Untreated, unheated natural blue sapphire gems and untreated, unheated natural yellow sapphire gems, selected in the sapphire gem mining and sapphire gem cutting centers of Sri Lanka by Bill Kent, Graduate Gemologist Appraiser, specialist in untreated, unheated natural sapphire gems. www.sapphires.ca

 

Unheated Natural Sapphire Gems
Your Authentic Choice

 
 
 

Here's Why Unheated Sapphire from www.sapphires.ca is Your Authentic Choice:

You love beauty, originality and true color. You're not blinded by the surface appearance of heat-treated gem stones that have been artificially enhanced in a factory.

Your personal standards demand unheated sapphire's authentic color; true color formed by Nature deep within the Earth.

You'll love your unheated sapphire gemstone from www.sapphires.ca

Throughout recorded history, there has never been a worthwhile alternative to gemstone authenticity.

That hasn't changed.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

sapphire
is the promise of loyalty

sapphire
is the pledge
of fidelity

the gift of sapphire
is the true
symbol
of love
   
 
 
 
 

Definitions:

 
 

Unheated Sapphires:
sapphire gems whose color has not been thermally-enhanced.

 
 
 

Thermal-enhancement (heat-treatment):
an industrial process engineered to convert.dull gray corundum into the type of sapphire commonly sold by ordinary gem-dealers and jewelers..
 
 
 

Diffusion Treatment :
high-heat, industrial process plus the addition of titanium.or beryllium. Diffusion treatment of gems is artificial coloration, either on the surface.of the stone (easy to detect) or penetrating all the way through the stone.(extremely difficult to detect). By eliminating ALL heat-treated gemstones, we eliminate ALL.diffusion-treated gemstones.

 
 
 

"Natural" Sapphires:
sapphire gems found in the.earth as opposed to synthetic stones made in a factory..

The Term "Natural" does.not mean freedom from treatment..
Almost all natural sapphire gems .are thermally-enhanced but are.still called "natural" because, before.treatment, they came from a mine rather than.a factory.
Every sapphire gem on www.sapphires.ca is
Natural:
mined from the Earth
AND
Unheated:
free of thermal-enhancement.

 

Sapphires, blue

as evening’s sky and

bright as mid-day arc

above this earth

and

Golden sapphire; sweet

yellow gold:

warm sunlight

In cool crystal form.

"Bill Kent's passion, knowledge and appreciation for sapphires made my entire purchasing experience a pleasure!  I was so impressed that his ultimate goal was for me to love the stone. 

The stone arrived and it was fabulous!! 

He also provided me with an appraisal and lab certificates proving authenticity.  After searching many high-end jewelers for nearly two years, I can say that my experience with Bill Kent was superb: a beautiful, natural, unheated sapphire; a very fair price and efficient service from start to finish. 

Thank you so much and I look forward to doing business again!"

Mary Beth Greene, Fairhope, AL

How Do We Know These Are Unheated Sapphires?

Valuable information from Canada's most experienced
gemologist/specialist.in unheated, untreated sapphire gemstones:

Heat treatment of sapphire modifies the gem's internal structure.

Heat treatment also modifies the natural variations.in structure and composition known.as 'inclusions'..

.
Silk indicates no heat treatment

The type of inclusion known as "Silk", when intact and unaltered,.indicates unheated sapphire. Silk is.the term for the mineral named 'rutile' which formsvmicroscopically.thin strands within sapphires..

This photograph.shows intact, undamaged silk (highly-magnified). Unaltered silk is.the natural indicator of unheated sapphire.

 

Every sapphire on this site is a unique.creation of nature, containing its own, one-of-a-kind.pattern of.natural, unaltered inclusions.indicating.freedom from heat-treatment..

.

 

My name is Bill Kent. My life's work has been grading,
evaluating and importing valuable.gemstones..l

Using a precise gemological microscope, I select.Microscopic examination
unheated sapphires,.primarily in the top clarity grade..
I identify, and guarantee,.the unheated status of sapphires.based on very, very slight inclusions..After my study of each gem, it's submitted to an Independent Gemological.Laboratory for further testing.


Professional gemologists in Sri Lanka's
leading Gemological.Laboratories conduct thorough visual examination of each.gem and then examine it with:
"Fourier transform-infrared".(FT-IR) spectroscopy.


Visual examination and FT-IR conclusively determine every sapphire on www.sapphires.ca is an.unheated sapphire.

 

Unheated sapphires are unique gems, treasured throughout history for their Rarity and Authenticity. Their beauty is created by Nature, not by human manipulation.

But not everyone cares about natural beauty.

Most consumers and jewelers don't care (or maybe they just don't know) they're buying a heat-treated sapphire.

For people who don't care, there is a never-ending supply of enhanced stones, modified and manipulated to mimic untreated gems.

But for those of us who prefer natural sapphire beauty, free of "enhancement", unheated sapphires become rarer by the day.


GIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graduate Gemologist (GIA). comprehensive training in.Gem Identification and Grading with Certificate in.Gem and Jewelry Appraisal and advanced study of Gem Treatments..

 

 

 


AIGS

 









 

 


Education at Asian Institute of Gemological.Sciences,.Bangkok, Thailand included.Advanced.Techniques for .determining Gem. Treatments and Gem Identification...


  

Inclusions in Sapphires

When examined under a gemological microscope, virtually every gemstone
reveals inclusions.

Small (microscopic) inclusions have almost no impact on the value
of colored gems, including sapphires.

Large inclusions reduce value. If inclusions are large enough, value is reduced by eighty or ninety per cent.

 
Member, AGTA

 
       
 
 
     

Frequent travel to the mines of Sri Lanka is essential to select
superior-quality.unheated sapphire gemstones.
Here we're using.the ancient technique to recover rough gem crystals from gravel excavated.from the mines--the first step in the long journey your untreated sapphire.travels to you.

My hands-on approach saves you money!.

 
   
 




"Rough Sapphire" : uncut, unpolished sapphire crystals found in the mines.
.

Sri Lanka is the island-nation near the southern tip of India and is the world's primary producer of superior quality sapphires.

Sri Lankan origin doesn't indicate freedom from treatment. Heat treatment of sapphire is now widespread in Sri Lanka.

     
   
   

A note about gem mining in Sri Lanka:

Mining practices in Sri Lanka are government-regulated to reduce and eliminate negative environmental and social impact.

Use of Heavy-equipment and strip-mining are prohibited.

All the mining operations I'm familiar with are small operations in which each participant shares in the profit (and loss) of the venture.

Underground, gem-bearing gravel is dug by hand, then scooped into wicker pans which are either carried, hauled or thrown in-relay up to the surface. Once the gravel is above-ground, rough sapphire crystals are separated by "panning" in water--similar to panning for gold.

Sapphire crystals are heavier (higher specific-gravity) than most gravel so sapphires sink to the bottom of the wicker pan, while the gravel is washed over the side of the pan. This process is repeated until only gems remain.

 
   

Prices

All prices are in Canadian Dollars.

All Canadian and American Clients receive their gem purchases

free of taxes, customs fees or shipping charges. .You'll pay nothing extra.

 

Canadian Clients: You'll receive all items "taxes and shipping included".

American Clients: Your gems are free of import taxes, customs duties and shipping

charges. Plus, you receive an Export Discount of 7%, independent of currency

exchange calculation.

 

International Clients: You receive an Export Discount of 7%, independent of currency

exchange calculation.


 

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

The Canadian Dollar has gained strength and now I can purchase gems in Asia at

much better prices. So I'm passing this saving on to you.

 

Effective immediately, all items are reduced by 10% from list price. Please subtract

10% from prices shown on-site. All Canadian, American and International Clients

immediately qualify for this benefit.

 

The Export Discount of 7% for American and International clients is calculated after

subtracting the 10% price reduction.

 

Please contact me at billkent@islandnet.com  with any questions you may have.

 

 

 

 

Returns

Every sapphire on this site comes with a 30 day, full-refund return policy.

I ask only that you return the gem in its original condition and that it hasn't been set into a piece of jewelry prior to its return.

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

 
   
 
My Profile
       
           
 

Bill Kent G.G.

  

..Professional buyer in the gem-cutting and mining areas of the world since1972.

This experience and expertise saves you money.

 
Member
  

National Association of Jewelry Appraisers.

Strict standards of gem valuation are required of members of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. I've applied these strict standards to all of the items on this site.

 
                 
               
 

Training

  

Graduate Gemologist (G.G.) with Appraisal Certificate
(Gemological Institute of America)

Professional education and recognition from the leading Gemological Institute guides my selection process and ensures the untreated status of your sapphire.

 
Advanced Training
 

.

Gem Grading and Appraisal Certificate
(Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand)

Advanced, specialized, in-depth education in the separation of treated and untreated sapphires further protects your investment in your untreated sapphire.

 
                 
 
 

 

Why Do I Specialize in Unheated, Untreated Sapphires?    Because authenticity
is crucial to me.

For me, gem-treatment is a deal-breaker, no matter how attractive a stone may seem.

In fact, 20 years ago I left the gem business because I couldn't accept thermal-enhancement.
Thermal-enhancement is the high-heat industrial process engineered to convert dull gray corundum into the type of sapphire commonly sold by jewelers and gem-dealers.

Then, on a research trip to Thailand, I discovered the Asian Institute of Gemmological Sciences. So I went back to gemology school in Bangkok, ground-zero of the gem-treatment industry. I studied at the Asian Institute of Gemmological Sciences, Thailand, under the expert guidance of Kenneth Scarratt, one of the most distinguished gemologists and researchers in modern gemology. He taught me to identify and separate unheated sapphires from enhanced stones.

After intenstive study, I spent months searching and found a few unheated sapphires; gems completely free of artificial color, enhancements and treatments.

I saw a way to return to gems and still maintain high standards and ethics: specialize exclusively in untreated gems.

And that's what I do.
 
 

 

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 .

  
 
 

A note about www.sapphires.ca:

I'm responsible for everything that happens here. I select the gems. I guarantee each gem's authenticity and freedom from treatment. I guarantee the accuracy and truth of every statement and description. I guarantee satisfaction or money-refunded.

Membership in the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers and the American Gem Trade Association requires the highest ethical standards. That means: no "sharp" business practices, no "gray areas", no misrepresentation, no exaggerated claims.

Just the straight goods and honest dealing.

Sincerely,

Bill Kent

 
 
 
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