One of the most popular gemstones in its blue colors. Very dark grayish or greenish stones are abundant, as are heat-treated stones.

Grayish "geuda" is routinely heat-treated to improve color and clarity and provides the bulk of the sapphires seen today. Fine blue stones over 5 carats are rare and valuable. Another highly prized variety is the medium pinkish-orange padparadscha.

Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Burma, Thailand, Australia, Montana, and the Umba Valley region of east Africa provide a wide variety of colors.