This includes gemologist to gemologist at gem labs, jewellers, dealers and collectors. Lotus Gemology’s Ruby & Sapphire Color Types guide is a good benchmark, also further reading.

Hence, it is truer to say that outside obsessive collector activity, demand always exceeds supply for all quality sapphires, heated or unheated, certainly when color falls into any of the below. Traditionally, padparadscha sapphires hail from Sri Lanka, though newer deposits from Madagascar have come to the market for awhile now. It is also known for ‘fancy’ sapphires, colors other than blue, including the coveted orange-pink Padparadscha sapphire. Sri Lanka produces a wider range of sapphires than any other classic source. Many Sri Lankan sapphires also tend to undergo only low heat treatment (this varies, since heated sapphires with vivid colors are always in demand, even if not low heat). Sri Lankan (Ceylon) sapphires are prized much higher than Montana or Australian sapphires, mostly because the color of Sri Lankan sapphires tends to be more saturated. Recent Burmese stones are more often heated than not. Kashmir sapphires are usually unheated, while Burma sapphires could be heated or unheated. Note that Kashmir sapphires of quality are always the same stones sold and resold numerous times, and current production of good material from Mogok is very limited. This preference ladder depicts the collector frenzy when it comes to the pursuit of sapphires. This is evidently so for sapphires > 10ct. > 10ct with every 5ct jump in size raising prices.Ĭarat weight aside, the origin of a sapphire will significantly affect asking price.5ct will range wildly from USD2,000 to USD4,000 per carat.Unheated sapphires, depending on color (vivid/fiery), and broadly speaking: In short, TWO pervasive factors determine the price of a natural sapphire: whether the sapphire is heated or unheated, and how vivid its color (sometimes called how ‘fiery’.It is not unusual a vivid heated sapphire is priced more or as much as an unheated sapphire that is lacklustre in color. What consistent demand does is actually to drive up the prices of even heated sapphires to a high. Heated or unheated, the demand for sapphires with vivid colors does not abate, especially when compared to less vivid colors in otherwise natural sleepy sapphires.Any chemical treatment is unacceptable unless clearly disclosed.

Unless stated and certified to be ‘unheated’ or ‘no heat’, the general rule when shopping for sapphires is to assume the sapphires you see on a ring or a pair of earrings are heated.

Another common chemical treatment is flux flux treatment is not the same thing as beryllium or diffusion. Beryllium treatment is a chemical treatment that is stable and produces fiery sapphires in myriads of colors.

Chemical treatment includes beryllium treated sapphires, also called ‘new heat’.

Do not confuse heat treatment with chemical treatments like beryllium or diffusion.

Heat treatment is not chemical treatment.

Heat treatment is acceptable and should be assumed.

Heat treatment in sapphires is a traditional treatment practised for centuries in Sri Lanka and now worldwide.

Sapphires that are heat treated are still considered natural, insofar that they are earth-mined and have not been chemically treated.

Non heat treated amethyst loose stone