Crack or inclusion in sapphire?

[roarsaysthelion]

Obsessed with my new sapphire ring - but when I was admiring it under a loupe, I saw something at the lower left corner that I never noticed before. I can't tell if this is just a normal inclusion, or if it's a crack that may have been introduced when the gem was set. Is this anything to be worried about? Is it likely to affect the durability of the ring? Including three photos I took, plus a shot from the jeweller.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

I see what you mean. I just can’t work out if it’s a heavy crack or simply that the stone has a window effect in that bit so you’re seeing the underside of your ring.

 

[Rfisher]

Do you have a pictures of the stone before it was set?

 

[Autumn in New England]

It's definitely something internal... an inclusion of another mineral perhaps, as there is some color to it. For that reason, I don't think it's damage (a crack). Since it's under the prongs and that's a typical damage area (from a ring being bumped and the prongs making contact with the facets), I thought it might have been for a brief moment. But yeah, I vote inclusion. Pretty ring in spite of it!

 

[Avondale]

Looks like iron staining to me, and you can't introduce that into a stone during setting. An already existing inclusion like a feather can be expanded due to the stress and pressure during setting, but that's pure speculation, the only way to notice something like that is to have examined the stone thoroughly before setting, to know very well what a feather looks like and how big it is, in order to be able to compare with what you see after.

In any case, that double claw there will serve a good purpose protecting this corner so the feather doesn't develop into a full blown fracture with an accidental knock.

 

[roarsaysthelion]

Do you have a pictures of the stone before it was set?

No -- I'm going to ask the jeweller for one