Types of artificial gemstones and their properties

Previously, the situation with precious stones was simple and understandable: wealthy people wore jewelry, and ordinary people were content with ordinary jewelry with more affordable gems. Now the situation has changed radically, because modern man has learned to create a large number of precious stones artificially. What are such products, what is their feature and what properties do they have?

Synthetic gems are a complete analogue of natural gems. The difference is only in the nuances of creation - artificial jewelry is created in laboratories or special factories, where a large number of specialists help the stone to be “born”, observing all the subtleties of the technological process. By chemical and physical characteristics, artificial stone is fully consistent with its natural counterpart, therefore, it cannot be considered a glass imitation and fake. This is a high-quality full analog.

Precious gems, which are created in artificial conditions, have a different name - grown jewelry stone. It fully reflects their essence. The technology for creating artificial jewelry is completely identical to the conditions that nature creates for them.

But technology significantly reduces the time to create stones. If a natural gem can be created over hundreds of years, then for an artificial analogue it will take several hours, in rare cases several months. Initially, equipment and technologies for creating artificial stones were very expensive. Therefore, stones could not be too cheap.But this process is constantly being improved, due to which the cost of such jewelry is reduced.

Scientists spent a lot of time, effort and money, developing to create synthetic stones. And their discoveries are of great importance, which consists of the following factors:

• reduction in the cost of jewelry that has become more affordable with artificial gems;
• creating the perfect stone without unnecessary inclusions and other flaws, because nature does not always manage to create the perfect gem;
• replacement of precious stones, the reserves of which are not unlimited in the bowels of the earth;
• expanding opportunities for the use of precious stones in industrial fields.

Since the production of the first artificial gemstone, scientists have been able to significantly expand the list of gems that can be born in the laboratory. Synthetic gems are presented in a large assortment, among which the following are the most significant and interesting.

Diamonds are actively produced artificially, moreover, this stone was one of the first to be synthesized. Now it’s not difficult for scientists to create a 15-carat diamond. Many jewelers use these stones in their jewelry, passing them off as real. It is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish a real nugget from an artificial one, because scientists are constantly improving their skills. A real stone has inclusions of a mineral type, and artificial diamonds in their composition have inclusions of metals.

Also actively created in artificial conditions. To obtain them, titanium oxide is added to the starting material. After going through the cutting process, the synthesized stone acquires a star-like effect, which is inherent in natural ruby ​​and sapphire. Such stones are characterized by a number of properties and features:

• porosity at zero level;
• strength that does not change even when exposed to aggressive factors;
• high transparency rates;
• immunity to substances related to ordinary acids and most alkaline substances;
• density is in the range of 3.98 - 3.99;
• hardness index is 9;
• the stone quickly becomes warm if you hold it in your hand, in contrast to the natural counterpart.

For the production of synthetic emeralds, two methods are used: flux and hydrothermal. Beryl seed is used to build crystals. Over the course of a day, such an emerald grows by 0.8 mm. The manufacturing process of such gems is very expensive, because the cost of artificial and natural stone is not particularly different. A fake emerald in most cases has a pronounced zoning of staining, which distinguishes its origin. Also, tubular inclusions and brown inclusions of iron oxides can be found in such gems.

Obtained artificially is very common. An important variety of this gem is hydrothermal amethyst. This stone can often be found in jewelry, because it is very similar to its counterpart. It can be very difficult to distinguish an artificial stone from a natural one, only complex diagnostics can help. Another variety of quartz is ametrineIt is also produced by the hydrothermal method. Ametrine is distinguished by zoning of color and twinning structure.

It is one of the few artificial stones that have no natural counterpart.Zirconia is popularly called an artificial diamond for its similarity to this gem. In fact, cubic zirconia with a diamond has nothing in common.

It is an artificial analogue of topaz. All its properties are as close as possible precisely to topaz. Crystal is distinguished by crystal transparency and a wide range of shades. Jewelry masters love this stone, because even in large specimens the ceramic is perfect in every way.

It is created from yttrium-aluminum oxide, which is characterized by the structure of pomegranate. This stone in its pure form has no color, it is characterized by a density of 4.54 and a hardness of 8 (Mohs scale). To obtain granatite, special apparatuses are used and special conditions are created (high temperature and vacuum). Crystals are drawn from the melt.

Also learned to grow in an artificial environment. For this, mollusks, which are contained in special conditions, are used. Pearls obtained in artificial conditions may differ from natural pearls in their ideal shape, but in general they look the same, they are inherent in the same luster and overflow that natural pearls possess. The duration of the pearl can last 7 years. When growing pearls, you can give it the desired shape and achieve the required size.

This is single crystal aluminum. This material is ideal for making watches. The sapphire crystal structure is very similar to synthetic sapphires. The differences are in a high degree of transparency and wear resistance, because glass in products for a long time retains its properties and increases the life of the entire mechanism.

These jewelry are unique and have a number of features that distinguish them and make them attractive in the eyes of masters and connoisseurs of beauty. The advantages include the following characteristics:

• An ideal cut that is not always available for natural gems;
• brighter color and pure structure, which is not always found in natural stones;
• lack of response to a greasy environment (while natural ones may fade even from prolonged contact with human skin);
• maximum refractive index;
• more affordable cost;
• durability and easy care.

Only a few points can be considered cons - this is the realization that natural stone gives its owner some weight in his own eyes, a sense of self-confidence. But this is only the psychological mood of a person.

See how to distinguish artificial stones from natural stones in the next video.