Untreated white sapphires can be around $1000-1500 for a 1 carat sapphire. Treated natural white sapphires can cost between $500-$1000 on average. The cost will increase based on a gemologists certification too. On the other hand, a natural loose white sapphire can go 10 times that as we saw with Brilliant Earth. Kay, Jared, and Zales all sell large carat weights of white sapphires set in sterling silver. You'll be more likely to find it in handmade jewelry places like Etsy. You'll have more difficulty finding lab created white sapphire in high quality metals like solid gold or platinum. Of course, that's also dependent on the setting as well. Now with white sapphire, there's a pretty big difference in cost between lab created white sapphire. The Birkate Lyon 2 carat solitaire engagement ring is considered AAAAA quality. Quite the difference, right? Well, cubic zirconias don't follow a typical grading system like diamonds do with the 4Cs.Ĭolored gemstones have A to AAA quality. The boule is a colorless sapphire, so scientists can add different minerals to create the different lab created sapphire colors. During the process, aluminum oxide powder is melted with a flame.Īs it's melted, it solidifies into a teardrop shape they called a boule. It was the most cost-effective way and the first one used. In a lab, scientists create sapphires using two different ways: the melting process and the solution process.įlame fusion is a technique used in the melting process. It's much easier to make sure no impurities run into the mineral if it's in a controlled environment like a lab. But as a natural gemstone, impurities infiltrate the mineral more often than not. When no impurities enter the corundum forming, that's what give us white sapphire. Every color of corundum is sapphire, except red. Every colored sapphire comes from the mineral called corundum.Ĭorundum starts colorless, but different impurities cause it to become different colors. Sapphires come in a rainbow of colors, though most unfamiliar with jewelry only know of blue sapphires, the September birthstone.

White sapphire hardness