Sapphire comes in every color except red. GIA, the Gemological Institute of America, explains that red corundum is called ruby, and sapphires that are not blue are called fancy sapphires: pink, orange, yellow, green, purple and violet. Add colorless (sold as white sapphire), the trade's teal and padparadscha, and you have the full sapphire color range.
This guide explains what each color is, what causes it, which shades GIA rates most highly, what to ask about treatment, and what one ring in each color cost at Capucinne on 19 October 2026.
What sapphire is, and why it comes in so many colors
Sapphire is the mineral corundum, with a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, according to GIA. Its color comes from tiny amounts of other elements in the crystal. GIA explains that when the trace elements are iron and titanium, the corundum is blue sapphire, and that chromium causes the red of ruby or the pink of pink sapphire.
That is also why ruby and sapphire are the same material. The name depends on the color: red is ruby, every other color is sapphire.
Sapphire colors, one by one
| Color | What GIA says | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | The most valued blue sapphires are "velvety blue to violetish blue, in medium to medium-dark tones," with strong to vivid saturation | Grayish, too light or too dark blues are less valuable |
| Pink | Ranges from light red (pink) to light purple, outside the color ranges for ruby or purple sapphire | Colored by chromium, like ruby |
| Padparadscha | An "extremely rare and collectible" mix of pink and orange, light to medium pinkish orange to orange-pink | A trade name for a narrow color range; not every peach sapphire qualifies |
| Orange | The finest are strong, pure orange to red-orange with medium tone and vivid saturation | GIA says such gems typically have much higher value than many other fancy sapphires |
| Yellow | The finest is yellow to orangy yellow with vivid saturation | |
| Green | Uniformly green sapphires that are saturated in color are rare, and many collectors prize them | |
| Purple and violet | Listed among GIA's fancy sapphire colors | Lavender is a light purple |
| Teal | Not a color name on GIA's page | A trade name for sapphire between blue and green; see our teal sapphire guide |
| White | Not one of GIA's fancy colors; colorless sapphire is sold as white sapphire | Used as an alternative to a diamond center stone; see white sapphire vs diamond |
GIA also describes two special effects. Color-change sapphires look different colors under different light, and for those the strength of the change is the most important quality factor. Star sapphires show a six-rayed star and must be cut as a rounded cabochon; the best have a crisp, distinct star against strongly saturated color.
How color affects a sapphire's price
GIA is direct about it: color has the greatest influence on a sapphire's value. In general, it says, the more intense and uniform the color, the more valuable the stone, and sapphires with strong to vivid saturation command the highest prices per carat.
Three practical points follow:
- Evenness matters. GIA notes that color zoning, areas of different color within one stone, is common in sapphire. A stone that looks patchy face-up is worth less than an even one.
- Names are not grades. "Teal," "peach" and "cornflower" are sellers' words, not lab grades. One Capucinne ring below is titled "silvery green," while its own spec lists the color as "light blue/teal." Judge the stone by photos and video in daylight, not by its name.
- Small stones barely change in price by color. Capucinne's Floral Gemstone stud earrings, with 2.5 mm stones, cost $950 to $960 in 14k yellow gold whether the stones are blue, pink, orange or yellow sapphire. Color drives price far more in a center stone than in small accents.
Treated and lab-created sapphires
Treatment is the question to ask about any sapphire color. The FTC Jewelry Guides, section 23.24, say it is unfair or deceptive not to disclose that a gemstone has been treated when the treatment is not permanent, creates special care needs, or significantly affects value.
Treatment can change color. GIA's journal Gems & Gemology has documented beryllium diffusion, a high-temperature treatment that it says was soon producing "a full range of corundum colors," and that took highly sensitive lab analysis to detect.
How often sellers tell you is another matter. Of 455 sapphire listings at Capucinne that we read on 19 October 2026, 43 stated a treatment: 26 said unheated and 17 said low-temperature heat. The other listings, including all six rings below, said nothing either way. That is not evidence of anything hidden, but it is a reason to ask before you buy, and to ask for a lab report on a costly stone.
Lab-created sapphire is corundum grown in a laboratory; GIA notes synthetic sapphire is durable enough to be used for supermarket scanner windows. Under section 23.25 of the FTC Guides, a seller must put a word such as "laboratory-created" or "laboratory-grown" right before the name of the stone. Our guide to whether lab-grown diamonds are real explains the same rule for diamonds.
Sapphire colors, priced: one ring in each color
These are Capucinne rings, one per color family, priced in 14k gold on 19 October 2026 (white, yellow and rose gold were one price on each). They differ in design and stone size, so treat them as examples of each color, not as a price comparison between colors.
Elle Pear Blue Sapphire Ring
14k gold, any color · 1.3 ct pale blue pear, blue sapphire side stones
Blue: a lighter, softer blue than the medium to dark tones GIA rates most highly.
$3,190 ring, 14k
Check price at Capucinne: Elle Pear Blue Sapphire Ring, 14k gold, any color (opens in a new tab)
Jayda Round Teal Sapphire Ring
14k gold, any color · 0.8 ct round, listed as teal/blue
Teal: a trade name for sapphire between blue and green.
$2,090 ring, 14k
Check price at Capucinne: Jayda Round Teal Sapphire Ring, 14k gold, any color (opens in a new tab)
Jeanie Pear Silvery Green Sapphire Ring
14k gold, any color · 1.3 ct pear, white diamond accents
Named silvery green, but the listing spec says light blue/teal: judge the photos, not the name.
$3,700 ring, 14k
Check price at Capucinne: Jeanie Pear Silvery Green Sapphire Ring, 14k gold, any color (opens in a new tab)
Eliana Oval Peach Sapphire Ring
14k gold, any color · 0.8 ct oval, white diamond accents
Peach: a pink-orange shade. Only stones in a narrow pinkish orange to orange-pink range are called padparadscha.
$1,410 ring, 14k
Check price at Capucinne: Eliana Oval Peach Sapphire Ring, 14k gold, any color (opens in a new tab)
Yasmine Oval Lavender Sapphire Ring
14k gold, any color · 0.8 ct oval, diamond halo
Lavender: a light purple, one of GIA’s fancy sapphire colors.
$2,710 ring, 14k
Check price at Capucinne: Yasmine Oval Lavender Sapphire Ring, 14k gold, any color (opens in a new tab)
Amy Round White Sapphire Ring
14k gold, any color · 0.9 ct round, salt and pepper diamond accents
White: colorless sapphire, used as an alternative to a diamond center stone.
$1,780 ring, 14k
Check price at Capucinne: Amy Round White Sapphire Ring, 14k gold, any color (opens in a new tab)Prices checked October 19, 2026 at Capucinne. Prices change, so confirm at checkout. Product photos: Capucinne. We earn a commission if you buy through these links.
Durability check: at 9 on the Mohs scale, sapphire is hard enough for a ring worn every day. Diamond, at 10 under the FTC's definition, is harder. If you are weighing a sapphire against a diamond on budget, our guide to engagement rings under $5,000 shows what a diamond costs at each size, and what carat means explains how stone weight works for sapphires as well. To see how sapphire ranks against every other ring stone, see our guide to the best gemstones for engagement rings.
How we researched this
Color definitions, value factors, trace elements and hardness come from GIA's sapphire quality-factor, description and overview pages, read on 19 October 2026, and treatment research from GIA's Gems & Gemology. Disclosure rules are from sections 23.24 and 23.25 of the FTC Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries (16 CFR Part 23). We read every Capucinne product listing with "sapphire" in its title (455) from the store's own catalog on 19 October 2026 to count treatment statements, and recorded each ring's 14k price from its listing.
Sources: GIA, Sapphire Quality Factors; GIA, Sapphire Description; GIA, Sapphire; GIA, Gems & Gemology on beryllium in sapphire; FTC Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR 23.24 and 23.25. Prices checked 19 October 2026 at Capucinne. JewelEditor Editorial.