Fracture Filled Sapphire

This 25 10 ct black star sapphire was enhanced with lead glass.

Fracture filled sapphire. Technically the treatment appears to be effective. Fracture filled cavity filled or dyed material should only be cleaned with a damp cloth. Cleaning warm soapy water is always safe. Fracture filled cavity filled and dyed stones can be damaged by even mild acids like lemon juice.

Fracture and cavity filling of gemstones has been practiced for hundreds of years. Photo by jian xin jae liao. So these fracture filled rubies sell at a fraction of the cost of untreated rubies of similar color. Should you buy a fracture filled ruby.

In recent times this treatment has become more sophisticated and widespread particularly with the use of lead glass which is most often seen in rubies. Discover what it means for a sapphire to be treated how to identify them how these processes affect the rarity and integrity of a stone. In fact you won t find 10 or 15 carat untreated rubies on the market at all and very few that have been only heat treated. Learn how heat treatments beryllium diffusion flux healing fracture filling and irradiation change the look of sapphires on the market today and into 2020.

But if you look closely at these stones you will notice that they are heavily included and rather turbid with little transparency the poor clarity is to be expected in a low cost ruby.