These tend to sell for around $25-30 a carat. Synthetic sapphires are mainly used in cheap commercial jewelry and are not offered by any reputable gemstone dealer.Įven lower quality - though higher priced - are low grade natural sapphires that are have been fracture-filled with lead glass. Though these can look attractive and can be created in nearly any color, they have a very low value in the market, literally a few dollars a carat. Synthetic sapphires are real sapphires (aluminum oxide), but they have been created in a laboratory using a technique such as as the Verneuil process (also known as flame fusion). The easiest way to undestand sapphire pricing is to start with some basic grading distinctions: synthetics, cabochons, diffusion treated stones, heated stones and unheated stones.

There are also other considerations that bear on sapphire prices such as treatment and origin. The four 'C's' - color, cut, clarity and carat weight - apply to sapphires, just as they do to diamonds, though the grading is done in quite a different way for sapphires. So its important to know how gem dealers price their blue sapphires. However, the price of a sapphire should be in direct relationship to the rarity and quality of the stone you are buying. The price variations can be bewildering at first, particularly since sapphires, unlike diamonds, are not graded according to an internationally recognized system.

If you're shopping for a blue sapphire for an engagement ring or special piece of jewelry, you'll discover a wide range of prices from different gem dealers.

1 carat sapphire