Your Details
Please fill in your email address
Please fill in a password
By Gavin Clarke
Reviewed By Andreas Zabczyk
Natural Gemstones![]() Color Zoning in Natural Sapphire
It is now possible to manufacture many kinds of high quality gemstones in a laboratory, including sapphire, ruby, emerald and diamond. So what does this mean for the natural gemstone business? Synthetic or lab-created gemstones are made of the same material as natural gemstones, so they share the same chemical and optical properties. A synthetic sapphire is composed of aluminum oxide, the same material as the natural stone. It is just as hard and just as brilliant as a natural sapphire. In fact the color and clarity of the synthetic stone may well be superior to most natural sapphires. The synthetic sapphire will also be available in larger sizes and at a much lower price. Usually a better product at a lower price is a sure bet for success with regard to marketing. However, natural gemstones continue to be preferred by most knowledgeable gem buyers. In fact many of these buyers would not even consider buying a synthetic gemstone. Why is that? One answer is that a natural gemstone is extremely rare, and thus has a special value. But this cannot be the complete answer. The reason is that not all rare things, however valuable, are intrinsically interesting or beautiful. Rare coins, for example, can be be worth a fortune; but they are collected solely for their rarity, not their beauty. ![]() Rutile Inclusions in Natural Sapphire
We might say that natural gemstones are rare in a special way - they are a kind of miracle of nature; a happy accident where the right conditions came together to produce a material that can be cut and polished to produce a finished product with remarkable optical properties. It's worth remembering that not all natural gemstones are valuable. Poor quality specimens form the bulk of the output from virtually every mine. Gem quality material has a rare combination of transparency, clarity and color. But there is more to a natural gemstone than just these qualities, which indeed can be found in synthetic stones. A natural sapphire is not just aluminum oxide. It may also contain a number of "impurities", including titanium, iron, chromium and rutile. These impurities contribute not only to the hue of the gem, but also to its texture, its appearance under different kinds of lighting, its color zoning and a whole range of subtle optical qualities. Synthetic gems are actually more perfect than most of the specimens found in nature. But in many gemstones it is precisely these accidental imperfections of nature that give natural gemstones not only their rarity, but also their unique beauty.
About Us
Overall Rating -> 10 nothing but good. always have a great selection. I am a hobbyist and only collect. Great prices. I could take all day looking at a small percent of all the gemstone, fantastic Posted By Steve m. in February, 2025 Source: Bizrate Overall Rating -> 10 I have been buying gems for several years off and on and love their selection and great low prices. I started out wanting to get an example of each type of gem but after looking at all the types of gems and reading about them I realize it is almost impossible for me to do. It took me years just to read about them all. Gem Select is the best gem site you can find. For information or to buy. Steve M. Posted By Stevee M. in January, 2025 Source: Bizrate Overall Rating -> 10 I have bought many stones from GemsSelect and have been very satisfied with all!I will continue to buy and recommend this site! Posted By DG in July, 2024 Source: Bizrate Overall Rating -> 10 Good shopping experience. Website is relatively easy to use. Prices are good. Posted By Bleep in August, 2024 Source: Bizrate Overall Rating -> 10 So far, my experience was great...Thanks Posted By Kaydi in May, 2025 Source: Bizrate Overall Rating -> 10 J'ai trouv ce que je voulais rapidement. Par contre, je trouve les frais d'envoies un peu chers. Pour le reste, je suis vraiment trs satisfaite. Posted By Kak in July, 2024 Source: Bizrate Overall Rating -> 10 It was my second time so I understand what it is to do Posted By Ibie in February, 2025 Source: Bizrate Related Articles Finest Red Rhodolite Garnet Finest Red Rhodolite Garnet Brilliance, Luster and Fire Brilliance, Luster and Fire Demantoid Garnet Gems Demantoid Garnet Gemstones: Facts, History and More Gemstone Testers Gemstone Testers Advanced Gem Analysis Advanced Gem Analysis Gentle Heat Treatment Gentle Heat Treatment |
STAY IN TOUCH | NEWSLETTER |
*You're signing up to receive GemSelect promotional email. |
Switch to Mobile Version
Copyright © 2005-2025 GemSelect.com all rights reserved.
Reproduction (text or graphics) without the express written consent of GemSelect.com (SETT Company Ltd.) is strictly prohibited.
1017
Please wait the page is loading!
|