Do Heat Treated Sapphires Fade

Because the heat treating we undertake is natural the final color of your sapphire will not be known until after the stone is heat treated.

Do heat treated sapphires fade.

Pale yellow sapphire can be heated to produce golden yellow sapphire. Heated sapphire heat treatment is a common practice to improve the clarity and enhance the color of sapphire. It also has no defined cleavage and very high toughness so it can endure being heated to very high temperatures without much risk of damaging it. A small percentage of sapphire crystals naturally occur in the deep vibrant shades we most desire.

Like predicting the weather we can offer predictions on what color the stone will become but we cannot predict the final color with an absolute degree of certainty. Heating can take a lack luster gemstone and transform it s color into a beautiful rare hue. Heating is an accepted treatment for sapphire. Heating some sapphires to a high temperature in an oxygen free environment will deepen its blue color while heating it in air can lighten it.

But for fine quality sapphire confirmation from an independent laboratory like gia that there is no evidence of heat adds to a sapphire s rarity and value. The heat treatment process. The few exceptions would be kunzite which will tend to fade from its medium pink color to light pink and then colorless in daylight which is why its called the midnight stone and yellow sapphire which can also fade when exposed to direct sunlight. Some of the treated sapphires which are slightly heated are not cheap.

The gemstone industry utilizes heat treating in order to develop or intensify a given sapphire s natural color and texture. Are all heated sapphires the same. Heat treatment is used to improve a sapphire s color remove color zoning and improve clarity. The color of a heat treated sapphire will remain consistent and will not fade unless the stone undergoes a secondary treatment.

Sapphires with very small rutile inclusions silk can be heated to a high temperature and cooled quickly to produce a clearer stone. Sapphire can withstand incredible temperatures its melting point is 2044 degrees celsius 3711 degrees fahrenheit. What does this treatment do to the stone. Heating only improves the color of a gemstone but it is not an equalizer.