One of the more significant developments in commercial jewelry has been the new technologies giving rise to a range of simulated gemstones. Among these,
lab emeralds have been very successful in restoring the popularity of this stone, which has faded over the years, giving way to the more popular diamond. Lab emeralds are not fake stones, but real emeralds that have been grown inside a laboratory. These stones cost only a fraction of the price compared to natural emeralds, and they have perfect quality with minimal impurities. Emeralds come in all shapes and colors, so lab created emeralds can be grown to fit this variety of styles. You are able to choose from oval, round, pear, marquise, emerald cut, trillion, and many more.
Emeralds are classified in the Beryl gem group. They are structurally the same as many other gems, except for a number of particles which give it the unique green color. The Beryl family also includes the rare Red Emerald, Goshinte, and Heliodor.
Several different methods are used to produce lab emeralds. The best quality artificial stones are created with a hydrothermal method. This process will create one high quality crystal which will work through dissolving minerals into an aqueous environment under high temperatures and pressures. The temperature inside the chamber is controlled so minerals can separate from the solution and grown into crystals in a matter of days. Several other different gemstones can also be created with this method.
Diamonds and rubies can also be created in the laboratory, but emeralds have the most benefit from being artificially produced. Natural emeralds often have a large amount of inclusions, creating imperfections in the stone so it does not reflect light as well. Cracked emeralds need to be treated by filling them with industrial sealants like silicon. However, man-made stones can be made without these defects and sold for a much lower price compared to the natural stone. Emerald jewelry that has been grown in a lab will offer very clear and large stones for extremely cheap prices. Often these labs also work to create other precious stones such as synthetic diamonds, which although much more expensive than other created gems like emeralds or
moissanite, are still significantly cheaper than mined diamonds.
