Are synthetic gemstones equal to natural gemstones?
This is a common and quite significant question. There is in the minds of many people a misunderstanding between the terms synthetic, laboratory grown and natural gems. I am the only person that comprehensively offers laboratory grown crystals in emerald and ruby varieties and so I have made an exacting study of their nature. I also sell natural rubies and emeralds and understand their chemical indices. The trade practices act concerning Thomas Chatham and the jewelry industry asserts that if a crystal is grown in a laboratory, as a crystal, it is actually a laboratory grown crystal. Synthetic gemstones, on the other hand, is a term applied to materials that have been melted, but that do not have a symetrical atomic lattice similar or identical to a natural gemstone. Synthetic sapphires and rubies outnumber lab-grown sapphires or rubies by a margin of well over ten thousand to one . But this does not stop the retailers from commonly promoting their synthetics incorrectly as lab grown.
