About: Lab Grown Sapphire
The world of lab-grown gemstones can be overwhelming for consumers. They might wonder which material to buy and what sets them apart from each other. There's also the question of whether lab-grown gemstones can match the quality of natural ones. Fortunately, this article will briefly explain a specific type of lab-grown gemstones, lab sapphire - how they differ, and why you should consider them for your next special jewelry item.
One of my most sought-after materials for custom work is lab sapphire.
PROS: Lab sapphire is chemically identical to natural sapphire, but in fact has an additional bonus in the composition - no water! While natural sapphire is hardness 9 on the Mohs scale (learn about the Mohs scale here), technically lab sapphire has the added benefit of having no dissolved water in its composition, which makes it very slightly harder than natural sapphire.
CONS: While lab sapphires are without inclusions, have beautiful colors and are chemically identical - the drawback to lab is that it there are some missing “subtle” shades, and there is no true teal color. There is one experimental batch that seems to hit the closest to teal, but I would not dare say it is a true spot on teal. However, while this is still ongoing in the factories, it is very difficult to achieve the teal color that a lot of natural sapphires can be. So some colors may not be available for lab sapphire.
Natural sapphires are grown in the ground and are made by naturally occurring processes in the earth.
PROS: Natural sapphires have an abundant array of colors as chemicals drawn into the crystal structure will naturally bring about incredible uniqueness to each gemstone much like a fingerprint.
Natural sapphires are also very valuable in markets. While this article will not go into the prices of natural sapphires, it is best that you take your natural sapphire to a certified gemologist!
CONS: Natural sapphires can be extremely expensive! Color, clarity, carats, and the cut can determine a lot about the price of a natural sapphire. This can be very confusing and time-consuming for a client! A little research can go a long way - but it is very advised that you take your sapphire to a certified professional to get the details of your piece!
Back to lab sapphires: I carry two types of lab sapphire - Verneuil and Czochralski:
The Verneuil method (or Verneuil process or Verneuil technique), also called flame fusion, was the first commercially successful method of manufacturing synthetic gemstones, developed in the late 1883 [1] by the French chemist Auguste Verneuil. It is primarily used to produce the ruby, sapphire and padparadscha varieties of corundum, as well as the diamond simulants rutile, strontium titanate and spinel. The principle of the process involves melting a finely powdered substance using an oxyhydrogen flame, and crystallising the melted droplets into a boule. The process is considered to be the founding step of modern industrial crystal growth technology, and remains in wide use to this day.[2][3]
The Czochralski method, also Czochralski technique or Czochralski process, is a method of crystal growth used to obtain single crystals of semiconductors (e.g. silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide), metals (e.g. palladium, platinum, silver, gold), salts and synthetic gemstones.
