Make sure your precious jewels are the real thing
With major advances in science and technology, synthetic (laboratory created/man-made) diamonds and gemstones have become easier and cheaper to produce and many unscrupulous vendors are only too eager to sell them as the real deal.
Add to this the huge strides made in the treatment or 'enhancing' of natural diamonds and gemstones that can make poor quality gems look like heirloom quality pieces and consumers are now faced with a mine field of possible shams and scams when shopping for jewellery.
Often synthetics are knowingly sold as natural gemstones and treated gems are sold to an unknowing public without disclosing their true nature.
Many of these gems are near worthless or require special care and can be ruined by simple things like cleaning.
Treatments include processes like coating with metallic layers to create fantastic rainbow effects or give the appearance of other more expensive gems, dyeing gemstones that otherwise would not be considered jewellery grade, heating gemstones until they actually recrystallize and fill or hide imperfections, filling cracks and flaws with glass or epoxies in inferior quality crystals to make them seem less flawed or even flawless, diffusion of foreign elements to change or improve colors, radiation, using laser 'drills' to burn out flaws which leaves hollow channels behind, cementing colored layers between layers of cheaper colorless gems or using colored cements to mimic top quality gems.
Online consumers need to be especially wary as the have no way of actually seeing the gemstones they wish to purchase until they arrive. Always make sure that the vendor offers a solid guarantee so that, if required, the gems can be returned for a full refund.
Be especially wary of sellers who will not stand behind the quality of their products with money-back guarantees and those who charge exorbitant 're-stocking fees' for any items you wish to return.
Good sellers will accept the findings of a gemological laboratory and if their gems are ever found to be other than what they advertised, refund the buyer promptly or replace the gems with what they originally offered in order to preserve their good reputations.
To safeguard against this, consumers need to be alert and diligent.
Always make sure you have your gems checked by a gemology lab equipped to separate the natural gems from the lab created ones and detect known gemstone enhancements that can make the difference between a treasure that will be passed down for generations or short-lived costume jewellery.
These labs compile a report on your diamond gemstone, often referred to as a gem certificate, that will provide you with the much needed assurance.
The cost of the peace of mind you will gain from having your gems check is far less than the price you will pay in the long term from buying fakes.
Some well respected gem labs are the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), AGL (American Gemological Laboratories) AIGS Thailand(Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences) GemResearch Swisslab (GRS), Gemmology Institute of Southern Africa (GISA) and GEMLAB Liechtenstein.
Add to this the huge strides made in the treatment or 'enhancing' of natural diamonds and gemstones that can make poor quality gems look like heirloom quality pieces and consumers are now faced with a mine field of possible shams and scams when shopping for jewellery.
Often synthetics are knowingly sold as natural gemstones and treated gems are sold to an unknowing public without disclosing their true nature.
Many of these gems are near worthless or require special care and can be ruined by simple things like cleaning.
Treatments include processes like coating with metallic layers to create fantastic rainbow effects or give the appearance of other more expensive gems, dyeing gemstones that otherwise would not be considered jewellery grade, heating gemstones until they actually recrystallize and fill or hide imperfections, filling cracks and flaws with glass or epoxies in inferior quality crystals to make them seem less flawed or even flawless, diffusion of foreign elements to change or improve colors, radiation, using laser 'drills' to burn out flaws which leaves hollow channels behind, cementing colored layers between layers of cheaper colorless gems or using colored cements to mimic top quality gems.
Online consumers need to be especially wary as the have no way of actually seeing the gemstones they wish to purchase until they arrive. Always make sure that the vendor offers a solid guarantee so that, if required, the gems can be returned for a full refund.
Be especially wary of sellers who will not stand behind the quality of their products with money-back guarantees and those who charge exorbitant 're-stocking fees' for any items you wish to return.
Good sellers will accept the findings of a gemological laboratory and if their gems are ever found to be other than what they advertised, refund the buyer promptly or replace the gems with what they originally offered in order to preserve their good reputations.
To safeguard against this, consumers need to be alert and diligent.
Always make sure you have your gems checked by a gemology lab equipped to separate the natural gems from the lab created ones and detect known gemstone enhancements that can make the difference between a treasure that will be passed down for generations or short-lived costume jewellery.
These labs compile a report on your diamond gemstone, often referred to as a gem certificate, that will provide you with the much needed assurance.
The cost of the peace of mind you will gain from having your gems check is far less than the price you will pay in the long term from buying fakes.
Some well respected gem labs are the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), AGL (American Gemological Laboratories) AIGS Thailand(Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences) GemResearch Swisslab (GRS), Gemmology Institute of Southern Africa (GISA) and GEMLAB Liechtenstein.
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