In the jewelry industry, it is assumed that sapphires have been heat treated unless otherwise specified. Most jewelry-quality sapphires are heat-treated to enhance the gemstone's color and vibrancy.
The Gemological Institute of America and other certification authorities ACCEPT this treatment; it is permanent and will not degrade over time.
Other treatments that are available to the jewelry industry such as lead filling, surface diffusion (surface coloring treatment), oiling, dyeing, waxing, lab created synthetics, or imitations HAVE NOT been performed on any of our gemstones. These treatments are temporary in nature and may require future maintenance.
Sapphire is heated to improve its clarity and color. At temperatures above 1700 degrees Celsius, the silk dissolves and improves the color and clarity of the stone. This treatment can turn a colorless sapphire into a blue sapphire. At lower temperatures, silk can be improved and the color lightened.
Some of our sapphires have undergone no treatment of any kind. These rare gemstones that consist of less than 10% of the Sapphire market.
