Yellow Sapphire Cost

When Did Yellow Sapphires Become Popular?

Sapphires, a variety of the mineral corundum, get their name from the Greek word Sappheiros and the Latin word Sapphirus, which translates to “blue stone” because the first discovered sapphires were blue. The blue varieties of sapphires originated from the Kashmir region of India between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first yellow sapphires came from Sri Lanka, and mining in that area goes back 2000 years at least. Yellow sapphires are called “fancy” sapphires because they’re a color other than blue. Sapphires come in all sorts of colors including pink, green, and purple.

Today, yellow sapphires are a sought-after stone because of their bright, cheery color and meaning. These sparkling, valuable gemstones are said to bring the wearer luck, prosperity, and wisdom.

In addition to being beautiful, yellow sapphires have a hardness of 9 on the Mohs hardness scale, which means it’s a strong, durable stone that’s ideal for fine jewelry. The growing popularity for yellow diamonds has increased the number of people who want yellow sapphire engagement rings.

Famous people who have worn Yellow Sapphire Jewelry

Yellow sapphires continue to be seen everywhere, and you’ll even see them on celebrities. Jenny McCarthy has a yellow sapphire custom engagement ring from Donnie Wahlberg. The large, 10-carat yellow sapphire is halo set with diamonds and set in 18 karat white gold. At the 2021 Oscars, actress Anya Taylor-Joy wore two pieces of yellow sapphire jewelry from Tiffany & Co. One was a platinum and yellow-gold bracelet with an 11-carat unenhanced yellow sapphire at its center, and rows of baguette-cut diamonds. The other piece was a platinum ring with an unenhanced yellow sapphire of over 17 carats and diamonds.

Yellow Sapphire Cost Factors

Like other gemstones, yellow sapphire’s cut, color, clarity, and carat weight impacts the cost.

Pricing

Like other gemstones, factors impact its quality, such as its carat weight, color, cut and clarity. The average price per carat for yellow sapphires is between $400 and $500 depending on the quality. It’s helpful to understand the factors that influence the price of yellow sapphires, so you can determine which grade is most important to you.

Carat Weight

The quality of the yellow sapphires impacts its cost, and larger yellow stones aren’t as rare as other gemstones. However, it is more rare to find unheated yellow sapphires with good color saturation and excellent clarity, especially in larger sizes. These are also the most valuable yellow sapphires.

Color

As you can imagine, the yellow sapphire’s color is an important factor in its quality grade. Yellow sapphires can range in color from greenish yellow to orangish-yellow and everything in between. You’ll see sapphires in pastel light yellow and lemon yellow, to a deep orange-yellow. Generally, the preferred yellow sapphire color is a medium, vibrant, canary yellow.

Cut

As with most gemstones, the cut is another important factor that affects your sapphire’s sparkle. If your stone has a poor cut, it will look dull and lifeless. Cut allows light and color to enter the stone and allow it to shine and sparkle.

Clarity

Inclusions demonstrate that the stone is a natural gemstone, but some inclusions can distract from the stone’s beauty. Effective gem cutting tries to cut the stone in a way that it includes the fewest amount of inclusions. Although especially rare for yellow sapphires, some stones are “eye clean,” meaning they don’t have any visible inclusions with the naked eye. However, yellow sapphires commonly have natural inclusions that you can see without magnification. Yellow sapphires with fewer inclusions will be the most valuable. Yellow sapphires with too many inclusions are repurposed into beads or another type of gemstone jewelry.

Many sapphires on the market today are treated in some way. The most common form is heat treatment. Typically gemstones are thermally enhanced to improve color and clarity. Heat treatments with high temperatures can change a pale yellow stone into a vibrant and rich gem. Although heat treatment is prevalent, stones with natural color and clarity are still highly sought-after.

Why Yellow Sapphires?

Bright yellow sapphires sparkle with intense color in various shades, so it’s no wonder they’re a popular gemstone. They’re an affordable gemstone with increasing value. In addition to its beauty, yellow sapphires are believed to symbolize luck, prosperity, and wisdom.