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Gem Sleuths
Have you ever heard the saying "A diamond is a girl’s best friend?" What’s that about? Why are diamonds
so valuable? What makes a gem, a gem?
Gems have been sought after, and marveled at, for thousands of years and yet, they are just minerals. Gems or gemstones
are valuable because they have several valuable characteristics: beauty, rarity, durability, demand, tradition, and portability.
Because they are rare, they are expensive. People have been trying to synthetically duplicate gemstones for many
years, sometimes with great success, sometimes not.
A synthetic stone is defined as "a substance which has been produced artificially, and which has the same chemical composition, crystal structure and physical
properties as its natural counterpart." As synthetic gemstones become more common, it is important for gemologists, jewelers, and consumers to be familiar with the properties and
characteristics of the real thing and the synthetic. How does one tell a synthetic gem from the real thing? Since gems are minerals, characteristics such as luster, hardness, streak
color, density and specific gravity, can be used to identify the gem. Another important characteristic, the presence of inclusions, is also helpful in distinguishing a natural gem from
a synthetic gem. Many natural gems contain tiny inclusions of other minerals. And many synthetic gems will contain small gas bubbles and faint growth rings. In some cases it may be nearly
impossible to tell a natural gem from a synthetic gem.
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