What is so special about Montana sapphire?

  1. One of the most striking differences is their color.
  2. Sapphires from Montana are unique in that they naturally occur in light pastels, unique blue-greens, and smoky grays.
  3. So, a Montana sapphire could be a calming leaf green or a sky blue-grey.

Consequently, Are unheated sapphires worth more? Heating is an accepted treatment for sapphire. But for fine-quality sapphire, confirmation from an independent laboratory like GIA that there is no evidence of heat adds to a sapphire’s rarity and value.

How can you tell if a Montana sapphire is real? You can identify a real sapphire by quickly fogging it up. Track how long it takes the mist to disappear completely. If it is natural stone, the mist will disappear within a few seconds. On the other hand, if a sapphire crystal is synthetic, it will take a few more seconds to disappear.

in the same way, Are Montana sapphires good quality? Unique colors, high clarity, USA-born status, and great durability make Montana Sapphires shine. Montana Sapphires are part of the larger gem family “corundum.” Corundum is a hard stone, at a 9 out of 10 on the Mohs scale, making it very durable to wear in jewelry.

Are Montana sapphires valuable? What makes Montana sapphires even more valuable to many people is the way they are ethically sourced and mined, with consideration for the environment and an easy to trace “mine to market”. Just as with other sapphires, a Montana sapphire’s value (and price) will depend on its color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.

How can you tell if a gemstone is heat treated?

Heat treatment is a very risky process as many gems have inclusions that expand at a different rate and cause stress fractures, which then becomes an identifying characteristic of heated gems, particularly sapphire and ruby which can display halos around inclusions within the gem.

What percentage of sapphires are heat treated?

If a gemstone has been heat treated, it simply means it has undergone some type of thermal process in order to alter or improve its appearance. In this modern era, nearly 95 percent of sapphire gemstones are heat-treated for several important reasons.

What does it mean if a sapphire is unheated?

Unheated sapphires and untreated sapphires are one and the same as no treatment can be applied to a sapphire without the help of heat treatment. Unheated sapphires mean the sapphire is natural and it has not been enhanced by any form of heat treatment or any other treatment.

Is heated or unheated sapphire better?

By appearance, is there a difference between natural and heat-treated sapphires? Yes, but to a trained eye. Generally speaking, natural no-heat sapphires will have a softer luster and smoother surface appeal. Heated sapphires display a glass-like surface that feels hard and unnatural.

How can you tell if a sapphire is lab created?

Microscopic visual cues a gemologist may use to distinguish lab created sapphire from natural sapphire include locating bubbles, curved striae, or flux inclusions. Lower quality “flame fusion” lab sapphire glows red under black light.

Are blue sapphires irradiated?

Irradiation has been with us since the early 1900’s when scientists like Bordas and Crookes used radium salts to change blue sapphires and diamonds green. In today’s world, irradiation is routinely used to color a number of gemstones.

Which gemstones are not treated?

AR: Some gems are not usually treated, like spinel, garnet and tourmaline.

What color sapphire is most valuable?

Blue Sapphires Color has the greatest influence on a sapphire’s value, and preferred sapphires have strong to vivid color saturation. The most valued blue sapphires are velvety blue to violetish blue, in medium to medium-dark tones. Sapphires with these qualities command the highest prices per carat.

How can you tell a good sapphire?

You want to look for a sapphire that has no inclusions visible to the naked eye. experts look at the size, location and number of inclusions to judge clarity. The less visible the inclusions are, the higher the grade. Cut: The cut is essentially what makes a sapphire really sparkle.

Which country blue sapphire is the best?

India. The locality considered to produce the finest blue sapphires in the world is Kashmir, India. These amazing stones are mined at 16,500 feet in the Zaskar region. Kashmir blue sapphires are known to have a velvety or sleepy quality that is very desirable.