Synthetic gems - the modern miracle

Gem stones can be broken up in to two groups, precious and semi precious gem stones. Using modern technology many naturally occurring gems can be produced in labs, using every day materials. Some examples of created gem stones are rubies - made of aluminum and diamonds - made out of carbon.

Lab created diamonds have undergone a huge boom in popularity - almost everyone is producing diamonds, from General Electric to De Beers themselves. One of the earliest gem stones reproduced by men is the ruby - In 1953 the synthetic ruby was used to create the first x-ray beam! Cubic zirconium is very similar to the diamond. It shares most of its chemical composition. People who possess valuable diamonds often order replicas of their diamonds to be made out of zirconium. This is to ensure that if the stone is lost, the real stone will be hidden in safety.

These created gemstones are a good alternative to natural stones for many people. In many cases, created gemstones are almost the same as natural gemstones. The biggest difference is the amount of time each takes to be made. Natural gemstones are created underground by a natural process of exposure to heat and pressure. The chemical composition of a natural gem stone and a created gem stone are no different. Therefore they are basically the same thing. The only way an appraiser can tell if a stone is created or not is with sophisticated lab equipment.

The reproduction of Gems has help make jewelry readily available for everyone. Now a person can enjoy having a gem stone of better quality for a lesser price than a natural gem stone. The help has not only been made in aesthetics, but also it has been a great contribution to science and technology. If there were no synthetic rubies it would be more expensive to use a computer, or buy a DVD player, and many analysts predict that cheap lab created diamonds will be the building blocks for te next generation of computers!