Blue sapphire, also called Neelam in Hindi, is one of the most beautiful gemstones that you will come across. If you are planning to buy a Neelam then you must read this article as we are going to discuss how to identify if a Neelam stone is genuine?
Believed to be studded in the crown of Lord Shani – the disciplinarian, the stone has huge astrological significance. A very strong stone it has the power of changing life of a wearer for the better.
A person whose Saturn is his weak friend is normally advised to wear the stone. The biggest issue for this person is to differentiate between a genuine and a simulated Neelam stone. In this article we have made an attempt to help you differentiate between the two.
Neelam Gemstone
The Two Perspectives
We will tackle this issue from two perspectives:
. Firstly taking precautions during purchase
. Secondly trying to self evaluate if the Neelam stone is not damaged or fake
So let us start with the first and foremost point, namely the point of purchase or the person/shop/institution from where you are buying the gemstone.
Point of Purchase
Although we will be telling you some tips on how to know if a Neelam is genuine, still there are some common sense tips which you must follow as that reduces the chances of getting duped. The very first point is that you must visit a jeweller or a gemstone seller who has a good reputation in the market. Try to buy it from certified stores or people you know via some personal reference.
Collect the Relevant Documents
Neelam gemstone is generally quite expensive, though exact cost would depend on size etc, so you must collect the receipt and the certificate from the seller. All these documents must give a detailed description of the weight, size and texture of the blue sapphire. You must keep them with you and ensure that you don’t lose them no matter what. If you are not collecting these documents and you are paying by cash you might be cheated easily.
Simple Physical Checklist
Inclusions
Inclusion in gemology simply means some foreign debris or structural irregularities in any gemstone. Basically they are an indicator of the origin of the gemstone. When these irregularities exist on the surface they are also known as blemishes.
From the astrological point of view, not every inclusion is considered good though and you should avoid a Neelam or Blue Sapphire with any visible cracks, or surface chipped off or anything similar so you must keep in mind in that the stone should not have any visible cracks on it.
Transparency
Some blue sapphires might have a hazy or blurred formation inside which is not good and these stones should be avoided. It is better if the stone is nearly as transparent as possible and you could literally see through it.
Colour
Most people are confused over this and since the name of the Neelam gemstone is “blue sapphire” they tend to think that anything not-blue is not genuine but this is not so. Actually the colour of the blue sapphire can range from deep blue to very light blue. Still generally speaking, the lighter the colour the better the stone is.
Visible Spots
When you see a Neelam with naked eye you must not see any black or white spots on it. If there is any spot don’t buy the stone. The blue sapphire should be so pure that a ray of light can pass through it easily.
Density
The blue sapphire is a heavy stone. If you are given few options of stones that are blue in colour you must be sure that the heaviest one is the genuine stone. Of course there is an exemption to this rule and there is an artificial material called Synthetic Cubic Zirconia which is even heavier. Secondly you cannot identify different weights of such things by feeling with hand but need a sensitive weighing scale for it.
Some Deeper Checks
Yellow Rays
Further to the simple checks described above, there are some more detailed points that you must keep in mind about how to identify if Neelam stone is genuine. When you rotate the Neelam stone it should not give out any yellow ray at the edges. Actually there is an artificial Neelam called Iolite which has this characteristic. However this is not a perfect test as in rare cases even genuine Neelam could emit yellow reflection due to iron staining.
Doubling Effect
If you see a doubling effect in the stone, for example you feel that there is another layer of stone inside then you can be rest assured that it is not a blue sapphire. It could be an alternative for genuine Neelam stone known as Benitoite which shows such doubling effect.
Dichroscope & Refractometer
The refractive index of Neelam shows only two shades of blue and not more than that. Infact some alternatives of Blue Sapphire such as a material known as Tanzanite do show more than two shades of blue when observed under the dichroscope which is a hand held device as shown in the adjacent figure.
Dichroscope
Similarly there is another instrument known as Refractometer which is used to check for the refractive index of the gemstones.
Refractometer
However it requires an experienced professional to use these instruments and to infer from their results. It is mostly use by gem traders normal buyers would find it difficult to do this test and moreover for a normal buyer it would not make sense to buy any of these instruments for sake of one stone, but this is meant mainly for information.
Artificial Glass
The manmade glass can also be used as blue sapphire by the traders. Nevertheless, we must mention that these glasses will have bubbles inside that will look like small gas bubbles trapped inside the stone. If you see such a thing never buy the stone unless you get it verified by an expert.
Alternatives Of Neelam/Blue Sapphire
Blue Sapphire or Neelam is a bit expensive gemstone hence that is the reason for existance of alternatives in the market. But once you have an idea on how to identify if Neelam stone is genuine you can certainly get an inkling if the stone you are buying is genuine or is just a piece of Lolite, Benitoite, Tranzanite and so forth.
Using Gemstone Testing Lab
The last method in how to identify if Neelam stone is genuine is that you can also go to the gem lab and get the gemstone tested. The certificate that is given by the lab can be taken to any court and a case can be filed against the jeweler or the shop if it is proven in the report that the gemstone is fake.
Buyer Beware
If you find any of the points in the stone that we have mentioned above then you must not buy the gemstone. A slight doubt can also be dangerous when it comes to buying a blue sapphire. A wrong gemstone can give you more harm that any good that might had come out of it, if it were genuine.
The Nilam stone is such that it is sometimes very difficult to differentiate between the fake and the real one and is a challenge even for a professional. However, we hope that with the points we have mentioned you will not be cheated.
We will also be covering the topic of testing the Neelam stone before actually buying it and the procedure to wear it so you will see a post on this soon as well.
About the Video Below:
Many readers keep requesting us to upload some video on this topic since many of them find reading and understanding more difficult than a video plus some of them have language issues so here is a video in Hindi which explains how to identify a true nilam stone with nearly same points as in the write up but please note that the article is much more detailed that the video so try to read it as well.
NB: The person in this video is NOT Pt Ram Dhiraj Mishra (Author) but a member of the Metaphysics Knowledge team and the content of the video is based on the findings by the author. Even after reading the article or watching the video, you still have any doubts or queries about identification of a genuine blue sapphire you can send us a message by using this Contact Us form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.