Short version: "natural" and "untreated" are not the same thing, and in the astrological gemstone trade the difference decides most of the price. A natural stone came out of the ground. An untreated stone came out of the ground and was never heated, irradiated, oiled, dyed or filled afterwards. Almost every ruby, emerald and sapphire sold in India is treated in some way, which is legal and normal — as long as the seller tells you. This guide explains what is done to each of the nine main astrological stones, how to read the treatment line on a lab report, and what to ask before you pay.
The four categories you need to separate
Most confusion in the gemstone market comes from collapsing four very different things into the single word "real". They are not the same, and the price gap between them is enormous.
| Category | What it means | Is it "real"? |
|---|---|---|
| Natural, untreated | Mined from the earth, cut and polished, nothing else done to it. | Yes. The most expensive category. |
| Natural, treated | Mined from the earth, then heated, irradiated, oiled, dyed, filled or diffused to improve colour or clarity. | Yes, still a natural stone. Legitimate when disclosed. |
| Synthetic / lab-grown | Same chemistry and crystal structure as the natural stone, but grown in a laboratory in weeks rather than in the earth over millions of years. | It is a real ruby chemically, but it is not a natural ruby. Worth a fraction of the price. |
| Imitation | Glass, plastic, doublets, or a cheaper stone standing in for an expensive one. Red glass sold as Manik, fibre-optic glass sold as Lehsunia. | No. Different material entirely. |
When a seller says "100% real", ask which of these four they mean. The word covers all four in casual speech and only one of them in a lab report.
What is actually done to each astrological gemstone
This is the part most sellers leave vague. Here is the honest position on each of the navratna stones as they exist in the global market, not just in our catalogue.
Blue Sapphire (Neelam)
Heat treatment is the norm. Sapphire is routinely heated to high temperatures to deepen blue colour and dissolve internal silk. A smaller share of the market is lattice diffusion treated, where an element such as beryllium is driven into the stone at high temperature to change colour — this is a much more aggressive treatment and should always be disclosed separately. Fissure filling with glass also exists in lower grades. Genuinely unheated Neelam is uncommon and carries a large premium, and a serious report will say so explicitly.
Yellow Sapphire (Pukhraj)
Same family as Neelam, same treatment picture. Most commercial Pukhraj is heated. Beryllium diffusion is used to produce strong golden and orange tones. Unheated Ceylon Pukhraj is the premium category and is priced accordingly.
Ruby (Manik)
The most treatment-heavy stone in the astrological set. Ordinary heating is standard. Flux healing, where residue fills surface-reaching fractures during heating, is common. The category to actually watch is lead-glass filled ruby, sometimes called composite ruby — heavily fractured low-grade corundum flooded with high-lead glass to make it look transparent. It is cheap, it is fragile, ordinary household chemicals can damage it, and it is frequently sold at natural ruby prices. Always ask specifically whether a ruby is glass-filled.
Emerald (Panna)
Emerald is the clearest example of why "untreated" needs to be understood rather than demanded. Emeralds form with surface-reaching fractures, and filling them with cedarwood oil or resin to improve apparent clarity has been standard practice for centuries. Reputable laboratories grade the amount as none, minor, moderate or significant rather than treating it as pass or fail. A completely untreated emerald of good size and colour is genuinely rare and priced at a steep premium. Dyed-oil emeralds, where green colouring is added to the filler, are a different matter and are a disclosure failure.
Red Coral (Moonga)
Dyeing is widespread. Pale or white coral is commonly dyed to produce the deep red the market wants. Bamboo coral, a different and cheaper material, is dyed and sold as Moonga. Reconstituted coral — powder bonded with resin — also circulates. Natural, undyed red coral in good colour is a genuinely more expensive product.
Pearl (Moti)
Bleaching to even out colour is near-universal in cultured pearls. Dyeing is common. The bigger distinction is natural versus cultured: almost all pearls on the market today are cultured, which is normal and legitimate, but natural pearl is a rare and very different price category. Imitation pearls — coated glass or plastic — are also widespread.
Hessonite (Gomed)
Usually sold untreated, which makes Gomed one of the easier stones to buy with confidence. Heating is occasionally used. The main risk here is misidentification rather than treatment: other brown-orange garnets and cheaper stones get sold as Gomed.
Cat's Eye (Lehsunia)
Genuine chrysoberyl cat's eye is typically untreated. The real problem in this category is imitation: fibre-optic glass produces a convincing sharp eye and is sold widely at a tiny fraction of the cost. Cheaper cat's eye quartz is also sold as Lehsunia. For this stone, identification matters far more than treatment.
Diamond (Heera)
Clarity enhancement by laser drilling and fracture filling is common at lower price points. HPHT processing is used to change colour. And lab-grown diamond is now a large part of the market — chemically identical, visually identical, and a fraction of the price, which makes an independent report essential rather than optional.
Does treatment affect the astrological result?
This is the question we are asked most, and we will answer it honestly rather than conveniently.
Within Vedic astrological tradition, many practitioners hold that a stone should be natural and untreated to be worn as a remedial gemstone, and some go further and specify no cracks, no cavities and a minimum carat weight. Other traditions and other astrologers are less strict. There is no single agreed rule, and there is no scientific evidence establishing that gemstones produce astrological effects at all, treated or untreated.
What we can tell you is the practical part. If you are buying on the advice of an astrologer who has specified an untreated stone, buy untreated and get it in writing on the report. If you are buying because you like the stone, a well-disclosed treated stone at a fair price is a perfectly reasonable purchase. What you should never do is pay an untreated price for a treated stone.
How to read the treatment line on a lab report
A gemstone report is not just an authenticity stamp. The treatment line is the part that determines what the stone is worth.
- "No indications of heating" — the standard phrasing for an unheated stone. This is the line that justifies a premium.
- "Indications of heating" or "heat treated" — the stone has been heated. Normal, legitimate, and it should be reflected in the price.
- "Clarity enhancement: minor / moderate / significant" — typically emerald, describing how much filler is present. More filling means lower value.
- "Lattice diffusion" or "beryllium diffusion" — colour was introduced from outside the stone. Substantially lowers value against a plain heated stone.
- "Lead glass filled" or "composite" — in ruby, this is the one to avoid at natural ruby prices.
- "Dyed" — colour added. Standard in much coral and some lapis, and it must be disclosed.
- No treatment line at all — treat this as missing information, not as good news. A report that does not address treatment has not told you the most important thing.
Also check that the carat weight, dimensions and stone type on the report match the item you are being sold, and verify the report number on the issuing laboratory's own website rather than through a link the seller gives you.
What treatment does to the price
There is no fixed multiplier, and anyone quoting one precisely is guessing. But the direction and rough scale are consistent across the trade:
- An unheated sapphire of good colour will generally cost several times the equivalent heated stone.
- A diffusion-treated sapphire is worth considerably less than a plainly heated one of similar appearance.
- An emerald with minor oil is worth substantially more than a visually similar stone with significant filling.
- A lead-glass filled ruby is worth a small fraction of a heated natural ruby, despite often looking better to the naked eye.
- Undyed natural red coral commands a clear premium over dyed material.
This is exactly why disclosure matters more than the treatment itself. Heating a sapphire is not dishonest. Selling a heated sapphire at an unheated price is.
Six questions to ask any seller before you pay
- Is this stone natural, synthetic or imitation?
- Is it treated or untreated, and if treated, by what method — heated, diffused, oiled, filled, dyed or irradiated?
- Which laboratory issued the report, and what is the report number?
- Does the report state the treatment explicitly, or is it silent on it?
- Does the carat weight on the report match the stone I am buying?
- Is the price based on untreated status, and if so, where does the report confirm that?
Get the answers in writing before payment, not after. A seller who cannot answer all six is not a seller you should hand a large sum to.
How GemKrishna handles this
We stock both treated and untreated astrological gemstones, deliberately. Untreated stones are the premium category and not everyone needs one; treated stones let a buyer wear a good-looking Panna or Neelam at a price that makes sense for them. Both are legitimate products.
What we commit to is the disclosure:
- Treatment status is stated in the product title, not buried in a specification table.
- Every gemstone and crystal order ships with a lab report, at any price, with no threshold.
- We work with six laboratories — GJSPC, IGI, GRS Swiss, IIGJ, GSI and GIA — and the report number can be verified independently on the issuing lab's own site.
- You can ask for the report before you buy. Send us the product link on WhatsApp at +91 76782 75972 or email contact@gemkrishna.com.
Astrological and spiritual descriptions on our site reflect traditional Vedic belief. They are not medical claims and nothing we sell is a treatment for any condition.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between natural and untreated gemstones?
Natural means the stone was mined from the earth rather than grown in a laboratory. Untreated means that after mining it was never heated, irradiated, oiled, dyed, filled or diffused. Every untreated stone is natural, but most natural stones on the market are treated.
Is a treated gemstone fake?
No. A treated gemstone is natural material that has been enhanced, and treatment is a legal and centuries-old practice. It becomes a problem only when it is not disclosed or when a treated stone is sold at an untreated price.
Are most sapphires heated?
Yes. Heat treatment is standard for both blue sapphire (Neelam) and yellow sapphire (Pukhraj). Unheated stones exist but are far less common and cost significantly more.
Are all emeralds oiled?
Close to it. Filling surface-reaching fractures with oil or resin is standard practice for emerald. Good laboratories grade the extent as none, minor, moderate or significant rather than as a simple yes or no.
What is composite or glass-filled ruby?
Heavily fractured low-grade corundum flooded with high-lead glass to appear transparent. It is fragile, can be damaged by ordinary household chemicals, and is worth far less than a heated natural ruby. Ask explicitly whether a ruby is glass-filled.
Is treated Moonga acceptable?
Dyed red coral is widely sold and is acceptable if it is disclosed and priced as dyed material. Natural undyed coral costs more. Bamboo coral and reconstituted coral are different materials and should never be sold as natural Moonga.
Do astrological gemstones need to be untreated?
Many Vedic practitioners prefer untreated stones, though traditions differ and there is no single rule. There is no scientific evidence for astrological effects either way. If your astrologer has specified untreated, get that confirmed on the lab report before paying.
How do I check if my gemstone is treated?
Read the treatment line on the laboratory report and verify the report number on that laboratory's own website. Treatment cannot be reliably judged by eye, and a stone that looks better is often the more heavily treated one.
Still not sure what you are looking at?
Send us the product you are considering — ours or anyone else's — on WhatsApp at +91 76782 75972 or email contact@gemkrishna.com, and we will tell you what the report actually says. We would rather you buy the right stone than the expensive one.
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