Diamonds Majestic – Special Report Part I

The Hidden Secrets

Unscrupulous dealers use deceptive means to pass off fake gems as real ones. There are four types of gems for you to be aware of; natural, genuine, synthetic and imitation.

Natural gems are made by mother nature in the earth and their composition is not altered in any way by man. They may be of any quality. Natural gems of the finest quality are the most valuable of all gems.

Genuine gems are natural gems that have been altered or treated in some way to improve quality and appearance.

Synthetic gems are laboratory created gems that have the same properties as natural gems.

Imitation or simulant gems are usually made of glass or other cheap materials. They may look like naturally occurring gems but do not have the same properties.

Differences in Gemstones Value and Price

There is a big difference in value between the different types of gems and a big difference in the price to consumers. When buying jewelery always ask whether the gem is natural, genuine, synthetic or imitation.

Synthetic gems can be as beautiful and are sometimes even more beautiful than their natural counterparts. Synthetic gems may possess identical hardness luster, chemical properties and refractive qualities as natural gems but are produced under controlled laboratory conditions.

Imitation gems are not chemically the same as their natural or synthetic counterparts. For example, red glass can be made into an imitation ruby. Green glass can pass as an emerald. Laboratory grown cubic zirconia can be made to look like an emerald but is much cheaper than it’s natural or synthetic counterpart.

There is nothing wrong with making and selling synthetic and imitation gems but it is criminal and fraudulent to pass them off as natural or synthetic when they are not. Selling or passing off a synthetic gem as natural is deceptive, fraudulent and illegal as is selling or passing off an imitation gem as synthetic.

How To Be Sure of the Quality You Pay For

Many people don’t like buying an imitation gem so dishonest dealers will use the words “synthetic stone” for what is really an imitation stone.

Having your jewelery examined for authenticity by an expert gemologist or having your rare natural stones certified by a recognized gemological testing laboratory is the best safeguard if you are in any doubt as to the authenticity or quality of your gems.

Rare natural gemstones are usually a very good investment and can substantially increase in value over time because of their limited supply and increasing demand coming from the increasing wealth of many people around the world.

Other Deceptive Practices To Watch Out For From Dishonest Dealers

• Coating a pale gem with a darker colored plastic substance can make it appear more valuable.


• A dull gem may be coated with shellac or lacquer to make it appear to sparkle.


• A touch of paint on the bottom of a dull gem can sometimes make it appear to intensify in color and exhibit a more valuable hue.


• A yellow diamond may be painted purple on the bottom to counteract the color and make it appear more clear in color and higher in value than it really is. The paint at the bottom of the gem could be hidden by the gold setting.


• A fake backing on imitation glass can make a gem appear more brilliant.


• Some gem manufacturers will glue two or three stones together to form doublets or triplets called composite or assembled stones.


• It is not uncommon for a natural stone to be glued to a synthetic or imitation stone and this practice is clearly a fraudulent practice if the buyer is not told.


• Another misleading practice by some jewelers is the re-naming of gems usually by adding a country name to a common less valuable substance, for example:-
  
  - a Spanish Emerald is really green glass
  - a Brazilian Diamond is really colorless topaz
  - an Oriental Amethyst is really a purple sapphire
  - a Ceylon Opal is really moonstone
  - an American Ruby is only a garnet etc.,etc.,

If any jeweler calls a gem by a double “special” name you should ask what it really means.

Any intentional deceptive practices are fraud. However, if a jeweler is honest and disclosed the information and the buyer is aware of what they are buying, then the sale is legitimate.