Sapphire — styles you will see at the showroom.

What to look at

Colour carries most of a sapphire's value, and evenness matters more than depth. Hold a stone under the counter lamp and turn it: look for zoning, the bands where blue thins out or pools in one corner. Most of what you will see is Thai and Sri Lankan material, and heat treatment is normal for both — if an unheated stone matters to you, ask, because the paperwork says so either way.

Cut is the part you can judge without training. A well-cut oval returns light across its whole face, while a stone cut to save weight goes dark or glassy in the middle. Sapphire sits just below diamond for hardness, so it takes daily wear better than emerald — one reason it fronts so many engagement rings on this floor.