By Lauriane Lognay

This is part one of a two-part series exploring the different types of methods and processes commonly used to create synthetic gemstones.

The gemstone market is saturated with imitations and synthetics. While many believe these lab-grown gems have been around for 30 years at the very most, this is simply untrue. Indeed, synthetics have been observed in jewellery and have infiltrated the market as far back as 1885. While the original creators of these lookalike stones remain a mystery, the first few lab-created gemstones have been traced back to Switzerland. This is why older pieces of jewellery can (and most likely will) contain synthetics: at the time, these gemstones were sold as naturals and were less expensive to purchase.

First and foremost, an important note: if you have any doubts whatsoever as to the nature and/or identity of a gemstone, it is advised you submit it to a reputable lab or gemmologist for analysis. Nothing beats this certification—and nothing builds a reputation better than professionalism and transparency!

That said, the objective of this article is to help jewellers determine what type of lab-grown gem they are dealing with and how it was made. The text will dive a bit deeper than simply ‘synthetics are lab grown’ and, instead, explain a few techniques commonly used to create these stones.

To continue reading this article, please follow the link here: Knowing and recognizing synthetics – Jewellery Business