Blue sapphire is a very beautiful gemstone that promises strength, power and success to its owner. But its color can be not only blue, it varies from gray-blue, brown, pink, greenish to colorless. If you have purchased a sapphire and are in doubt if it is real, here are some tips on how to determine the authenticity of this stone.
Instructions
Pick up the stone with clean hands or with tweezers and examine it carefully in bright natural light. You should see a shining hexagon inside, which is created by inclusions of rutile into the stone. It is for this six-pointed sparkling star inside the sapphire that it is valued among other stones.
Prepare a solution of water and glycerin, immerse a stone in it. The real sapphire will not be visible in this solution, you will see the fake one without much difficulty.
If you immerse the stone in a gemological liquid with a certain specific gravity, then the heavy sapphire will sink, unlike its light imitations. Usually painted glass and plastic, tourmaline and other stones are disguised as sapphire. In addition, for a fake, the color in the edges will be unevenly distributed, while for a sapphire, upon careful examination, you will see clear stripes located parallel to its edges.
Take a ruby or emerald and run it over the surface of the intended sapphire being tested. If sapphire is a natural stone, then stripes and damage should not remain. Just do not make such an experiment with a diamond, as it can leave a scratch on the surface of sapphire (diamond is the hardest of the minerals and it is used to cut things and is much stronger than sapphire). The method is quite extreme, but if you have nothing to lose, experiment.
Seek the expertise of a specialist gemologist if you still doubt the authenticity of the stone and are afraid to independently conduct experiments with it to study its authenticity, which is not surprising, because you can damage an expensive stone. But be prepared for the fact that even an experienced specialist will not always be able to identify a skillfully made fake.
When buying precious stones, ask the seller for a certificate for them, confirming the authenticity of the stone, and if the seller refuses to provide a certificate or in the absence of such, refuse to buy this particular stone, no matter how beautiful and attractive it may seem to you - it is possible that you will pay considerable money for painted glass. Focus on the reputation (it should be impeccable) of the salon or store when buying sapphire in an already finished product.
