Sapphire multi strand blue dye

Hey Rhea, I bought this string of sapphires on eBay for my girlfriend, what do you think?

Charlie, do the words, "cheap date" mean anything to you? What did you pay, $10.00?

No, it was $12.50, do you think I got gypped?

Nah, you paid $12.50, you got $12.50 worth of jewelry.

OK, OK, but how do you know it isn't worth much?

Well for starters the color of the sapphire's is an unearthly blue and that coupled with the fact they are all exactly the same shade means they are dyed. Perfect matches do not occur in nature. Don't get me wrong, I love blue sapphires, the real ones. Also, look at the stringing. I am guessing this is a trainee piece.  They had to do something with it, put it on an eBay auction and hoped they would get lucky.

And I just happened to come along. What do you suggest I do with it?

Mardi Gras beads?

Seriously, if you are going to give it to her, I would start by laying it on a wet paper towel for ten minutes to see if the dye comes off easily. She will probably scalp you if you turn her blue, ruin her clothes, or give her cancer. Would you like to see the real thing?

Sure.

Here is a multi-strand of blue sapphires,  let's look at it outdoors.

Oh my!

Exactly.