How to distinguish natural emerald from artificial?

In the field of jewelry manufacturing emeralds are in great demand. This is one of the most expensive stones, attracting the attention of enchanting green color. Because of the high cost and popularity of the stone, there is a risk to spend money on a fake. Modern technologies allow you to create high-quality imitations that are very difficult to distinguish from real stones. The article will discuss how to distinguish a natural emerald from an artificial crystal, and whether it is possible to do it at home. We also find out which analogues can be found and sold.

The most valuable specimens of natural emeralds can boast of high transparency. Muddy stones are more accessible and more common. Many specimens have blotches of gas, liquids, and other minerals that make emeralds opaque. To maximize the beauty of the stone, before engraving and selling it is treated with special chemical compounds. What colors swing, then in nature there are emeralds of various colors.

Verify the authenticity of the natural gem is very difficult, however, there are ways. The most reliable option is to seek help from a professional expert. Ultraviolet radiation testing is very popular, but it does not always give the desired result. This method helps to determine the authenticity of the stone, by distinguishing it from glass and other imitations. It is worth noting that artificially created and natural gems can have the same color when translucent.

Chelsea Filter is another method that experts use to recognize a fake. It is not suitable for home use. It can be used to identify a synthetic product, but it is useless against some types of artificial stones. On the basis of specially equipped complexes, gems are checked for the following characteristics:

• structure;
• impurities;
• refraction of light;
• hardness;
• other parameters.

Several centuries ago, to distinguish natural stone from fake, they were weighed. Now this method of verification is also found. Special scales for jewelry are used. It should be noted that special equipment is used for the analysis.

Also not to do without knowledge and skills. Experts claim that in some cases natural inclusions are confused with ordinary air bubbles. By the appearance of the clouding and bubbles, the specialist is able to determine where the gem was mined, what material was used to simulate. Faceted emerald inspect at a distance of about 2 meters. Natural mineral slightly overflows at such a distance.

Natural stones have the corresponding certificates issued by the staff of gemological laboratories. They confirm the natural origin of the gem.

There are a number of techniques that can be used by everyone to determine the nature of the origin of the gem. To find out the naturalness of the crystal, use the following recommendations.

• Trademark. Before you go to the jewelry store, it is advisable to get acquainted with reliable and proven brands. By purchasing products of famous brands, you increase the chances of buying high-quality goods.
• Water. Immerse the natural gem in a glass of clean water. Natural gems often get red outflow.
• Glass. Glass imitations are too large, and their faces are fuzzy. Another characteristic of the copy of this material - it quickly heats up in the hands.
• Layers. Natural stones, obtained in natural conditions, do not possess layering. In this connection, the gems must be carefully inspected. The work is carried out with full coverage. The gluing point indicates that there is a doublet or a triplet in front of you. Bubbles indicate that glass is one of the fake layers.
• Synthetics. Synthetic gems can be distinguished by the correct growth lines and even, parallel faces. Natural specimens do not have such a well-coordinated geometry.
• External features. An overly transparent stone indicates that you have an artificial gem or a copy of glass. For such products, liquid blotches are not uncommon. Natural materials of average quality have blackouts, as well as elements such as scuffs. Such imperfections are called Jardin.
• Color Ideal coloring to attract the attention of a potential buyer may indicate a fake. Also, fakes have an excessively smooth surface. Often natural gems can have blotches of the following colors: blue, brown, and yellow. The edges of the raw material are lighter than the core.
• Radiance. Gems of natural origin have a slightly pronounced dispersion (play of light). Cheaper gems, such as zirconium, have bright sparkling.
• Cost This stone can not be cheap. For the price, some copies are not inferior to diamonds. It is also recommended to make a purchase at a trusted jewelry store.

Instead of natural gems offer the following instances:

• doublets and triplets;
• glass fakes;
• stones grown by artificial means;
• imitations.

Such options are visually very similar to natural stones, but they are not. The most popular way to deceive a gullible buyer is to offer a more accessible and common gem instead of emerald. There are many crystals, which, by their appearance and other characteristics, resemble an expensive green stone. Most often, the following options are used:

• tsavorite - a stone called green pomegranate;
• Due to fewer specific reflective elements in tourmaline, it is not as shiny as natural emerald, however, it is also often used as a substitute;
• fluorite is very difficult to distinguish from natural emerald, in composition this crystal is very similar to the Colombian emerald;
• Demantoid has a herbal green color, there are often blotches of green, after cutting the stone becomes like an emerald.

Stones made of two connected parts are called doublets, and three of them are called triplets. The first such specimens appeared in the time of ancient Greece. Several plates of gems securely fasten together using special formulations. Often used faceted beryl. For a more attractive visual effect add color strip.

In some cases, when creating imitations use real emeralds. Natural gems of natural origin are combined with other low-quality minerals. The most popular crystals for the manufacture of doublets and triplets are also quartz, smaragd and spinel. One of the layers may be of ordinary glass.

There is evidence that emerald is a second crystal that has been grown in a laboratory. Great demand was triggered by the high cost of emeralds. A group of specialists was working on the creation of a synthetic stone, so now it’s almost impossible to determine the name of the scientist who made the copy. Some sources indicate that the first synthetically emerald appeared in Germany, around the 30s of the last century. After this, success in this direction was achieved by experts from America and the USSR.

Nowadays, due to the development of technologies, the process of creating crystals has become easier, but is still considered laborious and time consuming. Without special equipment and knowledge to grow a gem is impossible. Modern fakes are different beauty and other characteristics. Quality fakes attract the attention of low price, rich color and expressive play of light.

Glass imitations are significantly inferior in quality to other products, although qualitatively faceted specimens may have an expressive color. Natural emeralds began to be replaced by instances of this available material as early as the Middle Ages. In those days, the quality of fakes left much to be desired. Later, glassware was significantly transformed by the work of Venetian craftsmen. Despite their efforts, such fakes were not widely spread.

To date, special beryl glass is brewed for the manufacture of artificial crystals. To obtain the required color in it add chrome. Only a professional jeweler can determine a fake by eye.

How to distinguish natural emerald from artificial, see the following video.