Artificial sapphire. How to choose a sapphire and recognize a fake

Sapphire is the second hardest mineral in the world and one of the most popular gemstones for jewelry. Many people think that sapphire is a deep blue color, although in fact these stones come in a variety of colors, including yellow, pink and orange.

Enjoy the beauty of this magnificent stone or give jewelry with it to people born in September, but first make sure that you really bought the sapphire. A lot can give away a fake: appearance, frame and other eloquent signs.

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Certificate of Authenticity

Ask the seller to show the certificate of authenticity, which is what all legally sold gemstones typically receive. Blue sapphires most often come to market from Australia and Thailand. Other sought-after crystals are mined in Kashmir, Ceylon and Burma. If they cannot provide you with any certificate or it indicates any other country other than those listed above, this is a reason to be wary. The document must describe the main characteristics: clarity, color, carat weight, size.

Color

Check the color in good lighting. Blue sapphire has a clear blue color. Beware of unnaturally colored stones. Remember that this is a naturally occurring mineral.

Size

One of the main reasons for the popularity and high cost of sapphires is their rarity. Therefore, a large discount on a fairly large gemstone should raise suspicions. When an offer seems too good to be true, there's a good chance it is. When cutting natural stones, the main goal is to preserve as much carat weight as possible. Therefore, stones with the correct geometric dimensions are extremely rare. Synthetic inserts, on the contrary, are made according to an exact standard (2; 3; 4; 5 mm). This is done for ease of setting during mass production of budget jewelry.

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Purity

Use a jeweler's loupe or microscope to evaluate cleanliness. Absolutely pure, transparent stones are extremely rare in nature. The presence of dark inclusions and defects in the form of small cracks is a clear sign of naturalness. Synthetic counterfeits are distinguished by high levels of purity and uniform color.

Surface

Check the surface for small scratches. Sapphire is an extremely durable mineral. Natural glass should not have any surface scratches, but on fairly soft glass they appear easily.

Cut

Frame

Check the setting of the stone as well. If the setting completely covers the edges or back of the sapphire, it is possible that this was done to hide defects in the sapphire or signs of a fake stone. The fastening quality is high, the insert stands evenly and neatly - a good indicator.

Shop from trustworthy sellers. Ask friends or family to recommend a reliable supplier, and do not be tempted by sudden discounts. Sapphires are very expensive stones, and you should be sure that you are completely satisfied with the jewelry before you decide to purchase.

On the jewelry market you can easily find synthetic sapphires (the label will indicate “gt” or “s”, i.e. synthetic). The question often arises: what is the difference between synthetic and artificial sapphires and natural ones? How to distinguish a real mineral from an artificially grown one? What are their similarities and differences, how much do the prices for natural and synthetic stones differ?

Reason for creating hydrothermal sapphires

A natural gemstone with a blue color, rare in nature, is quite expensive, and therefore the issue of developing an analogue has been on the agenda for a long time among jewelers. We can say that, along with the price, the reason for the synthesis of such a mineral is its rare color. In order to obtain blue shades, dyeing and heating to very high temperatures are used. As a result, there are currently many synthetic stones on the jewelry market, created to meet the high demand for inexpensive blue mineral analogues.

Similarity to natural sapphires

Hydrothermal sapphires are made from corundum. Another name for this method of growing minerals is nanosapphire. (Often on labels you can find the name of the insert “corundum” and depending on the color it will be synthetic sapphire - blue or ruby - red).
Both natural and hydrothermal minerals have the same chemical formula - aluminum oxide - Al2O3 (corundum).
They have the same hardness on the Mohs scale, 9 out of 10 points.
Identical properties in terms of the fragility of the mineral, which causes difficulties in its jewelry processing.

How to distinguish natural sapphire from artificial?

In the jewelry market, it is not customary to pass off artificial stones as natural ones. Therefore, when choosing jewelry, you need to be careful and know what is inserted into it - a natural gem or an artificially grown mineral?

The most basic difference lies in the origin of the mineral. Natural, as is obvious from the name itself, is found and extracted from nature (it was formed in difficult conditions over many years). Synthetic or hydrothermal is obtained in the laboratory in a short period of time (grown in 2-3 weeks).
To create a hydrothermal mineral, all the same chemical components are used as in natural minerals, and similar conditions are used - high temperature and pressure.
A mineral grown in laboratory conditions is of higher quality, it does not have impurities that are possible in natural conditions, and also, due to constant monitoring of the process, the crystal is cleaner, without cracks and air bubbles.
Synthetic has a more durable color, unlike natural. It is not affected by UV rays, so it can be worn around the clock.
The difference in price is probably the most important thing. With equal characteristics it will be about 10 times. That is, if a natural sapphire costs $400, its hydrothermal “brother” of the same size will cost only $40.

Diffusion and declassed sapphire

Diffusion is a chemical-physical process of penetration of molecules of a substance into the molecules of another substance. Diffusion is used as a method for refining precious stones, including for refining fancy types of sapphire.

Fancy sapphire - any type except blue.

In order to refine star sapphire, diffusion with beryllium salts is used. As a result of heating and creating high pressure, beryllium salts penetrate into it in such a way that they “impregnate” the stone through and through. The effect of asterism is noticeably enhanced.
Methods for diffusion refining of sapphires can be of two main types: “impregnation” of the outer layer of corundum, when the true color becomes invisible underneath it, and “internal” diffusion, when at high temperatures internal inclusions in corundum, such as titanium and chromium, dissolve and coloring occurs mineral.
In any case, the refinement of corundum by diffusion methods is legal, if after this the gem is not presented as natural, but it is honestly indicated that these manipulations were carried out with it. Otherwise, it will be misleading or deceiving the consumer.
Declassed should not be confused with diffusion or synthetic. This gem is natural, but of low quality. So, it is cloudy and/or opaque. Quality characteristics, of course, affect its price, although it may be more expensive than synthetic ones. The label usually says “decl,” which means “declassed.”

Artificial sapphire - what to look for when choosing?

If you decide to purchase jewelry with just such an insert, then all that remains is to decide on the color and cut. The artistic component will play a big role in the price, so the choice should be based primarily on it. The most expensive are the types of cutting of transparent stones, which reveal their beauty and make you admire the play of light created by the faces.
In jewelry stores, it is not customary to pass off any other materials as hydrothermal. In workshops that make expensive jewelry to order - even more so. And of course, you should not buy jewelry second-hand or in dubious places, where instead of synthetic (not to mention natural) minerals they can sell inserts made of glass or a similar material.

Designations on jewelry tags

First of all, we note that the designations on jewelry tags refer to precious stones of natural origin. The first number indicates the number of stones in the product, 1, 2, etc. Then the name of the stone is abbreviated. For example, Sp. means sapphire and that the stone is natural, natural. Sp.ob. – means diffusion or ennobled. Manufacturers also “sin” by indicating Sp. cor. – that is, corundum, which means that the product contains a hydrothermal mineral. Next, the tag indicates the shape of the cut - for example, Gr - pear, Kv - square, Tk - triangle. Then there are the digital characteristics of the gemstone - weight, color, clarity.

Hydrothermal, like all synthetic minerals, do not (and cannot have) the digital characteristics of color and purity on jewelry tags that are inherent in natural ones!

If there is an abbreviation "about." or "cor." – synthetic mineral. How to distinguish a sapphire from a fake - see the answer to this question.

The word “sapphire” is translated from the ancient Greek as “blue”, however, despite this fact, in nature these corundums are found in a wide variety of colors. It costs less than a diamond, but it is also actively counterfeited due to its significant cost. Counterfeits of natural jewelry can be divided into three types:

imitation is the cheapest type of fake, most often it is glass beads painted in different colors, more similar to rhinestones,

synthetic - grown gems with a composition almost identical to the natural mineral,

fake – high-quality imitation.

Counterfeits are made from tourmaline, quartz, cordierite, topaz and other cheaper semi-precious gems. It is almost impossible to establish the originality and compliance with a natural mineral at the time of purchasing jewelry, and the only solution is to check and test the jewelry by a gemologist.

How to distinguish a sapphire from an artificial stone?

For many, the origin of the stone does not matter, because without a doubt the synthetic one is also a precious gem and is quite expensive. However, nothing beats natural blue corundum. If naturalness is very important to you, then you need to know several factors that will tell you how to distinguish natural sapphire from an artificial mineral.

Experts advise paying attention to color and shade. Artificially grown corundum is said to have a brighter shine and a richer, smoother color. In fact, color is far from the main indicator, since today, manufacturers often refine the resulting stones, evening out the color, smoothing out the shades, bringing their appearance to perfection.

How to distinguish a sapphire from a fake at home can be determined by the presence of air bubbles and inclusions of other minerals in the stone. There are virtually no copies formed without defects in nature.

To be on the safe side, before making a purchase, ask your consultant to provide you with all the documents confirming not only the country of origin, but also its originality. Trust only stores with excellent characteristics and reviews.

By the way, it is worth remembering that in nature there are not only blue sapphires, there are specimens of various colors: pink, orange, purple, black and transparent.

The Mineral Market online store in St. Petersburg will tell you how to distinguish a real sapphire from an artificial gem. We will tell you everything about minerals and provide a wide range of high-quality jewelry decorated with precious and semi-precious gems. On the site you will learn how to choose a talisman by date of birth, determine your natural amulet in accordance with your Zodiac sign, and also find a mineral that attracts money and financial well-being.

Synthetic sapphire is one of the most popular artificial gemstones. The most in demand products are cornflower blue, which delight and attract the eye. Being an analogue of natural stone in its physicochemical and optical properties, in some ways it even surpasses it.

Characteristics of artificial sapphire

In nature, precious sapphire is a mineral of the oxide class, a type of corundum of blue and dark blue color. It is a hard, fascinating and rare stone, which leads to its high price. The cost of laboratory analogues is lower, and that is why its imitation is so popular, which only a specialist can distinguish from the real thing. Modern technologies make it possible to bring any saturation to its color.

Synthetic sapphire is not much different from natural sapphire. There is no need to confuse diffusion stone with it, which is fundamentally different from artificial stone - diffusion stone is not grown from scratch, but is only processed in a similar way.

Popularity in the world

The cost of artificial sapphires directly depends on the quality and size, and synthesis allows you to achieve any crystal parameters, and the equipment for its growth is constantly improving and becoming cheaper. In terms of its properties, man-made corundum is as close as possible to the original from the bowels of the planet. The synthesis product, like an ordinary mineral, has no chips, cracks, or other damage. This attracts jewelers and consumers of such products, who prefer to insert these durable stones into their gold earrings.

Manufacturing

Artificial is synonymous with fake, but in the case of a stone synthesized in a laboratory, this is not at all the case. Some even consider it a complete analogue, since the manufacturing process almost repeats the natural one, taking place in the magmatic conditions of the subsoil for hundreds of thousands of years. You need to understand that the growing process is similar to natural processes of formation in almost everything except speed. For production, aluminum oxide and various impurities are used in the ratio necessary to achieve the goal.

The most popular alloy is titanium, which produces a purple hue, but chromium, manganese, iron and vanadium are also often used. In the popular hydrothermal manufacturing method, seed plates with a solution are processed under pressure at temperatures from 300 to 5000°C.

There are other methods for growing synthetic sapphires, but the first and classic one is Varneuil's method, who came up with the idea of exposing iron oxide to a gas burner with hydrogen and oxygen. With a burner this can be done even at home.

Best Ways to Distinguish

Natural and synthetic sapphires can be distinguished from each other if you are extremely careful. Artificial sapphire is not a fake. It would be possible to call it that if it only looked like a sapphire, like a well-made piece of glass. But here there is almost complete compliance with the chemical and physical properties of the natural analogue. It looks like the real thing and is close in properties, but there are still some nuances. Grown ones have incorrect growth microstructure.

Sapphires of natural and artificial origin differ from each other in hardness. Natural stone takes second place in this indicator. Sapphire, mined from the earth, is capable of scratching any other stone except ruby and tungsten carbide. Artificial crystals are not as hard.

Visual cues

It is possible to distinguish natural sapphire from synthetic one by external signs.

The most visible difference is that the artificial mineral is more flawless and pure in color.
There are no defects or various inclusions such as feather-shaped crystals, liquid formations or black voids.
Under a magnifying glass, regular spherical bubbles are visible, which in natural stone have an irregular shape.

Mechanical ways of distinguishing

Special equipment will help you understand that it will be a synthetic sapphire.

Gemstone Blue Sapphire determination of the authenticity and nature of the gemstone

Conclusion

To distinguish natural from artificial sapphire, you cannot rely 100% on available methods. Technologies for growing sapphires are developing, and, driven by the desire for profit, manufacturers are striving to give the stone properties closer to nature. A truly professional and complete conclusion about whether the sapphire is real or whether it was produced using one of the common modern methods can only be made by a specialist who has the necessary equipment and skills. The price of a mineral is not an indicator of its naturalness.

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Sapphire is a very popular stone in jewelry. This crystal is quite durable and hard, and also has a beautiful appearance, so it is suitable for inlaying a wide variety of objects. But natural stone is quite expensive, so scammers often fake copies. And many are interested in how to distinguish it from an artificial crystal, whether this can be done at home.

Real sapphires

What is sold under the guise of sapphire?

The thing is that before starting the definition, it is worth understanding that sapphires come in different shades and colors. There are practically no restrictions on them, and many people are mistaken in thinking that sapphires are only blue. Of course, they are most often found in nature, and they are also the most expensive - their price reaches a thousand dollars per carat. But there are also yellow, brown, pinkish and even sapphires.

Therefore, scammers take advantage of the buyer’s ignorance and sell fakes under the guise of sapphire. To avoid falling for their trick, it’s worth finding out what can be sold under the guise of a stone:

stone made from glass or other cheap material;
similar stones: and tanzanite;
hydrothermal.

These three categories differ significantly in composition and cost. A fake glass stone is cheap jewelry that has absolutely no value. The copy is considered a fake in any case. But a hydrothermal crystal is an artificial stone obtained in the laboratory under special conditions. In between are stones such as spinel and tanzanite. But professionals will quickly distinguish them by color and properties.

In scientific terms, the developers took the raw materials for sapphire mining, which includes aluminum and other minerals, and created conditions for them so that the crystal could grow. Crystal growing has been going on for quite some time. It’s just that now this technique is increasingly gaining popularity and improving.

If nature needs more than one millennium to obtain a sapphire, then scientists, together with a thermostat, only need two to three weeks to grow the stone. And among the geothermal conditions are pressure and temperature over 1000 degrees Celsius. The process takes place in a thermostat under the control of indicators that change at each stage of crystal formation.

Therefore, in fact, an artificial stone cannot be definitely considered a fake unless the seller informs you about the origin of the product. Even if the tag contains symbols confirming its artificiality, such a sapphire cannot be called a fake, since the composition of the stones is identical.

Authentication options

You can distinguish a sapphire from an artificial specimen or from glass by the following characteristics:

If the color of the crystal is too saturated, your version is most likely fake. Only very expensive sapphires in nature have a bright color.
The edges of the crystal must be sharp, since real stone is difficult to cut due to the hardness of the material. But glass options will have rounded ends.
The procedure of scratching the stone will also help to distinguish it from glass. The hardness of sapphire will not allow visible scratches to be left on the product, whereas glass will easily give itself away.
Uniformity of stone color. If the stone has a uniform shade, this is one of the confirmations of its authenticity.
The presence of defects in the form of foreign particles indicates that the stone could have been found in nature, since nothing is perfect there.
You can distinguish a real sapphire from an artificial specimen by the bubbles in the stone. To do this, you should use a magnifying glass; if there are bubbles, there is a high probability that the crystal was grown in the laboratory.
You should also be aware of the slow heating of sapphire in your hand, as well as its ability to fade when exposed to direct ultraviolet rays. This does not happen with glass or tanzanite. The heating process occurs even slower.

Sapphire colors

If the previous options did not work, you should ask jewelers how to distinguish a sapphire from a fake? In workshops, sapphires are distinguished from glass using a refractometer - this device measures the angle of refraction of rays. And these indicators are different for crystal and glass. Differentiation with tanzanite and spinel is carried out in the same way, although the method is difficult to use if the stone is in a setting.