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Questions About Counterfeit stones
* Some jewelry descriptions can be misleading because stones are labeled as natural, genuine, synthetic, simulated, treated -- or a combination of terms.
What Are Natural stones?
*Natural stones are as they come out of the ground, with no intervention. They may have been cut or polished, but have not been treated or altered in other ways.
What Are Genuine stones?
* A genuine stone is the real thing, but is only natural if it has not been treated in some way to enhance its appearance. Most stones are treated in some way to enhance their appearance. The enhancements allow jewelry crafters to improve the look of the jewelry they make. Treated gemstones are genuine, but they are not natural.
Are All Natural or Genuine Stones Valuable?
No, they are not. Small to large stones of poor quality are common but are often considered to be mining castoffs or by-products. If you are paying a premium price for a piece of jewelry, get the facts about the stones it is made of.
How Are stones Priced?
As in other industries, supply and demand drive stone prices up and down.
Buying Synthetic Stones
* A synthetic stone shares a natural stone's physical, chemical and optical qualities, but it has been created in a laboratory. There are synthetic versions of most popular stones, and many have been available for many years. Older synthetics are simple to recognize, because they are often too perfect. Some might be more difficult to identify, but a gemologist can usually detect them.
* Jewelry that includes high quality synthetic stones can be just as beautiful as jewelry made with natural stones. Good synthetics should cost less than natural stones of similar appearance and quality
Composite Gemstones
* Composite stones are made from small particles or slivers of a desirable, genuine stone. They may be combined with larger chunks of an inexpensive or imitation stone, bound with resin.
Doublets and Triplets
* Doublets are composite stones having a large, inexpensive chunk of something hard, topped by a thin slice of genuine stone. The division usually is not obvious until the stone is looked at under a magnifier. One type of doublet sandwiches a colored bonding agent between two clear, inexpensive stones to mimic the appearance of a colored gemstone.
* Triplets are composites that are assembled in three parts instead of two. Opal is often processed in this manner. High quality, flashy opal is cut thinly, then laminated to a harder substance to maximize the visual effect of this soft but costly mineral.
Treatments Used to Enhance a Stone’s Appearance
Realistically, most stones used in jewelry production today have been treated in some way to improve their appearance.
Heat and radiation may be used to change or enhance stone color.
Diffusion can be used to deepen color but only intensifies a stone's outer layers.
Oils and waxes can enhance stone colors by filling-in fine surface cracks, blending them away temporarily.
Fracture filling coats gems with a clear or colored epoxy resin or another substance. The treatment fills-in cracks, which improves the appearance of the gemstone.
Laser drilling removes inclusions, improving clarity.
* If any form of the word enhanced is used in ads or disclosures, the stone has been treated in some way.
Are Stone Treatments Permanent?
* Some treatments are permanent, but others are not. Always ask if the jewelry you are interested in contains treated gemstones. If it does, ask which treatments were used and if those treatments are permanent.
Phony Stones
* Imitation stones can be made of glass or plastic. A stone may be mounted in a solid back setting or with foil underneath it to modify color enhance the brilliance.
Smart Shopping
* Only buy expensive stones from a company or individual you trust: especially if the gems are labeled natural. Shopping for natural stones is easier if you are after color and not a specific stone. Stones that are not usually treated include Garnet, Peridot, Hematite, Alexandrite and iridescent stones like Labradorite, Kyanite, or Moonstone.
* Jewelry made with synthetic, treated, and imitation stones can be a good choice. Avoid paying too much for misrepresented merchandise.
Read as many resources as possible and start looking more closely at jewelry. Ask questions when you shop.