Lab-grown sapphires for beautiful custom-made jewellery

Common Questions

• How are lab-grown sapphires made?

  Lab-grown sapphires are made through the Verneuil method. Aluminium oxide is melted at high temperatures, dripped onto a rotating seed crystal, and pulled away to form a crystalline boule. Colouring agents are added for specific hues. After controlled cooling and annealing, the stone is cut, shaped, and polished to create the final product, possessing properties similar to natural sapphires.

• Are sapphires popular for engagement rings?

  As trends and styles evolve, more couples are choosing alternative stones for their engagement jewellery. A bright, beautiful sapphire is a great stone to include in your engagement ring, bringing a unique twist to this traditional piece of jewellery.

  For example, you could choose a sapphire as your featured stone and surround it with smaller diamonds.

  Learn more about using alternative stones for engagement rings with our expert guide.

• Are sapphires a sustainable gemstone?

  Generally, natural sapphires are low-conflict and have a lower environmental impact than mined stones. Lab-grown sapphires align even more with our sustainable values, especially those from Four Words. Lab-made stones have a significantly lower impact than mined stones, and we offset any impact we can't reduce by 500% through our CarbonClick partnership.

• Can you tell the difference between natural and lab-grown sapphires?

  As with all lab-grown gems, natural and lab-made sapphires are incredibly difficult to differentiate. These stones require specialised equipment and advanced gemological testing to identify whether the sapphire was mined or lab-made.

• How much does a lab-grown sapphire cost compared to a natural sapphire?

  There is no set price for sapphires as the cost is determined by the quality, which comes down to several key factors, including the 4C's. However, lab-grown sapphires come in at a lower cost than their natural counterparts.

  Talk to our team today to learn more about pricing guides and getting a custom bespoke sapphire piece of jewellery.

• What does the lifetime guarantee include?

  The lifetime guarantee covers any issues that are caused due to a manufacturing fault.

  After receiving your item, we will evaluate the piece and assess if the issue is due to manufacturing or due to wear and tear. If it was due to manufacturing, we'll repair or exchange the item.

  The guarantee does not include any wear and tear, loss of gemstones, product loss or theft. The manufacturing warranty also excludes damage or loss caused by a failure to carry out the repairs required to preserve the structural integrity of the ring.

  Generally, the things that are caused as part of wear and tear are:

  • Discoloration of metals caused by chemicals, make-up, pools and hot tubs, or bathing.

  • Wearing out, loosening or bending of prongs over time due to everyday wear, or damage resulting in gemstones/diamonds falling out.

  • Loss of a gemstone caused by damage from everyday wear or from other damage.

  The lifetime warranty is also deemed void if another company or jewellery performs any work on the item.

• Can I get a higher or lower graded stone if I want?

  Yes, we can source in any grade you want - just tell us.