No. 717M: Brilliant Cut, 1.16 carats, SI1, 6.1 x 4.1 mm, $75.40

Shown above is an attractive Montana sapphire that is a light, slightly purplish-blue color. It shows only a faint hint of greenish-blue color. Many natural sapphire crystals contain tiny included crystals of the mineral rutile. The tiny inclusions cause the crystal to look cloudy. Long ago the sapphire miners in Ceylon and Asia learned that if they heated cloudy sapphire, both the clairty and color of the treated gemstones could be improved.

Sapphire from Montana also contains rutile and the color and clarity of Montana sapphires can also be improved by heat treatment. The above stone has been heated. This sapphire was cut by an automated machine. The proprotions, meetpoints, and polish are good. The gem would look beautiful in a pendant, pin, or ring.

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