Thanks so much Candice for this updated information on the Sable.
Sable info current as of March 2023.
Current breeding results indicate that Sable is an incomplete dominant trait.
Sable originated in the United States at Gecko Haven (owned and operated by Cindy and Todd McDannell since 2008) in Gettysburg PA around 2017. There are numerous breeders in Korea working with Sable as well as a few in the United States.
Sable first reached mainstream awareness in the community in fall 2022. There have been many Sable offspring produced by breeders in Korea: Hyunmoo Hur (moomoosaurus), Ryan Lee and Jet.Black Geckos who have been working with the gene the longest. Hyunmoo has paired the largest variety of morphs to a Sable. They have bred Sable to Sable and have produced a Super Sable which looks totally different than a Sable. (Info: https://lmreptiles.com/fg-pt2-1/#sable)
Base colors on Sable seem to be light grey (hypo + dark) all the way through to very dark almost black bases. Geckos carrying the Sable gene do not exhibit red or yellow bases , although orange pattern can be prevalent on animals creating an orangish red look. The hallmark "look" on a traditional Sable seems to be the white crowns (frosted crests) that often shows white spotting on the heads (more spotting seems to correlate with higher white coverage) as well as large blotches of puffy white on the dorsal that expands as the gecko increases in size. Other genes can affect how much this pattern is expressed, including phantom and empty back (both of which mute how much white pattern the gecko has). Not all Sables have these exact expressions, and it is worth noting many Non-Sable carrying geckos do also exhibit these traits with regularity.
Sable's Origins: Cindy purchased two geckos from a breeder in Texas (Gorgeous Gecko) that were not related to each other, but had no lineage. She paired Pinch (Female) and Mokolii (Male) together. Pinch reminded Cindy of a cappuccino (which later it is learned the genes are in the same allelic complex, more on that later) and they produced two viable eggs. One of those was Rialto (the first known Sable) and another male. The other male was sold when young and can’t be located. The original pair of Pinch and Mokolii ended up passing away due to unknown reasons. Rialto is the male that started the Sable line. Cindy initially paired him with two females and the following season, three females. Cindy's early observations: "It did not matter who he was paired with, we got gorgeous animals. We realized he was something special. Each pairing seemed to have a 50/50 chance of 'the look.' In 2020 we started selling most of the offspring to Korea. In 2021 there was talk between myself, Hyunmoo and Gabrielle Bratcher at Morph Menagerie that this was worthy of a line name. The name Sable came about. We speculated that this could be a new gene. We noticed that special 'look' all the offspring had, no matter what the non- Sable line parent was. Hyunmoo also saw a 50/50 ratio in the offspring he produced looked Sable. We have a lot of work to do yet with Rialto's line and the Sable gene, but it is looking to be very promising! " Hyunmoo was able to prove the line out as a gene by making Super Sables (with the pairing of Sable to Sable). He has also paired Sables to Lilly White, producing Lilly Sables. His pairing of Sable to Cappuccino has allowed us to realize the trait is incomplete dominant and in an allelic complex with Cappuccino (see an explanation here https://lmreptiles.com/fg-supersable/). And, most recently, in March of 2023, he hatched out the first Super Sable Lilly White (the first hatchling was slightly weak, but a second baby hatched a short time later and seems healthy). This animal is unique to anything else ever produced -- most of its body is stark white except for the legs and tail. In 2023 Gecko Haven has partnered up with Gabrielle Bratcher of Morph Menagerie. Cindy's male Skin Walker is spending time at Morph Menagerie to pair with some of their females. Hopefully, the first U.S. hatched Super Sables will be coming very soon!