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Gemstones like blue sapphire are as expensive as exquisite. Just like diamonds, the price of colored gemstones is also determined on the basis of their quality, and quality is further assessed based on standards set for four criteria i.e., the famous 4 C’s. Although, the measures of evaluating each parameter are slightly different for colored crystals than for diamonds.
Natural Blue Sapphire is a popular colored crystal that ranks highest in the lane of the most valuable gemstones. The price range of blue sapphire gems holds a huge scale. Neelam Stone price starts from INR 5000 to INR 10,00,000 and above depending upon the quality. They are highly sought-after gems owing to their remarkable durability with the Mohs scale hardness of 9 (next only to diamonds with the highest rank of 10) and beautiful royal blue color.
In general perception, the name ‘sapphire stone’ with no color prefix refers to blue sapphire only because of its popularity.
However, Sapphire, on the contrary, encompasses all the precious gem varieties of the mineral family Corundum, except Ruby stone , the red Corundum. Natural sapphires are originally found in yellow, blue, and white colors.
Other popular shades such as green, pink, peach, purple, etc are a result of some heat or chemical treatments processed over them. Today in this article, we are emphasizing on how cut, color, clarity, carat weight, and treatment affect the value of
a sapphire stone.
Blue Sapphire stone is widely used in astrological as well as aesthetical purposes around the world. Besides the beauty and luster, these are praised for several other causes. On the astrological grounds, it is referred as Neelam Ratna, and is worn for various reasons.
It ranges from healing and protection to most importantly, shielding from the rage of the planet Saturn (Shani Grah). From fashion gifting to engagement trinkets, this stunning blue crystal has always been in high demand across the global gem industry.
Thus, if you are also considering to buy blue sapphire online or offline anytime soon, here we have broken down the 4 C’s for sapphires and summarized a quick price guide for the same.
No matter if you are buying the gem online or from a local gem store, it is always better to gain beforehand knowledge about how the prices vary as per a variation in the factors of quality parameters and place of origin. Hope this article helps you
to make an informed decision.
A precise and skillful cut results in the best appearance of any gemstone. Perfect facets not only work to significantly enhance the color of a crystal but also conceal most of its visible inclusions. Consequently, better facet cutting accordingly raises the quality and eventually the price of a Blue Sapphire stone .
Another key cause for the high cost of a faceted Blue Sapphire stone is that such cutting incurs a huge wastage of rough stone and thus demands highly skilled labor. All of these factors are compensated by the high price. Though you can also go for
economical options with simple cuts like round or oval, and cabochons, etc.
When it comes to the pricing part of excessively precious crystals like sapphires, color plays a vital role. Blue sapphire colors vary from pale, vivid to extreme dark hue. The intensity of the color depends upon trace elements like iron and titanium. Other key attributes for instance color saturation, consistency, and tone also have a significant part in the determination of the price.
According to the general norm of the global gem industry, a sapphire with a pure blue hue and sharply saturated bright luster is more in demand than those with a dusky or too dark of a color tone.
For instance, Kashmir blue sapphire is the most expensive blue sapphire in the world. This is because of the velvety hue which is difficult to find in any other blue colored stone. The sapphire price for those obtained from Kashmir ranges from INR 35,000 to INR 1lakhs and above depending upon the quality.
Sapphire Value Chart Based on Color
|
Color Type |
Description |
Clarity Level |
Origin |
Price Per Carat |
|
Vivid Blue Sapphire |
Highly saturated, intense blue color. Most desirable and valuable |
Very High |
Kashmir, Sri Lanka |
INR 80,000 to INR 10 lakhs |
|
Deep rich blue with strong saturation; slightly darker than vivid. |
High |
Burma, Madagascar |
Royal Blue sapphire price starts from INR 50,000 – INR 3,00,000 |
|
|
Features rare cornflower blue color |
Very High |
Kashmir, Sri Lanka |
INR 75,000 – INR 4,00,000 |
|
|
Dark Blue Neelam |
Deep navy or inky blue; may appear almost black in low light. |
Flawless to Included |
Montana, Madagascar, Sri Lanka |
Dark Blue Sapphire price ranges from INR 15,000-50,000 |
|
Medium Blue Neelam |
Popular for its color tone, not too dark not too light |
High |
Sri Lanka, Madagascar |
INR 30,000 – INR 1,50,000 |
|
Pale Blue Neelam |
Light blue tone |
Medium |
Sri Lanka, Madagascar |
INR 10,000 to INR 50,000 |
Blue Sapphire is among those gemstones that naturally carry inclusions with it. These visible inclusions usually exist in the form of fingerprints, color bands, and fine silk (needles). A large number of sapphires in the market are found included.
At times, several treatments are carried out to improve the scale of clarity. Therefore, the existence of inclusions in these gemstones is normally neglected both by buyers and sellers.
It is not merely the presence of inclusions that impacts the clarity and ultimately the value of Neelam stone but also the type, location, and volume of inclusions, which also affects the prices of this blue gem. You will be barely able to locate very few pieces with eye-clean clarity and being rare they are priced highly expensive.
Also Read: Blue Sapphire Price Guide - II
Natural Blue Sapphire stone is a highly rare and precious crystal. Henceforth, gems over a certain carat weight (3 carat and above) are rarely discovered in the business of natural and unheated sapphires.
A Neelmani of large size can be of very poor quality in terms of color and clarity and hence is not much worthy. Regardless of the size, if a natural sapphire is of royal blue color and carries eye-clean clarity, it will certainly value more in the market.
In simple words, we can say that if the quality remains the same, only then a larger Neelam ratna will fetch a much higher per-carat price.
