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?
4-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.
- 2Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Green Sapphire typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 3Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, yellow-green, blue-green.
- 4Look 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).
How to tell apart: Green Sapphire is noticeably harder (Mohs 9 vs. 6.5-7).
How to tell apart: Green Sapphire is noticeably harder (Mohs 9 vs. 8).
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
- 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, 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.
