Is there such a thing as red sapphire?

Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as red sapphire. Red corundum is always called ruby, and any other color of corundum is referred to as sapphire. There are really only a few exceptions to the rule. One exception is corundum that is red-orange or pink-red. It might be called either sapphire or ruby (it's a judgement call). The other exception is when the red color of the corundum is the result of heat treatment with beryllium. In that case it is normally called sapphire as a reference to its humbler beginnings.

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