30 day return policy

Heat-treatment is popular in the gem and jewelry business because it converts previously worthless gray stones into blues and yellows that sell for a lot more money. "Cooking" a sapphire is done at approximately 2000 degrees Celsius, almost the melting point of sapphire.

"Diffusion- treatment" is a process that artificially introduces color into a stone by adding chemicals prior to heat-treating--All diffusion-treated sapphires have been heat treated.

Diffusion-treatment is artificial enhancement of color and may be impossible to detect without very sophisticated Lab procedures and instruments.

Diffusion-treatment requires heat treatment. If a sapphire is free of heat-treatment, it can't have been diffusion-treated. We can eliminate diffusion-treated stones simply by eliminating all heat treated sapphires--If a sapphire has been heat-treated, it may be impossible for most dealers and gemologists to rule out diffusion-treatment.

I've completed advanced gemological training, specifically for the separation of unheated sapphires from heat-treated sapphires, at The Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences in Bangkok, Thailand and at The Gemological Institute of America, Carlsbad, California, USA.

This advanced training is the foundation for providing you with a genuine, unheated sapphire.

Gem Certification

A Gemological Certificate indicating unheated sapphire accompanies each sapphire.

"Third-party Certification" is granted by leading Gemological Laboratories in Sri Lanka only after their highly trained, experienced gemologists examine and test each unheated sapphire.

Third-party certification is Impartial, Objective, Reliable.

When examined under magnification, almost all gemstones show "inclusions", the naturally-occurring variations in structure and composition that reveal origin and history of the gem.

The size, quantity, location and type of inclusion determine value and desirability of a gemstone. Only "dark-field", binocular gemological microscopes are precise enough to accurately locate and evaluate inclusions.

I always use a high-quality gemological 'scope to select untreated sapphires, gems with only the smallest of inclusions.

Untreated gems are rare and, with every passing day, become more treasured for their rarity-- their beauty is created by Nature instead of being a product of human manipulation.

But not everyone cares about natural beauty.

Most consumers don't care (or perhaps they simply don't know) whether or not a stone has been treated. For those consumers, there is a never-ending supply of enhanced stones, modified and manipulated to mimic untreated gems.

For those of us who prefer a pristine gemstone that has not been "enhanced", there is an ever-decreasing availability of untreated gems.

Gemstones appeal to us because they are beautiful creations of Nature, rare and exquisite. Gemstones rather than the product of human manipulation. Not everyone feels this way about gemstones and for consumers who don't care whether or not a stone has been treated, there is a never-ending supply of stones that have been enhanced.

For those of us who prefer a pristine gemstone that has not been "enhanced", there is an ever-decreasing supply of untreated gems.

Untreated gems are rare and likely to become more treasured for the rarity that they represent.

The photographs have been greatly enlarged in order to show detail.

There are two ways of describing the size of a gemstone: measurements in millimeters andl weight in carats.

The millimeter measurements and carat weight of each gemstone are given below the photograph.

You may notice that some gems of comparable weight are considerably different in dimension. This is due to differences in the proportions used in cutting.

Proportions are more important in diamonds than in colored stones.

Excellent proportions are essential to the beauty of a diamond.because proportions determine how much sparkle it shows. The entire visual impact of a diamond is created by refraction and sparkle.

But for colored stones (all gems other than diamonds), gem color has a greater impact on beauty than proportions so a wider range of proportion standards is applied to colored stones.

Each gem I select represents the best value in its category.

Most stones coming out of the mines are poor color, uneven color or imperfect clarity. But miners and cutters have to sell everything they produce, not just the beautiful gemstones that are rarely found. So they assemble parcels of stones of mixed quality and sell the whole parcel to gem and jewelry wholesalers.

Instead of buying parcels of gems consisting of a few good stones, some bad stones and a lot of mediocre stones, I select each stone individually. Using a gemological microscope, I sort through (and reject) literally thousands of gemstones, selecting only a fraction of one per cent of the gems offered. My selections are based on thirty years spent evaluating and grading gemstones.

"Bluff Stones" are stones that, to the untrained eye, seem to be a great bargain.

A bluff stone's color may be good but it has so many inclusions that the stone has no "life" to it .

Or it may be a large size but with a bad fracture that is difficult to see.

Or its color may be only visible with perfect lighting conditions. Without perfect lighting, the gem becomes too dark or even changes to a different color.

Gemologically, a "natural" gem is one that has "come out of the ground" but the term "natural" does not indicate it's free of treatment.
Most natural sapphires have been heat-treated or diffusion-treated and can still be called "natural" because, before treatment, they came from a mine.

(If it's man-made in a factory or "grown" in a Lab, it can't be called natural. It should be identified as "synthetic".)

I never offer sapphires that have been heat-treated (thermally-enhanced), burned, diffusion-treated or enhanced in any way. I never offer synthetic "gems".

Every sapphire on this site is Unconditionally Guaranteed genuine, natural, unheated and free of treatment!

Most sapphires available are known as "Australian sapphires"; a trade term for a sapphire that is "inky" dark blue.

These sapphires are usually too dark. Most of them show a strong blackish component that makes them very unattractive, when compared to a good stone.

The term "Australian sapphire" is not restricted to sapphires found in Australia; it is applied to any blue sapphire that is overly dark and has a strong blackish component. These are found in Nigeria, China and Thailand as well as Australia.

These sapphires are very popular in the gem trade because they are so cheap at the source and many consumers have been misinformed as to their true value by being told that "dark is better".

I don't carry "Australian" sapphires.

Synthetic "gem" is man-made material that appears to duplicate the chemical and crystallographic structure of a natural gemstone.

I never offer synthetics of any kind! Some synthetics are manufactured in large scale factories while some are made in small batches in "laboratories". Whether they are flux-grown, lab-grown or flame-grown they are all man-made and I don't carry them.

Every sapphire on this site is Unconditionally Guaranteed genuine, natural, unheated and free of treatment!

If you'd like more information about returns, please contact me at: billkent@islandnet.com

I don't sell, trade, rent or give away your personal information to any one.

I don't collect information on visitors to my site by the use of cookies or by any other method.

.I make frequent trips to Sri Lanka to select sapphires at the mines. Here we're using an ancient technique for separating rough gems from muddy gravel excavated from the mines--the first step in the long journey your untreated sapphire travels to you!.

.Actively selecting untreated sapphires at the mines lays the foundation for giving you the best value right from the very beginning; my hands-on approach saves you money!

Bill Kent G.G.

Training

William Kent Corporation

P O Box 5544 ...Victoria.. BC ..Canada .V8R 6S4

Tel: ..250-595-6024

In Canada call toll free: 1-800-656-5368

email:billkent@islandnet.com

.www.sapphires.ca

. your best source for untreated sapphires .

I don't sell, trade, rent or give away your personal information to any one.

I don't collect information on visitors to my site by the use of cookies or by any other method.