What is the name of artificial sapphire?
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Sapphire is a royal stone. In ancient times, it was used to decorate royal regalia: the best examples crowned the crowns of Russian tsars and British rulers. Sapphire also costs a fortune, so attempts to synthesize it in the laboratory have been made for quite some time.
Modern synthesis methods make it possible to grow crystals with properties identical to natural ones. Only a specialist can distinguish them from ordinary sapphires.
First attempts at synthesis
Synthetic sapphire was first obtained by the French chemist Verneuil in 1904. To do this, he used a method he himself invented: he placed the finely ground mixture in the flame of a hydrogen burner. Verneuil’s method quickly found wide application and is still used almost unchanged today. But it’s not perfect, so the experiments continued.
In 1916, Polish chemist Jan Czochralski came up with a method for growing crystals from a melt. According to legend, he dropped a pen into a crucible of molten tin, and when he took it out, he noticed that a thin thread of hardened metal was trailing behind the pen. It turned out that it has a monocrystalline structure. The chemist developed a method for the synthesis of other single crystals, which was later called the Czochralski method.
The first hydrothermal sapphire was created almost 60 years ago by two researchers – Laudise and Balman. They managed to obtain a high quality colorless stone. And several decades later, scientists from Novosibirsk selected a dopant based on divalent nickel, achieving a uniform “sky blue” color of sapphire. Since 1995, the technology began to be used for industrial purposes, and was later supplemented and expanded.
How are sapphires grown?
The Verneuil method involves growing crystals from a melt. The high-purity charge is placed in a specially designed furnace, where it enters the combustion chamber and melts. The result is a drop that falls on a ceramic substrate, first forms an expanding cone, and then a cylinder, which is called a boule.
The Verneuil method can be used to synthesize “star” sapphires, or sapphires with the effect of asterism. On the surface of such a stone is a bright star with 6 or 12 rays. To obtain an optical effect, a small amount of titanium oxide is introduced into the starting material at the synthesis stage.
Verneuil’s method is accessible and relatively simple. With its help, you can grow a large number of sapphires of good quality in a short time. But corundum obtained by this method has disadvantages:
- uneven color distribution;
- strong internal tension;
- many inclusions – gas bubbles, cracks;
- small size.
Sapphires synthesized by the Czochralski method do not have these disadvantages: it allows one to obtain corundums of high jewelry quality. The crushed mixture is placed in a special vessel made of a refractory metal (for example, platinum). Under the influence of pressure and high temperatures, the seed is pulled upward, which leads to the formation of a crystal.
Features
Standard characteristics are used to assess the quality of synthetic sapphires. The better the color, clarity, cut and weight of the stone, the higher it will cost.
Color
Color is the most important characteristic of sapphire. In mineralogy, sapphire itself is called blue corundum. The cost is affected not only by the shade, but by the intensity of the color and its lightness.
The most famous shades are Royal Blue and Kashmir cornflower blue. Cornflower blue stones have a silky shine and seem to glow from within.
Dark blue sapphires, reminiscent of Australian ones, are not very highly valued. The same can be said about light blue stones.
Sapphires of fancy colors are also used in jewelry. Modern synthesis methods make it possible to create stones:
- yellow;
- green;
- orange-pink (padparadscha);
- kunzite (purple);
- with alexandrite effect – color change depending on the lighting;
- two-color – with a clear transition boundary between different colors in the stone.
The presence of an asterism (ray star) or color changing effect increases the cost of sapphire: such stones are rare in nature, and therefore are in great demand among jewelers.
Cleanliness
Sapphires may contain inclusions and cracks. Most of them are invisible to the naked eye and therefore do not affect the visual perception of the stone. By the nature and location of the inclusions, you can determine the origin of the sapphire, as well as find out by what method it was obtained.
Corundums synthesized by the Verneuil method often contain gas bubbles and cracks. Sapphires obtained by the Czochralski method are purer.
The weight
Pure natural sapphires over 5 carats are rare and very expensive. The larger the sapphire, the higher its cost per carat.
Existing synthesis methods make it possible to grow corundums of sufficiently large size. For example, the mass of a crystal synthesized by the hydrothermal method can reach 240 carats. The Czochralski method produces sapphires weighing 10 thousand carats or more.
Cut shape
As a rule, sapphires are given a facet cut. It ensures uniform reflection of light and enhances inner radiance. The most popular forms:
Synthetic sapphires do not limit the craftsman when choosing a cut shape. When working with natural materials, he has to take into account the characteristics of the stone – inclusions, microcracks, defects, so the shape is not standard. Synthetic corundum does not impose these restrictions: the stone can be given any shape.
Sapphires with asterism effect are cut in cabochons. This is the only way to reveal all the beauty of the ray star located in the center of the stone.
How to distinguish synthetic sapphire
When buying jewelry, it is easy to distinguish synthetic sapphire from natural one: you need to look at the tag. The inscription “synth” means that this is a stone obtained in a laboratory – without specifying the method. “Gt” is a designation for hydrothermal sapphires, “corundum sapphire” is a designation for crystals obtained by the Verneuil method.
Another visual marker is price. High quality natural sapphire cannot be too cheap. Dark blue stones sell for an average of $200 per carat; very good quality stones sell for $3700 per carat or more. If you are offered a cheap sapphire of rich color without noticeable inclusions, it is most likely grown in a laboratory.
It is difficult to distinguish synthetic sapphire from natural sapphire by visual signs: special equipment is required. An experienced gemologist may notice swirl patterns and growth zones caused by crystal synthesis technology. In addition, nickel is often used in synthesis to obtain the desired color, but it is not found in natural stones.
Why is synthetic sapphire interesting?
Grown sapphires are cheaper than natural ones. Moreover, they grow in conditions close to natural, but under human control. To obtain a precious stone, there is no need to create deep quarries, destroy ecosystems, or organize wars: the entire process takes place in the laboratory.
The properties of synthetic and natural sapphire are identical. Both stones have a Mohs hardness of 9: scratches will not appear on the surface for a long time, and the edges will not wear off.
Synthetic sapphires come in a wide range of colors. Synthesis technology allows you to reproduce natural shades, as well as create crystals with the effect of asterism or color change. It is much easier to obtain them in the laboratory than to find them in nature.
