The price of Blue Sapphire starts from Rs. 500/carat to Rs. 1,00,000/carat which depends on color, clarity, cut and origin too.
Mostly all sapphires including Blue Sapphire coming from Bangkok are treated with heat, diffusion, glass filling etc. so comparatively they are cheaper than Sri-Lankan sapphires. However, sapphires from Sri-Lanka are now also being treated to enhance color and clarity so one has to be cautious when buying.
For example: Heat or diffusion treatment can transform a white and yellow sapphire into blue sapphire enhancing color. Glass filling treatment fills the cracks, spots and inclusions inside a gemstone through laser hole drilling process enhancing clarity. Regarding origin of gemstone, it is very difficult to conclude origin even by good gemological lab so most of the time it is not mentioned in certificate and one has to solely trust seller on this case. Many local lab don’t even mention treatment (also known as “enhancement” to confuse) maybe because they are not able to detect it. So it is advised that one should get a certificate from a reputed gemological lab. The best gemological lab at Jaipur (GTL) charges around Rs. 1000 for a test of blue sapphire.
Grade of gemstones are different for each firm and market; as there is no international or national grading system for gemstones other than diamond. So, I will not able to ascertain quality of blue sapphire unless I have multiple pictures of all different grades of blue sapphire.
Ask GaneshaSpeaks:
- To email few “close-up” pictures of each grade if you are planning to pay that good amount for it and upload them in this thread.
- If gemstone certificate will contain information about treatment and origin? And incase if mentioned information on gemstone certificate provided by them does not match when certified with another reputed lab by me then will you take it back and make refund or exchange?
- If price given by them are best in the market for that specific quality?
For Rs. 10,000 per carat one can get “very good” and decent quality of blue sapphire for astrological purpose. I generally recommend people to go for range between Rs. 5,000 to 8,000 per carat for blue sapphire as it will get them quite good quality. I have been dealing in gemstones for quite sometime and from my experience I can tell you that there is no fix price/margin in gemstones, so many times seller charges unnecessary price!
Regarding blue sapphires being sold at eBay, I can say that most cheap gemstones there are treated and are from Bangkok however they should not be fake unless seller intention is to cheat. One can also find some good deals there if searched thoroughly. I had also recommended eBay to other visitors earlier but don’t know if they bought from there. If you need any more information or help you can directly reach me through website contact form at http://www.GemstoneBuzz.com/Contact.
Note: Always get your gemstone certified by reputed gemological labs like GII, IGI, GTL (GJEPC) etc.
Wish you all the best!
Himanshu