A lot of misleading claims are made online by unsavoury sellers to persuade unaware customers to buy their products. Therefore, we have tasked our top gemmologists to publish a brief article to hopefully shed light on the key differences between diamonds and white sapphires. You will learn why white sapphires are not the most appropriate engagement ring gemstone by the end of this article.

White sapphires do not reflect light back, unlike diamonds.

Synthetic alternatives cannot replicate the unique characteristics of diamonds, their signature look and unmatched durability. When you look at a diamond from the top, they dazzlingly reflect back all the light through total internal reflections, like mirrors. Henceforth, when looking at it from the top, you cannot see through a diamond. Unlike diamonds, white sapphires do not reflect light back, so light simply passes through them, making them appear lifeless.

White sapphires do not sparkle like diamonds.

The internal reflection of real diamonds is what gives them their signature sparkle. White sapphires don’t sparkle because they don’t reflect light. It is very easy to differentiate between white sapphires and diamonds just by looking at them with the naked eye due to the latter’s lack of sparkle and transparency.

White sapphires are not durable enough

Choosing white sapphires for an engagement ring that you will wear for many years to come is definitely not a good idea. Although white sapphires can be made to be strong and somewhat resistant to scratches, there are nowhere near the strength and durability of diamonds. White sapphires, unlike diamonds, do not last forever. If the main stone of an engagement ring is a white sapphire, the stone WILL accumulate scratches and chips over time. Within 2-5 years of regular wear, the sapphire, with what little sparkle it had before, will become muted and hazy and will require replacement for the engagement ring to have even a sliver of sparkle.

Diamonds, however, are the strongest natural material known to man, hence their mantra: “diamonds are forever”.

White sapphires are not cut like diamonds.

In order to keep white sapphires` prices lower than diamonds, the amount of care and workmanship that goes into cutting them is at best mediocre and never on par with diamonds. The cut quality of a stone greatly influences its overall appearance, and the difference between the cuts of diamonds and white sapphires is even more evidence of just how separate they are from each other.