Newsletter - October 1, 2008

The Jewelry Crafter

A newsletter for the home jeweler

This newsletter will be published every 2 weeks, and will include hints and tips for your jewelry business. Any feedback or comments about the topics presented here are always appreciated. Click here to e-mail us.

If you have an idea for an upcoming article, or would like to submit an article for the newsletter, please contact us. Anyone who submits an article will receive a permanent link to their website in a special section of our link pages.

New Stock Update

We have just received a shipment of opal triplets from Australia. Sizes include 9x7, 8x10, 10x12 and 10x14. All are dark base and show beautiful color. These will move fast, so shop early for best selection

We also now have the Quasar LED Optivisor light. This system provides great lighting for close-up work, and fits right over the lens on your Optivisor.

Finally, we also have a limited selection of new porcelain horse cameos.

Stop by and check out all of the new items at Custom Jewelry Supply.

Gemstones – Natural, Synthetic or Simulated

By

Mary Harvey

It can get confusing when you are looking at buying gemstones – natural, synthetic, lab created... what does it all mean? In this issue, we will decipher some of the common terms when looking at natural and lab created gemstones.

A natural gemstone is just that - natural. It’s mined from the earth and created by Mother nature. Diamonds, ruby, emerald, topaz, quartz, etc. are examples of natural gemstones.

A synthetic gemstone (also known as created or lab-created) is identical to the natural in every way, having the same optical, physical and chemical traits as the natural stone, except it is grown in a laboratory instead of coming from the earth. A major difference between natural and synthetic gemstones is that natural gemstones usually have inclusions, whereas synthetics normally do not because their growth is controlled in a lab. Synthetic gemstones can be difficult to distinguish from natural stones. The most common stones that are lab-created are emerald, ruby, sapphire and chrysoberyl.

A stimulant is created from material that makes it look like a gemstone, but does not have the same physical or chemical properties its natural counterpart. Simulated emeralds, aquamarines, and sapphires are commonly made of hard mass glass or lab created quartz. Many Alexandrites on the market are made from color changing lab created corundum, which is is a synthetic corundum, but because it doesn’t share the same chemical properties of natural Alexandrite, is considered a stimulant.

Another common stimulant is Cubic Zirconia. The colorless CZ is used as a diamond stimulant. CZ is also available in a rainbow of other colors, which are used to simulate amethyst, garnet, sapphire, zircon, aquamarine, citrine, emerald and more.

If you are looking to buy gemstones, synthetic and simulated stones can be a very cost-effective way to create a beautiful piece of jewelry. Just be sure to know what you are buying, and if you sell gemstones, make sure your customer knows what they are getting.