Sapphire Inclusions

First Published: 7 September 2026

Sapphire Inclusions

Explore sapphire inclusions in Hyperion, the Lotus Gemology inclusion database. Hyperion contains photomicrographs of inclusions and internal features in natural sapphire, documented with information on geographic origin, treatment, lighting conditions, field of view, photographer and published references.

This dark blue sapphire from a metamorphic source was sliced thin perpendicular to the c-axis, revealing a pale yellow core with a concentration of transparent birefringent crystals.
A terrace-like structure on this stacked negative crystal creates a distinctive internal landscape in this untreated sapphire from Sri Lanka. The large flat faces are basal pinacoid faces, which lie perpendicular to the c-axis.
A tiny winged crystal, likely uraninite, peeks out from behind a fingerprint in this untreated Sri Lankan sapphire.
A cloud of irregularly shaped platelets creates a confetti-like appearance in this Songea sapphire. Specimen courtesy Nomad’s.
Thin film decrepitation inclusions create a firework display in this beryllium diffused orange sapphire. These likely developed as a consequence of the sapphire being heat treated.
Thin film decrepitation inclusions create a firework display in this beryllium diffused orange sapphire. These likely developed as a consequence of the sapphire being heat treated.
Thin film decrepitation inclusions create a firework display in this beryllium diffused orange sapphire. These likely developed as a consequence of the sapphire being heat treated.
Thin film decrepitation inclusions create a firework display in this beryllium diffused orange sapphire. These likely developed as a consequence of the sapphire being heat treated.
Mirroring the play of light on water, thin-film inclusions shimmer within this sapphire.
The high temperature that this blue sapphire from Madagascar was exposed to during beryllium diffusion treatment melted part of the girdle of the stone. Also, in the lower right corner of the photo is the tiny ablation spot that the LIBS created in order to detect the beryllium.
The rose channels in this Madagascar blue sapphire have melted and begun to “neck down” due to the high temperature it was exposed to during beryllium diffusion treatment.
As the gas bubble contracts under fiber-optic light heating, only prismatic dark crystals and diaspore needles remain in this negative crystal.

Sapphire inclusions may include mineral crystals, rutile silk, healed fissures, fluid inclusions, negative crystals, color zoning and other features formed during or after crystal growth. Such features are important to gemologists because they can provide evidence useful in identifying sapphire, understanding its geological history, recognizing treatment and, in some cases, determining geographic origin.

Sapphire Inclusion Photomicrographs

The Hyperion sapphire gallery includes microscopic features found in sapphires from major deposits around the world. Each entry is accompanied by descriptive information and, where available, references to the gemological literature.

What Inclusions Can Reveal About Sapphire

Inclusions are an important part of sapphire identification. Their form, composition, orientation and alteration can help gemologists distinguish natural sapphire from synthetic material, recognize evidence of heat treatment, and study the geological environment in which the sapphire formed.

Hyperion combines inclusion photomicrography with supporting gemological information so that individual features can be compared with documented examples from known sapphire deposits.

About Hyperion

Hyperion is the Lotus Gemology searchable inclusion database. It allows users to browse gemstone inclusions by gem type, geographic origin, treatment and keyword.

Search the Complete Hyperion Database