Colored Gemstones
Loose Sapphires for Engagement Rings
More than 900 natural sapphires in stock, teal, blue, pink, yellow, white and parti, every single one filmed in 360°. Pair any sapphire with a Hitched setting online, or see your shortlist in person in Philadelphia, Washington D.C. or Chicago.
Why sapphire is the serious alternative to diamond
Sapphire is corundum, the second-hardest gem used in jewelry at 9 on the Mohs scale, which is why it is one of very few colored stones a gemologist will recommend without hesitation for a ring worn every day. It shrugs off the scratches that dull softer gems, holds a polish for decades, and has centuries of engagement-ring history behind it, from Napoleon’s ring to the royal blue sapphire now on the hand of the Princess of Wales.
What most shoppers discover on this page is that blue is only the beginning. Our inventory runs from oceanic teals, the color that has defined modern sapphire rings, through cornflower and royal blues, soft pinks, peaches, yellows, whites, and parti sapphires that split two colors across one stone. Because sapphire is priced on color quality rather than a letter grade, a spectacular stone often costs a fraction of a comparable diamond.
Every sapphire here is natural, individually photographed, and filmed in 360°, because color gems cannot be bought from a grading report. The video is the truth: tone, saturation and the way the color shifts as the stone turns.
Choosing a sapphire, the short version
Color is everything, and personal. Aim for a color you love at the tone you love, medium tones show color in every light, darker tones look inky indoors and vivid outdoors. Clarity matters less than in diamonds; eye-clean is the standard, and minor silk can actually soften and improve a sapphire’s color. Cut is about color return rather than sparkle math, which is why our 360° videos matter more than any spec row.
Nearly all fine sapphires are heat-treated, a stable, centuries-old practice that improves color permanently and is fully disclosed. Unheated stones command a premium for rarity, not for beauty.
Questions, answered
Are sapphires durable enough for an engagement ring?
Yes. Sapphire is a 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, harder than every natural gem except diamond, and it has no cleavage planes to split along. It is one of the few colored gemstones gemologists recommend unreservedly for daily wear, which is why it has been an engagement-ring stone for centuries.
What colors do sapphires come in?
Every color except red, a red corundum is a ruby. Our 900-plus stone inventory includes teal, royal and cornflower blue, pink, peach, yellow, white, lavender and parti sapphires that show two colors in one stone. Blue is the tradition; teal is the color defining modern sapphire engagement rings.
What is a teal sapphire?
A teal sapphire shows a blue-green color, usually from Australia, Madagascar or Montana, that shifts between blue and green as the light moves. No two are alike, which is why each of ours is filmed in 360°: the video shows the exact balance of blue to green you would be wearing, something no written grade can convey.
How much does a sapphire engagement ring stone cost?
Our sapphires over one carat start around $1,500, with exceptional teals and fine blues ranging from $2,500 to $8,000 and beyond. Sapphires are priced on color quality, origin and treatment rather than a standardized grade, so two stones of identical weight can differ widely, and the beautiful one is not always the expensive one.
Are your sapphires heated or unheated?
Both, and every stone’s treatment is disclosed on its detail card. Heat treatment is a stable, permanent, centuries-old standard practice that improves color and clarity; the majority of fine sapphires worldwide are heated. Unheated stones carry a rarity premium and certification where applicable.
Can I see sapphires in person before deciding?
Yes. Shortlist any stones on this page and book a viewing in Philadelphia, Washington D.C. or Chicago. Color gems deserve to be seen on the hand and under different light, and we will have your selection ready with a gemologist. The viewing deposit applies to your purchase.