Saphire

Sapphires are a curious material which require a little more effort to produce. These are found to be naturally occurring in a process requiring several things to be successful. We'll look at what those are in just a minute, then from there we'll also see the much harder path of fusion required to create these in the lab. Theoretically, all sapphire's need is something the opposite of sand. Therefore, you'll find these in clay rich soils or even old volcanic fields. There's a good reason for this too. The rocks near a volcano are typically rich in aluminum which is where the sapphire gets part of its name. From there, the aluminum is combined with oxygen under high heat and pressure as the earth explodes with often violent results. I mean, if you have ever seen a volcano before, they aren't safe except from a certain distance. This is because the residue of the explosion is known as lava which must first cool and harden before becoming part of the earth.

Then again, the brilliant hues and colors these give off are found being made from different parts of the earth. These can resemble cut glass and colored to give off the different hues. Some of these range anywhere from a brilliant blue to a light-absorbent black with almost anything in between. Later on, we'll look at what inclusions would result in these traditionally vibrant colors. Just imagine for a moment the formation of these in the lab. You'll need a variety of equipment with which to do so. The first of which though would be a heat source along with way to skim substances off from the top. Then you'll need some aluminum which should first be melted over the heat. From there, you'll take the molten aluminum and add all the rest in.

After that, you'll want to infuse some oxygen either by stirring or through mechanically induced methods through the use of an oxygen aerator. Then, you'll want to add the caustic soda to the mix with heat and pressure being used in smaller amounts. You can also filter this mixture through some red mud for clarification while it cools. Once it's cooled, you'll have a thick crystallized mixture which can then be extracted and ground down to a fine powder. Now, you're finally ready to melt the powder down over a steady flame to produce the traditional teardrop sapphire look. After doing all that, I'm sure you'll want to relax. Let's try relaxing under the heat of a nice soothing volcano and see if that does a more effective job of it. Perhaps it'll even shave off half the time and effort it takes while you're at it. For the volcano, you'll need the following:

Soda

Vinegar (works just as well in some cases but has not been tested in this particular reaction)

Molten aluminum

Red mud (for the sides of the volcano)

Baking soda

Then add some heat at a nice high temperature there at the base. Don't forget to combine the aluminum and baking soda separately and heat. From there, these can be poured into the red mud volcano cone for some added pressure. You'll want to use either the soda or vinegar there at the last to make the mixture really pressurize. This will lead to crystallization and potentially cut down on the time and effort needed by more than half. That is of course, if it's done right. Why do you think this is all done with adult supervision in a carefully controlled test environment? After this, you'll want to figure out where in main process you are by what you get and proceed from there as usual. If it didn't quite work, that's okay. We'll try it again later with slightly different ingredients. In the funnel below, the carbonation is what is added to the soda to make the drinks fizzy. This will ensure enough oxygen is infused to produce a reaction. In the diagram below, don't forget to add heat at the base, invert the funnel, and gently cover the top.

And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

Exodus 24:10

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

Isaiah 54:11