Cooking up Gems

Look at the diamond, ruby, sapphire or whatever gem is set in your ring. Beautiful isn’t it? Yes, but is it real, has Mother Nature created it millions of years ago, or did some alchemist cook it up overnight in a laboratory somewhere in the Urals? More than half of all sapphires and rubies that are set in modern jewellery have been created by man. They are still sapphires, still rubies - and often prettier than their natural counterparts - but they can be reproduced at will and are obviously much cheaper than the ones created by extreme earth forces and volcanic temperatures over many eons.

Does it then matter if your gem is natural or synthetic? Not really, both types are equally hard, with similar colour and sparkle and will last equally long. Except that the synthetic ones come at a more affordable price. However, what does matter is how you “feel” about the gem and your emotional attachment with it. Are you the type that does not wear imitations and rather have nothing than own a man made gem that only looks like the real thing? Or are you happy to own a number of synthetic items and enjoy them for what they are? There is nothing wrong with that. But when you thought you bought the real thing and thereafter discover that it isn’t, you lose respect for it and feel cheated - that’s the issue.

Have you been informed that the gem you are buying is not natural, that it has been heated to enhance its colour and that its original cracks have been filled with a glassy substance that my “leak out” under high temperatures? If not, you have the right to be annoyed and angry at your jeweller. By the way, most rough gems are heated at its source in order to permanently improve their colour - an enhancement process which is totally acceptable. Also, gem cutters enhance the rather dull appearance of a rough gemstone by polishing it – and no one even mentions such enhancement. So why bother about all the other types of enhancements that can be used to improve a gem’s beauty? Enhancements such as, dyeing, oiling, bombardment with radioactive alpha and beta particles, filling cracks with a coloured resin to improve its appearance and a legion other processes, some very high tech and still a secret to many? Because such enhancements may not produce a permanent improvement in the gem, while the result of heating and polishing is of a permanent nature.

The next time you look at a beautiful gem, ask the salesperson if it is natural or not and what enhancements were made to it. If he/she cannot give a clear answer, you had better walk away because you do not want your nail varnish remover to also remove the colour from that beautiful turquoise ring you are considering - which it will do if the colour of the turquoise was enhanced with a blue dye. That beautiful mystic quartz with its unreal colours - these unusual colours are often due to a fine film of titanium that has been deposited on the surface of the gem, which with normal wear and tear may come off and render the gem less attractive.

The same goes for your choice between buying a natural or a man made diamond. They are both beautiful, extremely hard and if well cut, sparkle with the same brilliance. But how do you feel about wearing a symbol of love and appreciation if it is not the real thing? The choice is yours, as long as the seller discloses the origin and durability of the gem.

Now would you like to know whether your diamond is natural or your sapphire the real thing? Then contact a qualified gemologist who will be able to set your mind at ease. If it is not the real thing, enjoy it for what it is – a beautiful gem that hopefully did not cost a fortune. If it is real, then appreciate it even more – Mother Nature did not make many of them and is surely not cooking up any more!