Lab-Grown

Lab-Grown
Man-made gemstone that has nearly the same physical, optical and chemical properties of a natural gemstone. Synthetic gemstone.

Lab-Grown Blue Quartz
The bluish quartz varieties grown in labs are not typical quartz hues.
Lab-Grown Citrine
A rich yellowish-colored synthetic quartz which resembles topaz, much the way natural citrine does.

Lab-grown stones - Any gemstone that is simulated in the lab using the same, or similar, properties found in the natural stones. These simulants are not considered imitations, but they are not natural.

Synthetic or lab-grown gems are as captivating and maybe more perfect than natural gems. So why does the world hanker for the natural stones?

Artificial or "lab-grown" ametrine is created by growing quartz crystals in a hydrothermal solution, in a pressure vessel known as an autoclave.

Due to its rarity, a clear and flawless ruby has a value ten times more than a diamond of equivalent quality. Lab-grown rubies are often substituted for the hard-to-find and hard-to-ford real thing.

Natural gemstones are created by natural processes within the earth.
Man-made, lab-grown (or laboratory), or synthetic gems are those created by any non-natural process.

Although these grown rubies are essentially of identical composition, hardness, and brilliance to natural rubies, they have aroused some controversy. Their presence of the market is still more limited than lab-grown emeralds, however.

See also: Color, Crystal, Natural, Stone, Gemstones