How do you know if a sapphire is real?
Sapphire is one of the most popular and precious stones on the planet. Its magnificent blue coloring and incredible durability make it a desirable target for counterfeiting. This is why it is so important to know how to distinguish a real sapphire from its artificial counterpart. In this article, we’ll look at some simple methods you can use at home to avoid counterfeits. One of the easiest and most accessible ways to identify a fake sapphire is to look at its color. A real sapphire has a rich and uniform blue hue that evokes admiration. If the color appears faded or uneven, it may be a sign of counterfeit. However, it should be remembered that natural sapphires can have different shades of blue – from light blue to deep blue. Another important feature of real sapphire is its hardness. Sapphire is one of the hardest minerals in the world, so a real stone will not scratch when in contact with a knife or metal object. However, you should be careful when using this method to avoid damaging the stone.
Methods for identifying fake artificial sapphire
Identifying a fake sapphire can be a difficult task, especially at home. However, there are several ways that can help you distinguish a fake from a real stone.
1. Perfect Perfection
A true natural sapphire may have small inclusions, cracks or impurities that affect its clarity and color. While an artificial sapphire that has undergone additional processing can be almost perfect – without inclusions or cracks. Upon closer inspection, a natural sapphire will be distinguished by its spontaneity and naturalness, while a fake may look too perfect.
2. Thermal test
Another way to determine whether an artificial sapphire is fake is a thermal test. A real sapphire heats up non-uniformly, radiating heat in different parts of the stone. Counterfeits tend to heat up evenly over the entire surface. To conduct a thermal test, simply bring the stone to a heat source and observe its behavior. Keep in mind that real man-made sapphire, which has properties such as fluorescence and cryogenic characteristics, may be difficult to distinguish at home. Therefore, if you need an absolutely accurate identification of a fake, it is recommended to contact a specialist or use special equipment.
Appearance of artificial sapphire
An artificial sapphire can be very similar to a real stone. It can have a bright and rich color that will resemble the original. However, there are a few distinctive features to look for when considering a stone. Single color: Man-made sapphires usually have a consistent and uniform color throughout the stone. Real sapphires almost always have slight variations in color tone or powder effect. No gaps or inclusions: Man-made sapphire usually does not have inclusions, paths or bubbles within the stone. While real sapphire may have small impurities or transparent inclusions. No roughness: Upon closer inspection, a man-made sapphire can appear flawless and smooth. While real sapphire usually has small chips or small roughness on the surface. Flexibility: Man-made sapphire usually has lower mechanical strength and can be more flexible than real sapphire. This may be noticeable with slight pressure on the stone. Given these characteristics, one can make an assumption about the authenticity of the sapphire, but to be completely sure, it is better to contact a specialist.
Using heat-resistant glass
Heat-resistant glass can be a useful tool in determining the authenticity of a sapphire. Glass that can withstand high temperatures can be used to create a special reaction that will help identify real sapphire. To use heat-resistant glass, you first need to heat it to a high temperature, for example, using a gas torch, soldering iron or stove. Then, you need to carefully place the sapphire on the heated glass and observe the reaction. Real sapphire will have high heat resistance and will not react with hot glass. It remains intact and does not change its appearance. However, fake sapphires, often made from glass or other low-quality materials, can change when in contact with heated glass. They may melt, crack, or even change their shape and color. When using heat-resistant glass, you should be careful not to damage real or fake sapphire. This method can be effective, but it requires precision and experience.
Testing sapphire using a UV lamp
Step 1: preparation
First of all, you will need a UV lamp or flashlight that can emit ultraviolet light. Make sure that the room in which you will be examining the stone, and the stone itself, is free from other sources of UV light, such as daylight or artificial lighting.
Step 2: Inspection
Turn on the UV lamp and hold the sapphire under the light. True sapphire will show a vibrant blue hue under ultraviolet light. If the stone shows a different color, such as purple or green, this may indicate that it is a fake. Also pay attention to the uniformity of the sapphire’s color under UV light. If the stone has uneven color or spots, this may be a sign of imitation.
Step 3: Additional Tests
If you are still unable to reliably determine the authenticity of a sapphire using a UV lamp, you can perform additional tests, such as testing the hardness or using a magnifying glass to examine inclusions within the stone. These tests will help clarify the results and provide a more reliable assessment of the authenticity of the stone. Keep in mind that home sapphire authentication methods can be unreliable and may not always provide a definitive answer. For more accurate information, go to a professional jeweler or laboratory where they can advise you and conduct more accurate tests. Sapphire is the Greek name for sappheiros blue. Like all stones, the origin of sapphire is shrouded in many secrets, legends and myths. In ancient times, a variety of blue stones were called sapphires – from sapphire to lapis lazuli. Azure yacht – they talked about this mineral in ancient Rus’. At the beginning of the 19th century. It was discovered that sapphire and ruby are jewelry varieties of corundum. At first, only the blue variety was called sapphire; transparent corundums of colors other than red were given special, purely trade names: for example, green corundum was called oriental peridot or oriental emerald, yellow corundum was called oriental topaz, etc. These types of names were often misleading. Today, the name “sapphire” refers to jewelry corundums of any color except red – ruby. It is now customary to indicate the color of sapphire specifically. For example, green or yellow sapphire. If it simply says “sapphire”, we are talking only about a blue stone. Colorless sapphire is also called leucosapphire, orange-yellow is called padparadscha (in Sinhala – “lotus flower”). There is no sharp boundary between sapphires of pinkish-violet tones and ruby. Light red, pink and purple corundums are usually classified as sapphires: after all, among sapphires they are rated quite highly, but as rubies they would be considered low-grade. The chromophore in blue sapphire is iron and titanium, and in violet sapphire it is vanadium. A slight admixture of ferric iron gives the sapphire a yellow color, and divalent iron gives it a green color. The pink tints are due to an admixture of chromium. The most prized are cornflower blue sapphires of pure water. The hardness of sapphire is as high as that of ruby, and to the same extent depends on the direction in the crystal. Sapphire crystals have a pyramidal habit, characteristic of blue corundums. There is no single luminescence color characteristic of all sapphires. Interestingly, sapphires from different deposits have their own unique color. Based on this feature, experts can determine the “homeland” of each stone with the naked eye. Inclusions of rutile needles cause the silky shine of the stone, in large quantities – the effect of a “cat’s eye” and a six-rayed star: star sapphire. Sapphire is much more widespread than its closest relative, ruby. Industrially significant sapphire deposits are now located in Australia, Burma, Sri Lanka and Thailand. In Upper Burma, placers are being developed that contain, along with sapphire, also ruby and spinel. In 1966, the largest star sapphire was found here – a crystal weighing 63 carats (000 kg!). Kashmir sapphires (India) are more prized than others. The deposits there are located at an altitude of 5000 m (Zanskar Range in the Himalayas) 200 km southeast of Srinagar. They have been in operation with varying success since 1880. Large sapphires are rare. Sometimes, like famous diamonds, they are given their own names. The American Museum of Natural History (in New York) owns the Star of India, probably the largest cut star sapphire (536 ct), as well as the black Midnight Star sapphire (116 ct). The Smithsonian Institution (Washington) acquired the Star of Asia star sapphire (330 ct). Two famous sapphires (St. Edward’s and Stuart’s) are among the British Crown Jewels. In the USA, sculptural portraits of US presidents: Washington, Lincoln and Eisenhower are carved from three sapphires, weighing approximately 2000 carats each. Many stones are similar to blue sapphire: benitoite, kyanite, cordierite, tanzanite, topaz, tourmaline, zircon starlite, spinel; They also imitate it with blue glass. There are many trade names that mislead the buyer: for example, blue topaz is called Brazilian sapphire, blue tourmaline is called oriental sapphire. At the beginning of the century, they learned to grow synthetic sapphires, whose properties are very close to natural ones. Since 1947, synthetic star sapphires of gem quality have also been produced. In Tsarist Russia, blue corundum, like other blue stones, was called baus. Only in the 200th century did the Swedish chemist G. Vallerius propose calling transparent blue corundum sapphire. Sapphire is truly a royal stone. They were traditionally used to decorate the crowns of kings. Ivan the Terrible was especially fond of sapphires. His scepter-staff, decorated with a cornflower blue sapphire, was for him a symbol of the inviolability of his power. The collection of the USSR Diamond Fund has blue Ceylon sapphires that are unique in beauty and weight; one of them (258 karat) is mounted in the cross of the Russian Empire, the other (XNUMX karat) is inserted into a brooch. The Ural sapphire-ruby belt is a narrow strip where noble corundum occurs within the Ural fold structure, extending 1500 km from north to south. In the direction of Rezha, not far from the village of Kornilovo, there is the famous Kornilov Log. Previously, a river flowed through the ravine, washing away precious stones. Along the ravine there are many hidden places. In the 1858th century, Kornilov Log was the main supplier of gems for the capital. And in XNUMX, a local serf girl accidentally found huge corundum. After cutting, it was presented to Emperor Alexander II. At various times, corundum (including sapphire and ruby), rock crystal, tourmaline, and garnet were found in the Kornilov Log. The most “mineral” place in the Urals is Ilmen, where more than 260 minerals and 70 rocks were discovered. About 20 minerals were discovered here for the first time in the world. The Ilmen Mountains are a real mineralogical museum. Here you can find such precious stones as: sapphire, ruby, diamond, etc., semi-precious stones: amazonite, hyacinth, amethyst, opal, topaz, granite, malachite, corundum, jasper, sun, moon and Arabic stone, rock crystal, etc. .d. Sapphire corundum was first found in 1828. P.N. Barbot de Marny. Domestic manifestations of blue sapphire are also found in the Khibiny massif on the Kola Peninsula, but the reserves are small and, in addition, serve as sources of low-quality raw materials, suitable only for the production of small stones of the “spark” type. Ural sapphires, as a rule, have a grayish tint, while Kola sapphires have a peculiar greenish tint with a deep cornflower blue color. Sapphire does not react with any acids or alkalis. It resists high pressures and temperatures, hard radioactive radiation. It can be welded with glass and soldered to metal (portholes, which allow you to monitor the process taking place in instruments and apparatus where vacuum, high temperatures and pressures reign, bathyscaphe, etc.). For this, transparent, colorless, artificial sapphire is used. Transparent dental braces are made from single crystal artificial sapphire. Sapphire glass produced by the Russian company Monocrystal is used to make the Apple Watch smart watch. Sapphire as a differential pressure sensor is used to detect emergency sections of main gas pipelines. Leucosapphires are used in the manufacture of artificial eye lenses. In gas centrifuges at the Ural Electrochemical Plant, leucosapphires are used for support bearings.
- Avdonin V. Ruby and sapphire are noble nobles of the mineral kingdom // Ural Pathfinder. – 2009. – No. 4. – P. 78-80.
- Exhibition “Ural corundums: from emery to ruby and sapphire” in Yekaterinburg // Our Ural: [website]. – [B. m.], 2007- . — URL: https://nashural.ru/news/vystavka-uralskie-korundy-v-ekaterinburge/ (date accessed 07.04.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX).
- Fersman A.E. Stories about gems. – 2nd ed. – Moscow: Nauka, 1974. – 256 p.
The material was prepared by Anna Larionova.
