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CREATED GEMSTONES: THE REAL
THING?
Introduction
Soon it will be your mother's birthday, and you have
decided to buy her a birthstone ring. You know your mother's
birthstone is an emerald because she was born in May. When
you visit a jewelry store, you discover a vast assortment of
emerald rings. Some of the emeralds are set in gold, some in
silver. Many of the emeralds have a deep and clear green
color, while others have more interesting cuts that make the
stone sparkle. You also notice that some of the rings are in
your price range, whereas others are so expensive you do not
even ask to have them taken out of the case. When you ask a
salesperson why there is such a difference in emerald
prices, she replies that the less expensive emeralds were
created in the laboratory. How can you create an emerald in
a laboratory? Why are natural emeralds and other gemstones
so expensive? Why do some of the emeralds have a deeper
green color? In this WebQuest you'll find out the answers to
these questions as you do some research into the nature of
the minerals called gemstones.
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Task
Your job in this WebQuest is to decide whether a gemstone
created in a laboratory is the same as a gemstone that
occurs naturally. You will have to find out how natural
gemstones form and what their chemical, physical, and
optical properties are. You will find out how natural
gemstones are treated to correct their flaws or bring out
their colors. You will find out the different processes used
to create gemstones in a laboratory. Then you will have to
compare the prices and properties of created gemstones to
those of naturally occurring gemstones and decide if created
gemstones are the same as their natural counterparts.
Once you've done your research, you will make a decision
about what kind of ring to buy your mother. You will have to
prepare a statement in which you give your reasons for your
choice. You must be able to justify the amount of money you
plan to spend on the birthstone ring. Your goal is to choose
a beautiful emerald ring that will retain its value for a
long time to come.
Objectives
- Describe the geologic processes that result in the
formation of natural gemstones.
- Summarize how and why natural gemstones are subjected to
chemical or physical treatments.
- Compare the chemical compositions of created gemstones
with those of natural gemstones.
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Resources
Look at the web sites given here to find the information
that will enable you to make an informed decision about
which type of emerald ring to purchase for your mother's
birthday.
What are natural gemstones and how do they
form?
What are the chemical, physical, and optical
properties of natural gemstones?
How are natural gemstones treated to reveal color or
eliminate flaws?
How are gemstones created in the laboratory?
- Created
Gemstones
This is the web site for the Chatham
Company. Carroll Chatham discovered how to create emeralds
in a laboratory setting in 1938.Explore this site to find
out when different gemstones were created in laboratories.
- Russian
Colored Stone Company: Created Gems
At this
site you can find out more about the gemstones created
recently in laboratories in Russia and neighboring
countries.
- Geolite
Gems and Jewelry
Visit this site to see how
emeralds are grown by the hydrothermal method.
What are the chemical, physical, and optical
properties of created gemstones?
- Created
Gemstones
At this Chatham Company website,
click on comparison to see how the chemical composition of
created gemstones compare to those of natural gemstones.
- PehnecGems:
Created Gemstones
Visit this site to find out
more about the chemical, physical, and optical properties
of created gemstones.
How do the prices of natural and created gemstones
compare?
- Emerald
This
site gives prices for natural and lab-created emeralds,
topaz, amethysts, sapphires, and rubies.
- Pehnec
Gems: Gemstones
Navigate this site to find
prices of natural and created gemstones.
- Chatham's
Consumer Price List
At this site you can find
the prices of created emeralds, opals, rubies, sapphires,
and diamonds.
- Amulet:
Emerald
Scroll down to see the prices for
natural emeralds at this web site.
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Time
2 class periods; a total of 60 minutes for research, 20
minutes to prepare a written statement.
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Process
Now that you have completed your research on the
Internet, decide what you think about the differences
between natural gemstones and gemstones created in a
laboratory. If a created gemstone has the exact same
chemical and physical properties as a natural gemstone, can
it be considered the same as a natural gemstone? If not, why
not? Is a natural gemstone really "natural" if it has
received treatment to enhance its color or correct tiny
fractures? What is the difference in price between natural
and created gemstones? Should a jewelry store tell customers
when they are looking at created rather than natural
gemstones? Now that you know more about gemstones, write a
paragraph in which you state your preference for buying your
mother a ring with a natural or a created gemstone. Justify
your preference by discussing price, quality of the
gemstone, and what the value of the gemstone will be in the
future. Be sure to support your preference with factual
information from your Internet research.
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Conclusion
In the process of completing this WebQuest, you've become
informed about the availability of natural gemstones and how
they are treated, how gemstones are created in the
laboratory, and the differences between these types of
gemstones. You have developed critical thinking skills as
you have explored the different factors involved in this
decision-making process. You have read information to answer
key questions and formed an educated opinion. Finally, you
have written a statement about your choice for a present for
your mother. Would you purchase a gemstone for yourself?
What kind of gemstone would you buy? Is this a different
choice than the one you made for your mother's birthstone
ring?
CREATED GEMSTONES: THE REAL THING?
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