Lab created sapphires - are they for real?

[3Richmond]

Has anyone seen one of these lab created sapphires? Supposely they have the same chemical composition as the natural sapphires.

Anything I should be concerned with? I really would like to get the premium colour without the high cost. I plan to have a custom pendant created - lab created sapphire and real diamonds. Am I crazy to pair a lab created sapphire with real diamonds?

Look forward to your feedback and help!

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

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On 7/21/2003 10:23

7 PM 3Richmond wrote:
Has anyone seen one of these lab created sapphires? Supposely they have the same chemical composition as the natural sapphires.

Anything I should be concerned with? I really would like to get the premium colour without the high cost. I plan to have a custom pendant created - lab created sapphire and real diamonds. Am I crazy to pair a lab created sapphire with real diamonds?

Look forward to your feedback and help!----------------

Haven't seen them but have done a little research on them. They are chemically identical to a real sapphire exept that fact the real ones were plucked out of the earth and the lab created ones were gorwn in a lab. There is a way to tell if it is a fake upon close examination by a professional. WHen using heat to induce growth in the structure of the gem it leaves behind a trace or residue within the crystal stucture which rules it out as a natural. Now these stones are very beautiful and the first thing that can tip a professional off is the clarity of the gem. Most all gems have natural inclusions and some show a particular color based on the region it is sourced from. Lab created gems usually have all the ideal characteristics of a flawless top gem quality natural so they are very beautiful. I think it is a neat idea to save yourself a little money and theres nothing wrong combining the lab created sapphire with real diamonds its all about personal preference.

-Josh RIoux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[3Richmond]

Josh,

Thanks for the insight. Not sure if you check the price of a lab created gem versus the top quality gem but they're day and night. A 2ct lab created gem cost $20-30 whereas the real thing can run a couple of thousands or more!

I went into Birks (a Canadian jeweler similiar to Tiffany's) and they were selling a 1.25 ct Burmease top quality blue sapphire pendant with .30 ct diamond accents for $9,250 USD or $13,000 CAD!! I was floored but kept a straight face. It was incredible however, you couldn't stop looking at it, and it looked much bigger than a 1.25 ct. sapphire.

I ran the idea across my fiance and asked her if she would have any problem receiving a lab created sapphire and to my surprise she said she didn't care as long as it looks nice. Plus there was no way she was going to let me spend that kind of money.

Anyone out there who have purchased a lab created sapphire?

 

[nghtshd]

Hi all!

Let me start by being up-front and telling you that I actually sell lab-grown (aka Created, aka Synthetic!) sapphires, but that I am here to help to try to educate about synthetic gems!

Created or synthetic sapphires do indeed have the same chemical composition as a genuine sapphire (which makes it different than a simulated gem), hence they have the same hardness, refractive index, etc. There are many ways to create a synthetic stone and some involve a lot more work and time than others. For my money, I like to use Chatham Created gems (based in San Francisco). They are a bit more than other created gems but they are worth it! All of the cheaper created sapphires I have seen have a fakey, "too brite", glassy look and color. Chatham stones are the closest I have ever seen to high grade, genuine sapphire. And because the have no color-banding or unsightly inclusion and because they have such rich, royal coloring, they look fabulous when paired with diamonds!

I would say that if you (and the wearer!) are pleased with the look of the stone, go for it! Just because a gem is cheaper doesn't mean it doesn't bring as much enjoyment!

Rebecca

 

[3Richmond]

Rebecca,

Thanks for the lead on the Chatham gems. I'll look into them.

Have you heard of Tairus's gems from Russia. There gems are more expensive than most. http://tairus.com/


thanks!

 

[lucy]

rebecca-
i wanted to take a diamond (approx 1.1 carat) out of my setting and replace it with a sapphire. any idea how much a lab made would cost in this size? thank you

 

[dcarreau]

Hi, I'm also curious about how to pick a synthetic sapphire. Noticed that there are two Chatham companies, judging from their websites, each run by two brothers. Chatham Crystals advertises use of the "flux" method and lists considerably lower prices. Chatham Created Gems does not seem to clearly state how their synthetics are created. Does anyone know the difference(s) between these companies and their products? Also, has anyone had a good experience purchasing from an overseas synthetic retailer?

 

[Gemstudded]

Lab Sapphires are identical to the real thing apart from the fact they are "grown" in labs. Therefore they are "perfect" gems. They are made up of exactly the same compounds that make real Sapphires/Rubies, apart from minute "manmade" identifiers.
Corundum, which makes Sapphires and Rubies is a very abundant mineral, most often used in grinding wheels and abrasives. This type of Corundum is of very poor quality and also lacks impurities that would make them Sapphire/Rubies and is generally grey or dark red.
Lab grown Sapphires are made from this poor material and reconstituted and nurtured via various methods to form gems.

 

[valeria101]

Chatam can direct you to one of their distributors, and, in turn, these may direct you to a jeweler who offers the things. The non-flux Chatam uses a special proprietary process which yields stones closer in structure (inclusions included) to the natural gems... I do not know wether this method has a trade name, is just "Chatam", since they have invented it. Go for the rocks!

One fun fact: I have only once seen a perfect natural ruby

It was a almost 2ct square cut, certified flawless (this is almost unheard of) by GIA, 5/5 red Burmese glow, and 35000/ct. The stone was reportedly often taken for a created ruby, since, in theory, "perfect rubies" do not exist!

Hope this helps!

 

[pulp_princess]

I have seen three of the Chatham gems, 2 sapphires and 1 ruby. The first one I saw was cut badly such that there was a large window when you looked straight down through the table. The other two, I saw together. The sapphires and ruby all had a very nice colour, although the last pair, it was very noticable that one had a much larger table than the other. Because of the irregularities in the cut, I decided not to purchase. The one that was cut with an overly small table didn't look quite real somehow, though I have the feeling that it would have kept the same sparkle as if it was cut nicely. It had a flat sparkle to it. It did sparkle but was not lively. I'm sure a practised cutter could explain why. For these ones, full points for colour, but something was missing when it came to looking like a natural sapphire. I viewed them all in the 1 ct size (6.5 mm rounds).

(edited to add: You should truly go see one of these before you make up your mind. If you like the look of them, they really are much more economical than naturals!)

 

[valeria101]

For such stones it is worth getting them from a cutter - gemcutts.com or customgems.com might help - since the rough is relatively inexpensive and thus a better, and more expensive, cut afordable. That "something was missing' in created gems compared to natural ones, well, yeah. It takes a leap of faith to admit that a real gem could be so perfect! So the setting could do miracles to help believing. The only time when I saw a natural ruby as nice as a chatam, the little thing was selling for more than 2.5K a carat! And, yes, it was so perfect it looked fake. Same goes for sapphire. But for say, sidestones near a diamond, I would go for created ones any day, since it may take time to find natural ones well enough cut and of god enough clarity etc. to match the optics of the diamond as well as possible.

Again, not all created rubies and sapphires are the same. I am not sure, but I guess that the best ones are sold under the RamAura brand name. I guess you should see some of those before deciding...

Cheers!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

This very old thread surprised me.
The term "lab" was being used way back then. Along with created and cultivated (cultivated is ruled out by the FTC in USA. Created must have a precursor like laboratory or lab).

Man made synthetic sapphire (and ruby) were first made 130 years ago, with a very simple method of growing a stalagmite by pouring aluminium oxide powder into an extremely hot flame where it would grow a boule upwards on a rotating table.
Thus began the first real studies of gemmology, to enable detection or real from fake.
Cost per carat is less than $10 today, and can be as beautiful as any natural or subsequent synthetics.
Later in the 1950's more expensive processes were developed as a by product of the need for high quality crystals for use in lasers. Synthetic ruby, sapphire and Alexandrite are all among the crystals used in lasers.