While sapphires account for 85% of the 130 precious gemstone varieties mined in Sri Lanka, none of the Ceylon Sapphire varieties is as popular around the world as Ceylon Blue Sapphires, gem corundum that displays a celebrated shade of blue comparable with the hue of cornflowers.
Ceylon Blue Sapphires are mostly mined from primarily alluvial deposits located in the highland complex of Sri Lanka. Rough sapphire from the Elahera region is reputed to be the best of quality while new rich deposits were found in the Kataragama klippe in the Thammannawa, Kataragama area.
Catapulted to global fame through a series of famous stones found throughout the centuries, the country is also a popular destination for large blue sapphires and blue star sapphires over the size of 100 carats.
Widely identified for its characteristic lighter and brighter blue, Ceylon Blue Sapphires were traded around the world as far as the 2nd Century A.D and had been acclaimed for their clarity and saturation.
Since ancient times, the most valued blue sapphires were velvety blue to violetish blue, in medium to medium-dark tones. Even in today’s global market sapphires with similar qualities command the highest prices per carat.
At present, some of the world’s largest blue sapphires and star sapphires have originated from Sri Lanka including Blue Giant of the Orient, Logan Sapphire, and the Star of Adam and Ceylon Blue Sapphires are celebrated worldwide for clarity, transparency and saturation.
