In its purest form, this aluminum oxide is colorless. These are the impurities and other elements that will determine its color. When using the term sapphire, you imply blue sapphire. In Greek "sappheiros" means "blue stone". It is the combination of impurities such as iron and titanium which gives it this color so deemed and coveted. The more the sapphire contains iron, the more its blue is pronounced.

- Its provenance: Just like for ruby, Asia is the cradle of sapphire. The three sources that have most marked its story are cashmere, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Blue sapphires from these locations are considered to be of better quality than nowhere else. Sri Lanka represents one of the richest lands in gems in the world. Most of the sapphires considered to be of superior quality and whose weight exceeds 100 carats come from Sri Lanka. Depending on its provenance, different terms and characteristics are attributed to sapphire, sometimes otherwise. And it is not easy to assert the origin of a stone by simply based on its brilliance, its inclusions, the intensity of its color ... For example, we call "Sapphire cashmere" sapphire whose color S 'Apparent to that of the blueberry by its dominant viole-blue color with pure velvety blue and its depth, typical criteria of sapphires from cashmere. This kind of sapphire is very rare. Other important Asian sources are Thailand, Vietnam, China and Cambodia. More generally, there are also sapphires in Africa (Niger, Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania) and Madagascar, where many sapphires have been extracted for decades. They are often sold elsewhere under the name of sapphire of Sri Lanka or Ceylon. There are also other sources such as Australia and the United States (in the state of Montana). Most sapphires are cut in Asia.

-A rainbow of sapphires: The sapphire has a hidden side ... It can take a multitude of appearances, thus filling the most demanding of its admirers ... One of the most coveted colors is orange-rose, pink orange: it is the famous padparadscha , which means "lotus flower" in Cingalese. This sublime color comparable to the flesh of a mature guava raises this sapphire to the row of the noblest and most estimated. It owes its color to elements such as iron and chrome. Its color is unique. Like the Padparadscha, the sapphires of an intense sparkling pink are very popular because they are not very common and of unparalleled beauty. Their color is largely due to chrome. A combination of iron, chrome and titanium generally contributes to giving its purple color to sapphire. There are pourpres-red sapphires whose color is not due to chrome but to the Beryllium presence. Green sapphires hold their color of several elements including iron and titanium. It is not always easy to find green sapphires of strong intensity and vibrant shine. Other stones such as tsavorites, tourmalines generally have a brighter green. The iron also occurs in the yellow-orange color of a sapphire.

Some traces of chrome sometimes infiltrate to give this color. Colorful sapphire or called "leukosaphir" (leuco signifier white, colorless in Greek) is the purest of sapphires since it is not colored by impurity. It has often been used as a diamond substitute and is now more affordable. Just as is the black sapphire, which has nevertheless experienced a good period with the success of black diamonds. Philippe Tournaire likes to paint with the color palette offered by sapphire, gem full of surprises. By associating them, the jewelry craftsman creates its own harmony: sparkling colors spring from the painting to give it life. This is the magic of the rainbow of sapphires!