November 10, 2024

How Can You Tell If A Purple Sapphire Is Real?

Purple sapphire

Purple sapphire

Purple sapphire stones are part of the sapphire mineral family. These gems are highly sought after because of their beauty, astrological significance, and symbolism. These stones are so popular because of their purple hues that they are highly used to make jewelry. 

However, since there are fake or synthetic gemstones available in the market, how will you identify a real gem from a fake one. The fake gems will not give you their benefits and will loose their shine after some time as well. They can crack easily as well. So, if you want to embrace this stone, you should buy an original one. 

But how would you determine the authenticity of the stone? Here are some points that can help you make an informed decision:

Understanding Purple Sapphires

Purple sapphire are part of the corundum mineral family, and they get their purple hue from the trace element Vanadium. Sapphires are commonly associated with the blue color, and they are the most famous as well, but they are found in many colors including purple. 

The sapphire purples are also known as Khooni Neelam in Hindi. 

Key Characteristics of Purple Sapphire Gemstone

Before you delve into the process of choosing the real gem from the fake one, let’s first understand the characteristics of the sapphires to understand their basics: 

Color – The shade of the gem varies between light and dark shades. It comes in light lavender purple as well as in dark, deep violets. A genuine stone will display a uniform distribution with only a slight variation in the tone. 

Clarity – Like all other natural gemstones, it have inclusions. So, if your stone is crystal clear with no flaws, it might be a fake. 

Hardness – the hardness of sapphires is 09 on the Mohs scale which means it is a pretty durable gemstone so if your stone gets scratched by any nail or anything except a sapphire and diamond, then it’s fake. 

Lustre – the real gem will have a vitreous luster and reflect light brilliantly. 

Read More:- How to Choose Garnet Jewelry

Methods to Identify a Real Purple Sapphire

Visual Inspection – You can start with a visula inspection in which you can use a loupe or magnifying glass to examine the clarity and color of the gem . There should be a colo consistent, only a slight zoning is acceptable. Also look for natural inclusions like needle like structures called silk, tiny crystals or feather like patterns. Make sure their are no bubbles, if there are bubbles there might be a treatment done on the gemstone. 

Weight and Density – Fake gems of the same weight will be lens dense and be lighter. The original gemstone are more dense and you can check it by weighing the stones of the same size. 

Refractive Index – each gem have their own specific refractive index. This gem index is between 1.76 to .77. So you can measure it too by a refractometer and identify the gem. If your stone doesnot show its index between this number it is fake or synthetic one. 

UV Light Test – Khooni neelam stone will exhibit a fluorescence effect under the UV light and glow softly or moderately. Fake stone will doesnot glow however synthetic ones can so this test is not completely good. 

Professional Gemologist Assessment – One of the best ways to check the originality of the gemstone is through a professional jeweler. An expert can help you find out if your gem is real or not. 

So, it would be better if you purchase a stone with a gemological certification from a reputed laboratory. You can send your gem in an authorized lab as well to get it checked. Some of the reputable institutions are GIA, AGS, IGI, ICA, etc. 

Conclusion

Wear an original sapphire to get all the benefits of this stone and look elegant. Synthetic sapphires will fade away as well as can break. Buy a lab-certified gem at the best purple sapphire price at Navratan.com.