Sapphire is a recessive gene,thus a hamster needs 2 doses to get the colour,unlike Pearl.Thus a sapphire when bred to a non sapphire carrying no sapphire gene,all normals would be expected.The normals bred together produce 25 percent sapphire,or when bred back to sapphire parents,50 percent sapphire.A hamster in order to be sapphire needs to have both parents having at least 1 sapphire gene each.
Below are pictures of Normal and Sapphire Winter Whites with the sapphire being the lighter one.
