Difference Between Lab-Created and Imitation Gemstones
Natural gemstones are generally made of rock, minerals, crystals, or other organic materials. The materials are cut, then polished to shine as beautiful gemstones. But, the rising cost and scarcity have made these naturally occurring gemstones a high costly affair for the general people nowadays. That is the reason many jewelry companies begun to produce alternatives with the same properties and quality as of the natural gemstones.
Lab-created gemstones:
These are the gemstones created in laboratories with the same compositions as the natural stones. In fact, these are chemically identical to them. However, lab-created gemstones are a more affordable choice over the natural stones and unlike them, they have no flaws. These are nearly perfect in appearance that reflects both the characteristics and authenticity of their natural counterpart.
Imitation Gemstones:
These are made to imitate the color or look of natural gemstones, but fall short to a great extent in terms of beauty and quality of a lab-created stone. A number of imitation stones might look quite similar to natural stones, but they possess very different optical properties and composition.
The difference between lab-created gemstones and imitation gemstones:
If you have a jeweler’s eye, you can easily spot the difference between a lab-created gemstone and an imitation one. The lab-created synthetic emerald are usually priced higher than the imitation stones and stand second only to the natural ones in terms of look, quality, and composition. The difference is obvious in terms of depth, color, and light passing capability of the stone. If you are not that familiar with these stones, then you can significantly obtain the difference by seeing the price tag of a stone.
You can also take a look underneath the stone to see if it is a lab-created one. If you find a painted colored surface or a foiling underneath, then it is an imitation stone. Most of these factors could be kept hidden from you by means of setting. In that case, examining the color unevenness could show you the poor dyeing or painting job. Otherwise you can take the help of an expert jeweler who can tell the exact difference between an imitation stone and a lab-created stone.
Lab created emeralds are undoubtedly the genuine ones. When buying stones, it’s wise to do a bit of online research on various types beforehand to make sure that the quality and prices requested by the seller match accordingly. If there is any doubt, take the stone to a jewellery shop to clarify whether the stone is a lab-created stone or an imitation stone. And, the best way to avail the real lab-created gemstones is to go online. You will come across a number of sites where you can see their products, know their specifications, and compare prices to get the best one.