Sapphires are dense stones, and that can have an impact on how they look. When shopping for white sapphires, look for a stone that is “eye-clean” where you can’t see the inclusions without a jewelers loupe or magnifying glass. While inclusions (defined as tiny mineral crystals or fractures formed within gemstones) are easily avoidable with diamonds, they are very common in white sapphires and some might be visible to the naked eye. White sapphires lack the brilliance, fire, and sparkles of light (called scintillation) compared to natural or lab-grown diamonds. Rainbow flashes that are a signature look of moissanite aren't an issue with white sapphires, but you do need to be mindful of dullness. This discoloration is more noticeable the bigger a white sapphire is. However, many white sapphires have a milky or cloudy coloring a telltale sign the stone is not a diamond. A common descriptor for white sapphire is that it has a soft, white glow. Colorless sapphire is not nearly as bright or fiery as a diamond and will require frequent cleaning to maintain the near-colorless look. One of the biggest drawbacks to a white sapphire versus a diamond is the color. These numbers might not seem like a large difference but a stone’s durability is an essential attribute.

For reference, moissanite, another type of diamond simulant, is a 9.5.

On the Mohs Hardness Scale, a sapphire is a 9, while a diamond is a perfect 10. With both diamonds and sapphires, only a trained gemologist with special tools would be able to tell the difference between a natural stone and a lab-grown stone. Remember how lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical to natural diamonds? The same goes for sapphires lab-grown sapphires and natural sapphires share optical and physical properties.

Sapphires and diamonds share a number of similar characteristics: primarily, they can both be made in a lab or occur naturally. Gem-quality corundum that is red is called ruby, while all non-red corundum is considered sapphire. What is corundum, you ask? Corundum is a family of gemstones that includes rubies and sapphires. White sapphire is any gem-quality corundum that is colorless or white.

Lab grown white sapphire