Color : Various colors (Blue, yellow, green, white, colorless, pink, orange, brown, and purple), except for red.
Hardness : 9

Fine Sapphires are found in Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Thailand, Australia, and Cambodia. Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, China, Vietnam, Madagascar, and the United States also produce some sapphire. The non-red variety of corundum is Sapphire, encompasses all colors of corundum aside from red (Ruby). The most famous and valuable sapphires have a medium intense, vivid blue color, a truly royal hue. Any black, gray, or green overtones mixed in with the blue will reduce its value. Sapphire is the most precious of blue gemstones. It is a most desirable gem due to its color, hardness, durability, and luster. The blue color is by far the most popular color for sapphire but a rare orange-pink variety, known as padparadscha, is even more valued than blue sapphire.