This document discusses a polishing method for sapphire surfaces using a colloidal silica abrasive slurry. The slurry contains 10-40wt% colloidal silica with a pH above 8 and below 12. It is used in a chemical mechanical polishing process with a polyurethane polishing pad at a slurry flow rate of 400ml/min and 34.3KPa of normal downforce to achieve a polishing removal rate of at least 1400 angstroms per hour.