Do all yellow sapphires shift?

[pregcurious]

I have been looking for a yellow sapphire, and I think I may have found the one. However, outdoors, or in fluorescent lighting it is every so slightly green In incandescent light, it is a nice yellow. Do all yellow sapphires shift like this? I was hoping to find one that keeps its color, but if that's not realistic, I would settle.

 

[chrono]

I'm not sure as I've not shopped for any yellow sapphires. Based on what I know about blue sapphires, they all shift under indoor lighting. It might be the same for the other colours as they are from the same corundum family.

 

[LD]

Does it have fluor Preg? If it does that may be the reason.

I honestly thought you were going to say it went more brown or pale so I was surprised to read green!

The other possibility is that you have a colour shifter.

 

[pregcurious]

It is a slight color shifter from Umba according to the vendor. When it shifts, it is slightly paler yellow, with a greenish color, but it is still definitely yellow. I'm a little torn because it is the perfect shape and size for my setting, and is untreated. I am paranoid about posting it because I don't want it to get swiped. I know if it has fluor but will ask (I have not seen it in person.) (I have a peach Umba sapphire that turns a very pretty light pink under fluorescent lights.)

I know that MelSyd1302 recently bought a beautiful yellow sapphire from Jeff White.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/setting-ideas-for-9-5mm-yellow-round-sapphire.179254/#post-3262510#p3262510']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/setting-ideas-for-9-5mm-yellow-round-sapphire.179254/#post-3262510#p3262510[/URL]
MelSyd, if you are out there, please let me know if your yellow shifts.

Ugh, I need to stop buying stones and should start setting the ones I have. I have an illness.

 

[Fly Girl]

It's a function of the visible light spectrum. The color range for pure yellow is quite narrow, so it is easy for a bit of orange or green to slip in.

When I was looking at yellow diamonds for a center stone, I had the same problem. I really didn't like the greenish tinge, so I ended up buying a colorless diamond instead. It was easier.

 

[pregcurious]

Thanks Fly Girl. I guess I prefer that it shifts towards green than orange.

 

[corundum_conundrum]

Hi pregcurious,

I've been on the hunt for a yellow sapphire without green undertones or shift for some time. I'm far from an expert, but I've looked at a lot of stones and talked to a lot of experts. I think I know what stone you are looking at, btw Its nicely priced, in my opinion.

Cutters I've spoken to all seem to indicate that most unheated yellows will show at least a bit of green. Unheated yellows that show no green are rare, but they are out there. Its much easier to find a heated yellow that never goes to green than an unheated yellow that stays pure yellow.

So that's what the experts say. My own experience is that the shift or undertones will vary from stone to stone. Some take a moderate shift to green, while some go almost totally green. I think the stone you are looking at exhibits about an average shift to green, although its somewhat unusual in that it does not appear to show ANY green indoors. I'm not sure its possible to find a yellow sapphire that looks identical in indoor and outdoor lighting. Its reflecting different kinds and intesities of light in these two environments, and therefore will look different. I think you are more likely to find an unheated yellow that looks like a nice bright yellow outside, and goes a bit golden inside, than you are to find a stone that is bright yellow indoors and doesn't shift to greenish outside. Again, not impossible, just rare.

 

[chel180]

I love yellow sapphires and have spent a fair bit of time hunting for the right ones. I've found that most of them have some color shift indoors vs outdoors. Green is the more common one. That said I have seen a couple with none but they were rare and very beautiful.

 

[innerkitten]

I have a yellow sapphire and after reading this I tried it in a few different lighting conditions to see if it changed. I guess maybe it shifts a bit, but I wouldn't call it dramatic like some spinels shift. Also it doesn't have green in it ( so it doesn't shift to green). It's yellow with secondary gold. Mine is heated for sure and I haven't sent it off to a lab for any testing. One of these days I will. When I'm closer to setting it. I love yellows too!

 

[pregcurious]

Thanks ladies. I am going to wait for one that does not shift.