Sapphire (from Hebrew: ????? Sapir) is the single-crystal form of aluminium oxide (AlO), a mineral known as corundum. It 23 can be found naturally as gemstones or manufactured in large crystal boules for a variety of applications. Blue sapphires come in a wide range of hues. Titanium and iron inclusions within the aluminium oxide result in various shades of blue.

Fancy sapphires are any sapphire other than blue or red. Purple sapphires are lower in price than blue ones. These stones contain the trace element vanadium and come in a wide variety of shades. Yellow and green sapphires have traces of iron which gives them their color. Pink sapphires are have trace element of chromium and the deeper the color pink the higher the value as long as the color is going toward red of rubies. Color shift sapphires are blue in outdoor light and purple in indoor light. Colour changes may also be pink in daylight to greenish in fluorescent light. Some stones shift color well and others only partially, in that some stones go from blue to blue purple. White sapphires usually come out of the ground as light gray or brown and are then heated to make them clear. However in very rare circumstances they will be found in a clear state.