce commercial quantities; Madagascar's Ilakaka has dominated supply since 1998.
Origins
Sri Lanka's Ratnapura district yields soft cherry-blossom pinks with a classic 'Ceylon' brightness. Madagascar's Ilakaka, opened in 1998, now drives global supply with vivid hot-pink and pinkish-purple material. Burmese Mogok produces rare, deeply saturated pinks with a slight purple cast. Tanzanian Tunduru, Montana and Vietnam round out the market with steely or slightly violet pinks.
History
For most of the 20th century pink sapphire was dismissed as 'second-rate ruby.' That changed in the late 1990s when Madagascar flooded the market with bright, clean pink material and designers began to feature it as a distinct stone. Princess Eugenie's 2018 engagement ring — a padparadscha-pinkish Sri Lankan center stone — accelerated its move into the engagement market alongside diamond.
Lore & symbolism
September's birthstone alongside blue sapphire. Pink sapphire has come to symbolize compassion, gentle love, and emotional resilience — themes that play well in modern bridal jewelry and gift-giving alike.
Tools to confirm this stone
Tools that help confirm Natural Pink Sapphire. Tap any item to jump to the matching section on the gem tools page.
- 10× loupeDETAILS →
Essential 10× tool to read inclusions, polish marks, and color zoning
- Chelsea filterDETAILS →
Quick chrome-content screen — chromium-bearing stones glow red through the filter
- UV lamp (long-wave 365 nm)DETAILS →
Long-wave UV reveals red fluorescence (moderate)
- Handheld spectroscopeDETAILS →
Absorption-line pattern identifies the chromophore (Cr, Fe, or Co)
- RefractometerDETAILS →
Refractive index (1.762–1.77) narrows the species
- Last reviewed
- April 28, 2026
- Bibliography
- Gem Encyclopedia / GIA (Gemological Institute of America)
- Gem Identification Standards / Central Gem Laboratory (CGL), Tokyo
- Mineral & Gem Database / Mindat.org / Gemdat.org
- Introduction to Gemology / Gemmological Association of All Japan (GAAJ)
The gemological data on this page (refractive index, specific gravity, hardness, crystal system, etc.) is cross-checked against the authoritative primary sources listed above. Values may be revised as gemological research advances.