Natural sapphires demand a high price as they are rare and difficult to mine and involve labour cost as well.
Lab created blue sapphire vs natural.
In this tension set blue sapphire engagement ring sku 3452 the cost is 1 345 with lab created sapphire and 1 669 with a genuine stone.
A natural sapphire on the other hand usually has flaws or inclusions.
What do the terms natural and untreated mean when dealing with sapphire gemstones especially lab created sapphires.
Lab created synthetic sapphires have the same physical properties visual characteristics and hardness level as the natural gemstones.
They grow in the natural crystal habit shown left in a controlled environment.
Sapphire is aluminum oxide or corundum with the chemical composition al 2 o 3.
In comparison to natural sapphires lab created sapphires are also less expensive.
Although a sapphire is considered quite common and affordable in the grand scheme of gemstones you can still save a bit of cash by opting for a lab created version.
In terms of color a lab created sapphire has less variations and usually appears in the specific color intended for the stone which is blue.
Our lab grown or created synthetic blue sapphire gems have the same composition and physical properties but have higher perfection than is usually seen in natural sapphires.
The main difference between a natural and a lab created sapphire is its origin.
The best quality and highest rated sapphires could cost around 50 or more per carat.
Chatham lab grown blue sapphires are not cheap flame fusion sapphires.
Various dopant atoms present in small amounts provide the different colors.
Get all your answers in our comprehensive sapphire guide with tips on how to tell if a sapphire is treated how common treated sapphires are in the market and the current trends.
Because they are carefully grown you can expect your chatham created blue.
You may not spot the difference with the naked eye but you ll be able to tell from the longevity you get out from wearing it.
Chemically and physically speaking the same materials constitute natural and lab grown sapphires and they have the same atomic structure and crystal habit.
Gemology labs would identify both lab grown and natural sapphires as forms of corundum.
Both are identical materials and have the same molecular makeup.
Depending on their size original blue colored loose natural sapphires of average to higher quality can cost more than 30 per carat.