7 Ways to Tell if sapphire is Real

Colorless or light-colored sapphire can be dyed to achieve a more attractive hue. Additionally, low-quality sapphire may undergo glass filling to enhance clarity and color. There's no issue in purchasing treated stones if you know what you're buying and pay a fair price, as treated sapphire is generally less valuable than natural one. Another point to note is that the current market is flooded with numerous lab-created sapphire gemstones. Although they are still considered genuine, sharing the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as natural ones, they typically cost much less than natural ones. Materials such as Glass, Cubic Zirconia, plastic, and synthetic spinel are sometimes mislabeled as sapphire. It's wise to purchase from reputable retailers and, if feasible, request a certificate from a gem testing laboratory. Here are some handy tips to help you initially discern the authenticity of sapphire.

Real: Natural Sapphires without visible inclusions are exceedingly rare. Common inclusions observed in Sapphires include straight, angular, possibly hexagonal color banding, fingerprint inclusions, internal fractures, etc.

Fake: If you purchase a "Sapphire" that is flawless, it is more likely to be a lab-created Sapphire, synthetic spinel, cubic zirconia, glass, plastic, or other synthetic materials. Sometimes gas bubbles may be observed in glass-made fakes and glass-filled Sapphires.

A vivid blue natural Sapphire usually fetches over $500 USD per carat, translating to a price of over $500 USD for a red bean-sized stone. If a Sapphire appears vividly colored yet unusually inexpensive, it's more likely a lab-created Sapphire or an imitation made from other materials.

Natural Sapphire gemstones are seldom discovered in large sizes. Currently, over 90% of Sapphires available on the market are below 10 carats, often smaller than ordinary pistachio nuts. A Sapphire that is both large and flawless is more likely to be a lab-created Sapphire or an imitation made from other materials.

Real: The hardness of Sapphire is 9, second only to diamond, making Sapphire harder than most materials encountered in daily life. Sapphire can easily scratch glass and even common stones like amethyst and agate.

Fake: If a stone fails to scratch common stones like agate or amethyst, you'll realize it's a fake.

Natural: Rubbing the natural Sapphire with nail polish remover (acetone) won't cause the gemstone to fade.

Dyed: Swabbing the dyed stone with a Q-tip and some nail polish remover (acetone) might cause it to fade.

Real: When exposed to UV black light in a dark environment, real blue Sapphire typically exhibits no fluorescence.

Fake: If a blue gemstone fluoresces under UV black light, it raises suspicions that it may not be a real Sapphire. For example, synthetic blue spinel emits red fluorescence under UV black light.

Carefully inspect the stone under intense transmitted light. If you notice intersecting blue lines, it likely indicates a glass-filled Sapphire, where fractures have been filled with blue lead-glass. Glass-filled Sapphire, sometimes referred to as "Composite Sapphire," is typically priced lower than untreated Sapphire, ranging from $15 to $50 USD per carat.