Source: https://www.brilliantearth.com/sapphire-care/
Learn the basics of sapphire care, sapphire treatments, and sapphire certification.
Caring for Your Sapphire
Sapphires are easy to care for at home. Sapphires can be cleaned at home with warm water and a splash of any type of dish or cleaning detergent that has degreasing ability. Avoid using anything that has moisturizers, abrasives, or anti-static agents, as they will leave a residue and scratch the metal. Scrub gently with a soft toothbrush and rinse well. Dry with a soft cloth. For deeper cleaning, allow the piece to soak for 10 to 20 minutes, and then follow the remaining steps of the above procedure. This process should only be used with sapphires set in gold or platinum as many detergents can react poorly with silver. You can also use any cleaner that is specifically designed for use with jewelry.
Sapphire Treatments
It is an accepted industry standard for sapphires to be heat-treated to improve color, clarity, and overall appearance. Some sapphires are found closer to thermal venting in the earth, which produces exceptional color through natural heating. By heating sapphires that are not found in these locations, we mimic this natural process. No radiation, chemicals, or health risks are involved in this process. As is common with almost all sapphires available today, the majority of Brilliant Earth sapphires are heat-treated. Brilliant Earth also carries un-heated sapphires at a premium. Treatments to avoid that you won’t find at Brilliant Earth include irradiation, fracture fills, surface dyes, and beryllium.
Sapphire Certification
The jewelry industry has yet to standardize a consistent grading scale for sapphires. Though there are several testing agencies that provide detailed gem grading reports, they fall short when it comes to classifying sapphires. The reports, which are limited to color-grading, are not as systematic, methodical, and detailed as a diamond grading report, and they vary significantly from agency to agency.
Unlike diamonds, where the cut is one of the most important qualities, the color of a sapphire is arguably the most important factor in determining its quality and value. Sapphire cuts are personalized for every sapphire, in order to best enhance the unique shape and color of every gemstone, thus making standardized certification difficult.
