Playing the Blues: An Overview of Sapphire Treatment | GIA Knowledge Sessions Webinar Series

GIA Knowledge Sessions Webinar - recorded live on September 16, 2021.

For almost as long as there have been gems, there have been gem treatments. The earliest description of treating blue sapphires dates back to roughly a thousand years ago. Since then, sapphire treatment has evolved, and numerous new treatments have emerged that can radically alter the appearance of a sapphire. From low temperature heat treatment to beryllium diffusion and more, tune in as Wim Vertriest, Manager of Field Gemology at GIA Bangkok, explores the history, science and technique of treating blue sapphires and how to detect these treatments.

Read more of Wim Vertriest's research:
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spr...
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/win...
https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/sum...