First off, let me start out by listing the most common Sapphire Treatments, and that we will be concentrating on one of the newer treatments, Be Heating.

1. Diffusion
2. Heating
3. Be Heating

Diffusion it typically done to Star Sapphires to increase the Asterism (star effect). It is also typically done with Titanium + Sapphires to give them a much deeper blue. The main problem with this type of treatment is that the color is only on a very thin layer at the surface of the stone and can be chipped off. It is very easy to tell a Diffused Sapphire as you can see the layer of color when it is viewed immersed.

Heat treatment is quite common today and almost every Sapphire has been heat treated. This method of treatment is when the Sapphire is subjected to high temperature to basically melt internal inclusions and make the material cleaner.

Now we have Be Heating, which has created some waves in the Gemstone Community. First we will start off by explaining the treatment process. They put the Sapphire material into a furnace with Chrysoberyl and heat it to high temperatures (even higher then the standard heat treatment). The Chrysoberyl then fuses with the Sapphire chemically and creates the colors. The one nice thing about Be Heating is that the colors typically go all the way through the stone to the center, so they won't chip off or cut off like Diffusion treated ones. The colors are typically beautiful and bright and are quite appealing to look at. Another nice feature is they can be had for far less money then a comparable untreated Sapphire of the same color.

We all know that Inclusions in Gemstones are caused by impurities (and if you didn't, you do now). But, did you also know that the Colors are caused by these same impurities!? For example.. Colorless/White Sapphire is Corundum in its purest form, when you add Iron it becomes blue, when you add Chromium it becomes Ruby (red). This is where the Be Heating comes in, it is adding the impurity of Chrysoberyl. Very similar to how it would happen in nature, but controlled and done by man in the case of Be Heating. This is by no means a man-made Sapphire and is still mined from the Earth. The color is just brought on by the treatment.

How do I tell if my Sapphire is Be Heated?
Depending on the size of the Sapphire and your eyesight, you will need either a Loupe (preferably Darkfield Illumination) or a Microscope (again, preferably with Darkfield Illumination). When you look at the Sapphire under your Loupe or Scope you will want to look for some key signs that are caused by this treatment.

You will want to look for little finger like inclusions that look like something melted and started to run. Examples I took through a Microscope are below:


Another inclusion you will see is a blueish colored mineral with a ring of bubbles around it, kinda reminds you of a Galaxy. I took this image through a microscope:


Sometimes you will see the blueish dot severely melted near the finger like inclusions and it will look like this image, again taken through a microscope:


The images above all show key signs of a Be Heated Sapphire. Sometimes it is very easy to tell as you will be able to see the Blueish Mineral like inclusions with the naked eye; sometimes it will be more difficult and you will need a microscope to see the tell tale inclusions.

Some folks severely down play Be Treated Sapphires as junk and something to stay clear of... I personally like them, they are beautiful and offer folks a chance to own a gorgeous Gemstone with a permanent treatment at an affordable price that they wouldn't normally be able to afford. In the end, you need to make your own choice as to whether you like them or you don't.

I hope this helps you understand one of the newer treatments and how to identify these stones.

Edit: For clarification, the Chrysoberyl added to the Sapphires during treatment is not actually what combines with the Sapphires, but instead it is the Berryllium from the Chrysoberyl that joins with the Corrumdum.

These images are © and can not be used without explicit written permission from me.