Recent rumors in the trade and inquiries to the various offices of GIA's Gem Trade Laboratory, Inc., concerning the commercial availability of faceted flux-grown synthetic blue sapphires prompted the writing of this article. Blue as well as orange flux-grown synthetic sapphires are now commercially available from Chatham Created Gems, Inc., in limited quantities as rough crystal groups and single crystals; they have not yet been marketed as faceted gems. In this article, the author examines the gemological properties of Chatham flux-grown synthetic orange sapphires and blue sapphires.
Recent rumors in the trade and inquiries to the various offices of GIA's Gem Trade Laboratory, Inc., concerning the commercial availability of faceted flux-grown synthetic blue sapphires prompted the writing of this article. Blue as well as orange flux-grown synthetic sapphires are now commercially available from Chatham Created Gems, Inc., in limited quantities as rough crystal groups and single crystals; they have not yet been marketed as faceted gems. In this article, the author examines the gemological properties of Chatham flux-grown synthetic orange sapphires and blue sapphires.
