Lab-Grown Sapphire generation techniques
- **Verneuil Process**: low cost, high yield, but bubbles and color bands may be present.
- **Hydrothermal**: closer to the natural formation environment, high clarity, uniform color, higher price.
- **Flux-Grown**: produces large gemstones, but has a long growth cycle (several months).
Lab-Grown Sapphire
- **Composition**: Same as natural sapphire (Al₂O₃ with iron/titanium coloration).
- **Hardness**: 9 Mohs (second only to diamonds), suitable for everyday wear.
- **Color range**: from light blue (Sky Blue) to deep royal blue, and can also be cultivated in pink, yellow, etc. (non-blue is called “colored sapphire”).