Education: Treatment of Sapphires

Sapphire Rough

Most sapphires that are mined from the ground undergo a heat treatment before being used in jewelry. Approximately 1% of sapphires used in jewelry are unheated and untreated.These sapphires undergo no extra treatment (expect for cutting and polishing) after being mined from the ground. These sapphires are very rare and do command a premium in price.

Basic heat treatment is the standard normal and industry accepted treatment for sapphires. Heat treatment involves subjecting the sapphires to heat. This treatment is permanent and improves the clarity and may also improve the color of the sapphires. No special care is necessary for heat treated sapphires and there is no loss of color or clarity over time.

Since heat treatment is the industry standard treatment of sapphires and is permanent, heat treatment does not require disclosure. Our customer's should assume that all the sapphires from our company are heat treated unless we specially state that the sapphire is "unheated".