Inclusions in Unheated Sapphires

For anyone unfamiliar, photomicrography is the art of taking pictures of a small subject through the use of a microscope lens. Here at LGC Lab in Hatton Garden, we practice this with gemstones, aiming to capture any beautiful, interesting and characteristic inclusions.

The inclusions of unheated sapphires draw you into this ethereal world of moiré fingerprints, crystals and three-directional silk. Each one is an individual ode to its geological and geographical origins.

Studying inclusions is a very good way of distinguishing unheated sapphires from heated ones, so when we recently got in a collection of new unheated sapphires we had a lot of fun with them under the microscope.