In absolutely natural condition only the very fewest gemstones are used for jewellery purposes. In addition to the actual cutting process, gemstones are in many cases subjected to other processes in order to change colour, clarity, sparkle or also the grindability in a positive sense. Such modifications are called “treatments” or “artificial property changes” and the treatment of gemstones causes a larger number of rough gemstones to meet the requirements of the market, i.e. the supply of attractive material is increased, leading to significantly improved market prospects. Without this practice, we would see far less sapphires on the market with similar good clarity or colour, and at far higher carat prices due to limited supply, hence making sapphires more accessible and affordable. Unaffected by this is the low supply of natural material used for jewellery. Only about 1-2% of discovered sapphires are of gem quality without treatment.