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Comparing Natural, Lab Created and Imitation Gemstones

June is just around the corner and many of you are gearing up or already designing for those June brides. I thought this would be a good time to compare Natural, Lab Created and Imitation gemstones and clear up a few misconceptions about their quality and value in today's marketplace. Natural gemstones are those that are mined and harvested from their natural environment such as from within the earth or the ocean or other organic sources such as pearls, coral and amber. Lab created gemstones are also referred to as cultivated, cultured and man-made or synthetic. Imitation gemstones are usually made of glass, plastic, resin and dyes and made to "imitate" natural stones. Most of the examples I use will be about diamonds which is the traditional choice for brides.
NATURAL: Natural gemstones are produced within the earth completely by Mother Nature without any help or influence of humans, such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds, etc. This category would also include those gems found in the ocean or harvested from ancient forests like pearls, coral and amber. Natural gems will always be coveted for their rarity and because of supply and demand, will always have a significantly higher value and cost compared to those created in a man-made environment. Natural gemstones could have still undergone treatments and enhancements that are not present in their natural formation to change its appearance or to stabilize them for cutting. For example, natural Rubies, Sapphires and Emeralds that have been treated with oils, epoxy or glass to hide cracks and imperfections and to enhance their clarity or color intensity or a natural diamond that has been laser drilled to bleach out an inclusion (an enhancement). Some treatments are common and expected, others are not, however the majority of natural gemstones have been altered to enhance or change their appearance.
LAB CREATED: These are gemstones that are grown in laboratories under controlled environments by man. There is a huge misconception that lab-created gemstones are not real, are fake or imitation. Even well known retailers of gems and jewelry, while they may sell lab created stones, claim that they are completely different because they feel created stones cannot possibly be the same stone and they go against tradition. Not true, not true and did I mention not true? These gemstones begin with the same properties and chemical/mineral composition as their natural counterparts. Created diamonds, for example, exhibit the same (if not more) beauty as a mined diamond because it is identical in composition to a mined diamond — that’s right, identical. Not similar. Not a simulation. Not a fake. There are two differences between natural and lab created stones. Where they grew up and their growth structure. Natural diamonds grow as octahedral crystals (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octahedron), but in the lower temperatures of the laboratory, they grow as crystals with both octahedral and cubic faces. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_crystal_system) They are generally about 20% to 40% less in cost but that certainly does not mean cheap. When a lab created stone is compared to a natural stone of the same cut, clarity and carat weight with a value of say $2,000.00 you will still be paying about $1,200.00 to $1,600.00. More often than not it is very difficult to detect the differences between natural and created stones, even by gemologists. They often do not have the resources on site and the more reputable ones will submit them for testing.
Lab created gemstones will generally have fewer inclusions and better color than natural stones because the influence of natural impurities are limited in a lab. While gemstone labs do not have the same impact on the environment as natural mining, there is still the issue of the massive amounts of electricity needed to create them. While producers are actively seeking alternative energy sources whenever possible, electricity is still used to grow these stones with a definite impact on their carbon footprint.
IMITATION/SIMULANT:
Many people refer to the last category as Fake however I refrain from using that term because they are not "fake". They are real glass or real plastic or real resin and created to "imitate/simulate" real stones, not to replace or pretend to be real stones. They have a definite purpose especially in the fashion industry for casual and formal wear as well as costumes.
Lastly, all gem grade stones whether natural or lab created gemstones, (yes created stones can be classified as gem grade), are held to a strict standard of disclosure by the FTC.
In July 2018, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission approved a substantial revision to its Jewelry Guides, with changes that impose new rules on how the trade can describe diamonds and diamond simulants. The new guidelines remove the word "natural" from the definition of "diamond", thus including lab-grown diamonds within the scope of the definition of "diamond".
They issued the following change:
“Based on changes in the market, the final Guides eliminate the word “natural” from the definition of diamond in Section 23.12(a) because lab-created products that have essentially the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as mined diamonds are also diamonds.[20]”.
The revised guide further states that
"If a marketer uses 'synthetic' to imply that a competitor's lab-grown diamond is not an actual diamond, ... this would be deceptive."
Manufacturers and retailers are held accountable for not adhering to this disclosure. When purchasing gemstones or jewelry always ask if the stone is lab created and what treatments have been used to enhance color or stability. Have that information noted on your sales receipt. Also, buy from a trusted supplier who guarantees your purchase with a no questions asked return policy.
I hope you found this interesting as well as helpful and if you are the lucky recipient of a lab created stone and someone calls it a fake, just smile and say "bless your heart".
References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octahedron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_crystal_system https://www.federalregister.gov/…/guides-for-the-jewelry-pr…

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Comparing Natural, Lab Created and Imitation Gemstones

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