Pink sapphire is corundum whose color is pink rather than red. Chromium causes both its pink and the red of ruby.
In more detail
GIA's master stones require red to be the dominant hue before a stone is called ruby. Judging the dominant hue is subjective, so a stone near the line can get either name. Sri Lanka has traditionally called pink stones ruby. A lab report states the name that lab gives.
On a grading report
Variety: pink sapphire.
Related terms
- Ruby: Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum. Chromium causes its red color.
- Sapphire: Sapphire is corundum of any color other than red. The word alone means a blue stone; other colors take a color word, such as yellow sapphire.
- Fancy sapphire: A fancy sapphire is a sapphire of any color other than blue, such as yellow, orange, pink, purple or green.
- Hue: Hue is the basic color of a gem, such as red, blue or green. A second color can modify it, as in purplish red.
- Saturation: Saturation is the strength or purity of a gem's color, from grayish or brownish to vivid.