If you’re considering a sapphire for your bespoke ring you may have come across un-heated and heat-treated or enhanced sapphires. And so comes the big debate - which one should you choose for your sapphire ring?
THE TREATMENT
Heating natural sapphires to temperatures between 400 and 1700 degrees celcius for a short amount of time can transform the clarity and vibrancy of the stone. It’s a stable and reliable treatment that many natural (meaning not lab-grown) sapphires will undergo.
THE BENEFITS OF HEAT TREATMENT
It’s an age-old practice, and the most common treatment of natural sapphires in modern times. In fact, the majority of sapphires that can be purchased will have undergone some degree of treatment unless stated otherwise.
Because of this, heat treatment is a widely accepted practice in the jewellery industry. It means that consumers have access to a range of lively, colourful natural sapphires at affordable prices with a higher return on investment.
Alongside colour, heating a sapphire can also improve its clarity and the stone’s ability to reflect light within the facets.
VS. THE BENEFITS OF UN-TREATED SAPPHIRES
THE TREATMENT
Heating natural sapphires to temperatures between 400 and 1700 degrees celcius for a short amount of time can transform the clarity and vibrancy of the stone. It’s a stable and reliable treatment that many natural (meaning not lab-grown) sapphires will undergo.
THE BENEFITS OF HEAT TREATMENT
It’s an age-old practice, and the most common treatment of natural sapphires in modern times. In fact, the majority of sapphires that can be purchased will have undergone some degree of treatment unless stated otherwise.
Because of this, heat treatment is a widely accepted practice in the jewellery industry. It means that consumers have access to a range of lively, colourful natural sapphires at affordable prices with a higher return on investment.
Alongside colour, heating a sapphire can also improve its clarity and the stone’s ability to reflect light within the facets.
VS. THE BENEFITS OF UN-TREATED SAPPHIRES
There is an ethereal magic unique to entirely natural, untreated sapphires; their incredible colour and vibrance has formed over millions of years beneath the earth’s crust, and remains unaltered. This unheated 2.26ct round blue sapphire is a stunning example of the colours that can be created naturally.
Due to the popularity of heated sapphires, untreated sapphires are becoming increasingly less common. Their rarity, combined with their beauty, makes them particularly special.
THINGS TO CONSIDER
It’s important to note that comparatively, unheated natural sapphires have a higher price point because of their rarity and beauty.
However, there will be many factors that affect the price of a sapphire including colour and cut that our team will be able to guide you through in one of our complimentary consultations.
THE VERDICT?
We recommend heat-treated sapphires to the majority of our clients as overall they make for a clearer and more colourful stone as the centrepiece of your ring. Our clients occasionally request unheated sapphires that we’re pleased to source too.
We will never work with filled sapphires, or stones that have undergone any treatment other than heat, so you can be sure that the centrepiece of your ring is of the highest quality.
Discover our collection of One-of-a-Kind Sapphire Rings here.
