Yellow Sapphire is a gem-quality variety of Corundum colored by iron and trace impurities. Collectors prize the rich golden hues, often found in alluvial gravels or secondary deposits after being weathered from primary host rocks.
Is this yellow 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 yellow sapphire with a known reference. Yellow 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. Yellow Sapphire leaves a none streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Yellow Sapphire typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: yellow, golden, canary, lemon.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: hexagonal prisms or bipyramidal.
Often confused with
Yellow Sapphire vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Yellow Sapphire is noticeably harder (Mohs 9 vs. 7); streak differs — Yellow Sapphire leaves none, Citrine leaves white.
How to tell apart: Yellow Sapphire is noticeably harder (Mohs 9 vs. 7.5-8); streak differs — Yellow Sapphire leaves none, Yellow Beryl leaves white.
Often found alongside yellow sapphire
Minerals reported to co-occur with yellow 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
- 3.98-4.1 g/cm³
- Streak
- None
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Hexagonal Prisms or Bipyramidal
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Gemstone, Jewelry, Collector
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks, Pegmatites, And Alluvial Deposits
- Typical price
- $50-500 per carat depending on saturation and clarity
Where rockhounds find yellow sapphire
Classic worldwide localities
- Sri Lanka
- Madagascar
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Australia
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks, pegmatites, and alluvial deposits country — that is the host setting where yellow sapphire typically forms. If you start seeing spinel, zircon, kyanite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a hexagonal prisms or bipyramidal habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find yellow sapphire on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
