How to Tell if a Sapphire Ring Is Real?

A symbol of hope, loyalty and fidelity, the sapphire is one gemstone that has effortlessly waltzed its way into the hearts of singles and couples alike. Unfortunately, while everyone may love this jewel, only a few can tell the difference between a real and fake.

If you aren’t one of them, don’t worry! This article will show you the best way to find out if the sapphires used in your ring are natural or not.

Keep reading…

But First…What Does a Sapphire Look Like?

A member of the corundum mineral family, the sapphire is a gorgeous precious jewel that can be found in almost every colour of the rainbow (except red). Currently, the blue variety is the most famous of the lot. Interestingly, the sheer fame of this particular hue can be seen in the stone’s name which is derived from the Greek word ‘ sappheiros’ meaning ‘blue.’

Apart from its rich shade, the gem also features an incredible lustre, luster that intensifies its allure.

Did You Know?

That not all sapphire inclusions are considered to be bad. Take rutile (silk) inclusions for example. Instead of negatively impacting the stone’s appearance, these tiny fiber-like flaws interact with the light to create ‘asterism’ – a unique optical illusion that gives the stone a star-like effect.

How to Tell If a Sapphire Ring Is Real

There are a few different ways to accomplish the same.

1. Perform a Breath Test

Hold your sapphire gemstone ring close to your mouth, breathe on it and see how long it takes to clear up. Synthetic materials generally hold moisture much longer than sapphires do. Hence, if your stone takes longer than 4 seconds to clear up, it is probably a fake.

2. Touch the Stone

With the pad of your finger, gently touch the surface of the gem. Like most jewels, sapphires are bad conductors of heat. As such, if the stone feels hot against your skin, it’s most likely a fake made from glass.

3. Search for Bubbles

Fun fact: During its creation, tiny round bubbles tend to get trapped within the structure of the fake jewel. To spot them, place your piece under a bright light and view it through a 10x jeweller’s loupe or microscope. Needless to say, if you find this flaw, your stone is fake. You can use this trick to know if a gemstone is real or fake for other jewels as well.

4. Conduct a Microscope Test

To do this, look at your ring under a 10x jeweller’s loupe or microscope. If you notice flaws like needles, feathers or crystal-like impurities (except bubbles), your stone is most likely real.

Reason: Due to the extreme pressure under which they are formed, most sapphires have inclusions that aren’t visible to the naked eye. They, however, can be seen with a microscope.