Natural gemstones and synthetic or lab-created gemstones, how are they different?

NATURAL GEMSTONES

Natural gemstones are mineral stones that formed naturally and mined from earth, categorized as precious gemstones and semi-precious gemstones.

• Precious gemstones are limited to diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald.
• Semi-precious gemstones include but are not limited to topaz, amethyst, garnet, peridot, citrine.

Occasionally you may find imperfection in natural gemstones due to their natural elements, including small flaws or inclusions.

How do I know if the gemstone jewelry that I bought is a natural gemstone instead of synthetic one?

Authenticity of natural gemstones are regulated and certified by GIA (Gemological Institute of America) or IGI (International Gemological Institute). However, in jewelry commerce practice, not every piece of natural gemstone other than diamond comes with certificates.

Semi-precious natural gemstones include but are not limited to topaz, amethyst, garnet, peridot, citrine, do not normally come with certificates, so it is important to buy from reputable brands or retailers.

SYNTHETIC GEMSTONES

Synthetic gemstones are man-made stones that created in lab. In jewelry commerce, you may also find other marketing language like simulated gemstones, lab-created gemstones, lab-grown gemstones, CZ or Cubic Zirconia, Swarovski Crystal.

There is no ground regulation whether fine jewelry must be made with natural gemstones or synthetic gemstones, however, fine jewelry is ideally designed with natural gemstones to be accepted as valuable jewelry.