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Identify Yellow Sapphire Stone

yellow sapphire identification

Yellow Sapphire is a precious gemstone, that belongs to Jupiter planet (Brihaspati) in Vedic astrology. Brihaspati is the biggest planet in our solar system and responsible for wisdom, wealth, and knowledge. This gemstone helps to reduce the bad effects of Brihaspati Graha. We are explaining here some simple tests for yellow sapphire stone identification, which can be done by anyone.

1. The Touch Test

This gemstone is naturally cool. So place the stone on your skin. If it gives a cooler feeling, then it is original; if it gives the opposite feeling within a few seconds, then it is not original.

2. Sunlight Test

Place a piece of white cloth over the stone and place it in the sun. If you notice a sharp yellow tint where the sunlight reflects, then it is original.

3. Physical examination

A) Sharp edges

It is one of the hardest gemstones; it is very hard to cut it. So, if a stone has an extremely sharp edge, then the chances of it being a natural gemstone are high.

B) Bubbles

If yellow sapphire stones were made of glass, then they would have air bubbles inside. Perfect round bubbles in lines show that the stone is synthetic.

C) Weight

A natural yellow sapphire is heavy due to its high specific gravity of 3.98 to 4.00. Hold the stone in your hand and try to measure its weight. If it doesn’t feel heavy, it’s a fake stone. By this test, you can easily separate yellow sapphire from its closest simulators, like Citrine(sunela) and yellow beryl, because they have less gravity.

D) Check Colour

A real yellow sapphire shows uneven colour due to pleochroism (A phenomena) from different angles. If the stone colour looks too perfect and the same from all sides, it’s usually fake. Other than this natural sapphires change shade slightly under sunlight and indoor lighting, whereas fake stones generally keep the same colour in all lights.

E) Lustre & Surface Reflection

Real sapphires reflect focused, bright light due to their hard surface and shine bright with a sharp, glass-like sparkle. When light hits it, it reflects bright and strong. Fake stones often look oily, cloudy, or a little bit plastic-like under light.

F) Check for Double Facet Edges

This test helps to find if two stones are glued together. Real sapphires have clean, sharp facet edges because of their hardness. If the edges look doubled or blurry, it can be a doublet. A straight line around the middle often means it’s a doublet.

4. Scratch test

Yellow sapphire scales at 9.0 on the Mohs scale, which means it is very hard. Rub the stone with some hard substance, and if it gets scratched, then surely the stone is not original. This is a very prominent test for yellow sapphire stone identification but remember, this is a destructive test, so do it carefully.

5. The Milk Test

Keep the gem in a cup or glass of milk. If you see any color change, then it is not original. The original gemstone will not show any color change.

Also read – yellow sapphire stone benefits

6. Inclusions Inspection

Real yellow sapphires have natural marks called inclusions inside. These inclusions are like the gemstone’s own unique fingerprints. Natural inclusions are never perfectly shaped or even spread throughout. If the stone looks too clear or if inclusions are in a pattern it might be man-made.

Other than this the pattern of fingerprints that we see inside the sapphire stone is not found in any other stone. Examining some stones with a 10x lens will help you understand the pattern of fingerprints, and you will be able to tell the difference between real and fake but you will need a little skill to check it.

CONCLUSION

The above tests can assist in determining originality, but they should not be considered the final test for yellow sapphire stone identification. Furthermore, one cannot be sure whether the original gemstone is heat-treated or not. So the best and last way to test originality and authenticity is to get it tested through a government-certified or trusted gemology lab. The gemological laboratory checks for originality and also checks if the gemstone has undergone any heat or color enhancement treatment.