Green sapphire is a color variant of corundum colored by trace elements like iron and titanium. Collectors look for stones with a vibrant forest green hue, as many specimens can appear overly dark or olive-toned. They are durable, hard gemstones typically found in alluvial deposits or metamorphic environments.
Is this green sapphire?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch green sapphire with a known reference. Green Sapphire sits at Mohs 9 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Green Sapphire leaves a none streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Green Sapphire typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellow-green, blue-green.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: hexagonal prisms or bipyramidal crystals.
Often confused with
Green Sapphire vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Green Sapphire is noticeably harder (Mohs 9 vs. 7-7.5); streak differs — Green Sapphire leaves none, Tourmaline leaves white.
How to tell apart: Green Sapphire is noticeably harder (Mohs 9 vs. 6.5-7); streak differs — Green Sapphire leaves none, Peridot leaves white.
How to tell apart: Green Sapphire is noticeably harder (Mohs 9 vs. 8); streak differs — Green Sapphire leaves none, Spinel leaves white.
Often found alongside green sapphire
Minerals reported to co-occur with green sapphire. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Al₂O₃
- Mohs hardness
- 9
- Density
- 3.95-4.10 g/cm³
- Streak
- None
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Hexagonal Prisms or Bipyramidal Crystals
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Gemstone, Lapidary, Collector
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks, Alluvial Gravels, Basaltic Flows
- Typical price
- $20-200 per carat for commercial quality, higher for fine untreated stones
Where rockhounds find green sapphire
2 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Sri Lanka
- Australia
- Thailand
- Madagascar
- Tanzania
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks, alluvial gravels, basaltic flows country — that is the host setting where green sapphire typically forms. If you start seeing spinel, garnet, zircon in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a hexagonal prisms or bipyramidal crystals habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Montana, North Carolina — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find green sapphire on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
