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Fine Jewelry University Articles matching: “Lab created sapphire”
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Fine Jewelry University (Show All FJU Articles)
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Gem in the Spotlight: Pearl
…even decades, to form, and are found only in a few select locations around the world. The process by which they are created is completely unpredictable, and as a result, natural pearls come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors. They … natural irritant. The resulting pearl is virtually indistinguishable from a natural pearl in appearance, and can be created in a fraction of the time. Because of this, cultured pearls are far more common and affordable than natural pearls. …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Alexandrite
Emerald by day, ruby by night, more expensive than diamond and more illustrious than sapphire, emerald, or even ruby, alexandrite has been known around the world as one of the most sought-after gems for the … isn’t the only stone to display color-change phenomena. There are color-change varieties of many gems including sapphire, tourmaline, spinel, garnet, etc. Alexandrite is, however, the most famous for it. It is so famous, in fact, that color-… the best of the best with a rare twist. One final note: while alexandrite in its natural form is expensive, its lab–created counterpart is very affordable. So no matter the occasion or budget, our gemologists will be able to find the right …
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Understanding the Diamond Buying Game
… this is not always the case. Today, to make the grading standard more uniform, diamond certification by grading laboratories is thought to make diamonds a commodity. Again the dream is not the reality. The nature of diamonds is that … diamond is unique. Diamond reports don’t tell the whole story. First, it is well known that not all diamond grading labs grade with the same standard. GIA and AGS use the most technical standards. EGL uses a looser grading standard, I …
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The Magic of Polarized Light
… (DR) and they will split incoming light in multiple directions. Some common examples of doubly refractive gems are sapphire, tourmaline, and moissanite. These are contrasted with singly refractive (SR) gems like diamond that only bend light … is partially polarized. This is because some of the rays pass through the water, and some of them reflect. In a lab we typically polarize light by using a polarizing filter. These filters have a coating on them applied in such a way …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Amethyst
… durability with a Mohs hardness rating of 7. For reference, amethyst is roughly as hard as tourmaline, softer than sapphire and topaz, and harder than opal and tanzanite. This makes it a durable gemstone that is resistant to scratching and …mythology. The word “amethystos,” is derived from the Greek word meaning “not drunken.” It is said that amethyst was created when Dionysus, the god of wine, was angered by an insult from a mortal. In his rage, Dionysus vowed to take revenge …
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Gem in the Spotlight: Tourmaline
… is one of the most beautiful gems that you’ve probably never heard of. Less popular than the likes of ruby or sapphire, tourmaline flies under the radar in the gem world and remains the best kept secret of gem collectors and connoisseurs who… it for hundreds of years. But, before the advent of modern gemology, most tourmaline was believed to be ruby, sapphire, or emerald. Gemology of Tourmaline Gemologically speaking, tourmaline is its own mineral and not a species or member of a…
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Gem in the Spotlight: Ruby
… arguably the richest history of all gemstones. Gemology of Ruby Rubies are in the corundum gem family along with sapphires. Corundum is an extremely durable form of aluminum oxide with a Moh’s hardness of 9. This makes ruby one of the … from trace amounts of chromium in the crystal structure. If they are too purple or too pink, they are called purple sapphires or pink sapphires, respectively. Since sapphires and rubies are the same gem material, they also share a refractive…
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Gem in the Spotlight: Jade
…, maw sit sit, and hydrogrossular garnet. For a short amount of time, a few laboratories produced synthetic (lab–created) jadeite. This proved to be unprofitable and was quickly forgotten; however, a small amount of it remains on the market … a big impact on how gems are worn and what they can handle. We all know diamonds are the hardest gem commonly available on earth. If you scraped them together, a diamond would scratch a piece of jade while the much softer jade wouldn’t …
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Frequently Asked Question about Jewelry
… in the field. The pace of change in the gem industry is staggering. What is Moissanite? Moissanite is lab–created silicon carbide. It has become an excellent diamond imitation since it gives a positive reading on a thermal inertia testers (… between a Diamond Certificate and an Appraisal? A Diamond Certificate is a document issued by a Gemological Laboratory describing a Loose Diamond. The laboratory will not issue certificates on Diamonds which are set in a mounting. A …
