Unheated sapphires and what the word costs

The overwhelming majority of blue sapphires on the market have been heated. It is a permanent, stable, industry accepted treatment, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. It is also the single largest price divider in the colored stone trade.

An unheated Ceylon stone with the same face up color can cost three times its heated twin. The premium is not marketing. It reflects how rarely the earth produces that color without help, and how quickly the few that exist are absorbed by collectors who never resell.

What matters alongside the certificate is the paperwork behind it. We buy rough from named partners, and every unheated stone we set carries a declaration from the laboratory of origin stating that no evidence of treatment was found. Ask any seller for that sentence in writing.

Finally, hold the stone under ordinary light before you judge it. Unheated sapphires are bought for the way they behave in daylight, slightly soft and impossibly deep, and a shop's spotlights will hide exactly the quality you are paying for.