We get asked all the time about lab created and synthetics, the terms are the most mis-used in all of gem world. We are hoping to provide you with some facts to help you understand the difference.

Lab Created - Lab Created stones are known by several names or terms, lab created, seed grown, crystal grown and lab. If a stone is truely lab created it will mirror the natural mined stone in everyway. It is normally grown from a crystal seed, in a lab under controlled conditions which include but are not limited to, heat, pressure, moisture and time, it is a speedier way of growing the crystal than even mother nature can do. It the stone is tested or metered the results will be the same as a natural mined stone with the exception that it may be a bit more perfect because of the controlled conditions. Perfect means less commonly accepted flaws as found in a natural mined stone, the lab created version may even be flawless. Recently some labs have found a way to make inclusions happen within the growing process, this makes it much harder to tell the mined stone from the lab created one. Emeralds have been the most common lab created to use the process of created inclusions and they are tough to tell apart.

Synthetic - Synthetic's are commonly glass, glass mixes, leaded glass or CZ that are colored to look like the natural mined stone. They never test or meter as the natural mined stone will and in no way shape or form ever test as the natural will.

Many sellers mis-represent stones by saying that they are lab created when indeed they are nothing more than colored glass or cz. Recently I purchased a tanzanite from a Thai seller at a really great price (too cheap = beware), several days later I decided that the stone was much lighter than pictured and I made the decision to re-heat the stone in my kiln, the kiln held fast at 1200 degrees for 20 minutes and then I shut her down. Pulling a stone out while hot can cause cracking so I decided to wait until morning as it was late. IMAGINE my surprise in the morning when I opened the kiln, dumped out the dry plaster and opened the foil to find a white/clear stone. I about fell over dead! I had never gotten around to meter the stone when it came in. I placed the stone on my meter only to find that it tested as glass. The coating which I now think must have been a form for aztec coating (the same as used on all of the Mystic Topaz products) must have burned off during the heating process and just left a worthless piece of glass. The stone appeared to look like a lighter maybe "A" or "AA" grade stone. Needless to say the seller blamed it on his vendor but I did get my money back.