How to recognize natural stone. How to distinguish real stones

It's no secret that women love precious stones. Some men (and maybe the majority), it must be said, also understand a lot about jewelry, trying to invest profitably in gold and diamonds or simply to please their beloved.

When investing in diamonds, you should be careful: there are special investment diamonds, not jewelry diamonds.

The rules of the game are now dictated by the consumer, because supply on the jewelry market greatly exceeds demand. Jewelers are interested in every client, because jewelry is not an essential item, and the buyer needs to be interested in time, otherwise he may spend the money on something else, more necessary.

The need to purchase jewelry with a precious stone arises on special occasions: weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and other holidays. Having studied, or, we usually move on to the following questions:

- how to distinguish a natural stone from synthetic?

- how to distinguish natural gem from fake?

To answer the first question, let's first do short review, which minerals are most often sold on the jewelry market.

Comparison of natural and synthetic minerals

When purchasing a gemstone, you want to be sure that it is natural. However, many are willing to buy and wear synthetic analogues, for example, synthetic rubies or diamonds, and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone has their own taste and preferences. The main thing is that they don’t sell you synthetic under the guise of natural, because this is fraud and deception of the buyer.

Self-respecting jewelry houses and brands do not mislead consumers and will not pass off one stone as another. Small manufacturers or sellers may resort to deception when asked: what kind of gem is inserted into the product? and who is the manufacturer?, they answer: “I don’t know,” and begin to talk vaguely about the long journey from Iran through Australia, during which information about the manufacturer was irretrievably lost. The tag of such sellers modestly indicates the type of product (earrings, for example) and the price. It may also be written by hand - “ruby”, but, as can be understood from the above, you can write anything you want, and usually the stone with which the appearance is most similar.

Deception when selling synthetic stone can only consist of an inflated price. If a product with artificially grown chrysoberyl is sold for $10, then there is no fraud in it. It’s another matter if for the same product they ask for 10 times more, 100 dollars, for example, thus passing it off as a natural gem.

Jewelry stores, as a rule, do not indicate which stone is natural or synthetic, especially if the products belong to the so-called “budget” niche. But the seller, of course, will easily confirm the origin of the stones from the laboratory and even competently make it clear why synthetic stones are better than natural ones.

But a synthetically created diamond is even more expensive than its natural “relative”.

So, here’s how the prices for natural and synthetic stones compare:

Synthetic and natural stones - differences in price

Stone	Natural uncut	Natural faceted	Synthetic uncut, price per 1 carat	Synthetic faceted, price per 1 carat
Ruby	from $10 and up depending on quality	$75-915 - low quality; 1455-4375 - good quality; $11250-23150 - excellent quality -	0,01-0,02 $	1-2 $
Sapphire	from 10 to 75 $ - low quality from 75 to 150 $ - good quality from $150 and above - excellent quality	Cornflower blue - with heat treatment - from $300, without - from $1000 High quality large sapphires - up to $30,000	1-2 cents	3-5 $
Emerald	from 10 $ and above	$350-375 - low quality $620-2700 - good quality $5000-8500 - excellent quality	5-8 $	30-85 $
Diamond (Moissanite)	from 4 $	with characteristic 1/1 - $35,000	not on the market	70-150 $
Alexandrite	from 100$	1500 - 6000 $	6 $	20-30 $
Quartz (amethyst, citrine)	from 10 $ per kilogram!	depending on the type and processing - from 10 $	0,1 $	2-5 $
Opal	from 5 $ per piece.	depending on quality and type - from 10 $	-	3-5 $

The table compares the prices of natural and synthetic stones

We can conclude that natural gems have a very wide range of prices due to their individuality. In contrast, synthetic ones - with ideal purity and color - are much more affordable (with the exception of moissonite).

How to distinguish a precious stone from a fake?

It is much worse if instead of one natural stone, which is expensive by definition, the seller offers another, also natural, but at a much lower price. This is where information about which stones are most often counterfeited and what to look for when buying them can come in handy.

So, the most common fakes are:

- it is counterfeited most often. More than half of the gems passed off as turquoise are fakes. The materials used for counterfeiting are glass, plastic, and the cheap mineral howlite. In addition, fakes are made from turquoise powder or its small particles, which are glued together. It is quite difficult to distinguish such fakes at home from natural minerals. It is clear that at home you can scratch the stone from the back to make sure it is natural, but when choosing it in a store you are unlikely to be allowed to scratch the product or carry out other manipulations with it. Therefore, just know that natural turquoise is very difficult to find and it is better not to purchase it on the market or from hand.

– corundum is usually given for a ruby. Natural ruby ​​is very expensive, and besides, it is far from ideal in appearance - it is cloudy, not particularly clean, not to mention its modest size. If you see a ruby ​​of excellent quality at an affordable price, it is either a synthetic ruby ​​or a fake. Therefore, the main rule for determining the authenticity of a ruby ​​is the correspondence between price and quality. Thus, a ring with a ruby ​​having the characteristics of color and clarity of 3/3 and the size of half a carat will cost about $300.

There are only a few stones, the fakes of which are quite easy to distinguish

Or rather, of course, so. Firstly, the legislation regulates the production and labeling of diamond products and, thus, the consumer is largely protected. In addition, everyone knows the simple property of a diamond to scratch glass, as well as the play of rays in it - it is simply impossible to fake it, but it is very easy to see the multiple refraction of rays and the amazing play of light in a high-quality diamond.

It is also easy to distinguish natural opal from its imitation - it has vague borders of patterns, in contrast to clear ones in a fake, and the patterns themselves never repeat with each other; you should carefully examine them. In addition, the main background of natural opal remains unchanged, regardless of the design. There is also a method invented many centuries ago (apparently they were already engaged in counterfeiting stones back then) - you need to look through the opal at the sun, a natural stone will cast a glow of one shade, and a fake one will cast bright multi-colored highlights.

Zircon - it can be recognized “by eye” without resorting to any manipulations at all. Natural zircon is characterized by a shine similar to diamond and at the same time resinous or greasy. Luster plus color – and zircon is easily identified.

“I actually think American gentlemen are the best of all, because when they kiss your hand, you can feel something very, very good, but unlike kisses, diamonds and sapphire bracelets are forever.”

Anita Luz, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1925

What makes a stone precious? Experts identify a number of criteria, external and internal signs, including beauty, rarity (uniqueness), wear resistance (strength, hardness). In the fashion world they say that a talented model should not be ideally beautiful, her beauty lies precisely in “ugliness” - unusualness and difference from others. The situation is exactly the same with precious stones: in nature it is rare to find defect-free and impeccably clean gemstones, therefore, if such samples are found, they reach a very high value on the market. Synthetic stones, in turn, have better quality characteristics, but are much cheaper.

Internal features of stones (inclusions, zonation or distribution of color, microstructure of growth) also help determine whether the stone is natural or artificially grown. For more detailed observation, it is recommended to use a magnifying glass or microscope.

Here are a few of the most commonly found gemstones in the jewelry industry and some ways to identify them. (diamond, ruby, sapphire, aquamarine, emerald, garnet).

Diamond (diamond)

P is presumably natural if:

It contains visible mineral inclusions;

Almost all the light falling on the surface of the stone is reflected, as if from thousands of mirrors, from its lower edges. Therefore, if you look at the light through a diamond, you can only see a luminous point, but if you put on a ring with a diamond, the stone will not shine through (it is impossible to see your finger through a diamond);

Hydrochloric acid will not scare him;

Due to its physical properties, it leaves scratches on the polished surfaces of other stones and on glass, which do not disappear even if wiped with a damp cloth. Therefore, for tests, choose surfaces that you don’t mind;

In methylene iodide or monophthlene monobromide (solutions with a refractive index close to spinel and sapphire), the stone does not disappear, but shines brightly. Accordingly, diamond substitutes in the form of spinel and sapphire will not be visible in the solution. A similar (slightly less distinct) result is obtained by immersing stones in an aqueous solution of glycerin;

Use the old smugglers' method. The diamond is dipped into water; if it is natural, it will not be visible in clean water;

The stone is synthetic if:

It contains inclusions of metals (iron, nickel, manganese);

Characterized by an uneven zonal-sectoral distribution of fluorescence ( glow of a substance that occurs as a result of its illumination and quickly fades after cessation) in ultraviolet light. Cross-shaped UV fluorescence patterns are often observed. The above test method requires a special device.

IN as an imitation diamond use rhinestones, crystal glass, plastic, colorless zircon, strontium titanite; synthetic rutik, colorless spinel, colorless sapphire, etc. Some fakes are easy to distinguish by eye:

They do not have the same brightness and glow as natural and even synthetic diamonds;

They age over time (the edges are erased, the shine becomes dull).

For difficult cases To determine the origin of diamonds, the following methods are used: color and spectral cathodoluminescence, spectroscopy in the visible and infrared region, luminescent spectroscopy, etc.

Corundum (ruby, sapphire)

Ruby more likely of natural origin, if:

He's not very big. Large rubies are rarely found in nature;

There are internal defects;

If there are bubbles in the internal structure of the stone, they are often the same color as the stone;

When magnified, needle-shaped inclusions are visible;

The stone has high strength (second only to diamond), leaves scratches on surfaces with a lower strength index;

There is no cleavage, it is almost impossible to break it;

In bright light, the color of the ruby ​​becomes darker;

It may have zigzag cracks without shine.

It has the appropriate certificate and is indecently expensive.

The ruby ​​is synthetic if:

Has a pronounced ideal shape;

Curvilinear zoning is observed;

There are inclusions of gas bubbles;

Characterized by very strong red UV fluorescence, if UV light is directed at the stone, the synthetic ruby ​​will turn orange;

When examined in detail with a magnifying glass or microscope, stones grown by the hydrothermal or flux method contain inclusions of crucible (platinum, gold, copper) or flux;

There are irregular growth microstructures (in hydrothermal synthesis);

It has a crack of a regular (straight) shape, with a shine.

Sapphire

Presumably natural if:

Presented in different colors and shades (colorless, black, yellow, orange, purple, etc., the most valuable is blue), the effect of milky fog can be seen on the stone - white highlights (especially in Kashmir sapphire);

Kashmir sapphire does not change color under artificial light and is considered a standard sapphire;

Characterized by zonal coloring;

There are inclusions of rutile (needle-shaped fibers that form an angle of 60 degrees when intersecting), which are visible under a magnifying glass;

There are inclusions of zircon (a feature of stones of Ceylon origin);

When illuminated by an electric lamp, the stone takes on a purple hue. This indicates the presence of chromium in the composition and again indicates Ceylon origin;

May appear black in artificial light (Australian sapphires);

There is a grayish metallic sheen (this indicates the American origin of the stone);

There are internal defects;

- the stone has high strength, leaves scratches on surfaces with a lower strength index;

It has a quality certificate and is very expensive.

The refinement of corundum is indicated by “fire signs” from heat treatment, contrasting zonal coloring and other indicators.

Tanzanite (visible reddish tint), spinel, aquamarine (visible greenish tint), indigolite may appear to be sapphire substitutes, but they are easily identified using a refractometer (a device for measuring the refraction of light), and in some cases by eye.

Sapphire is synthetic if:

More beautiful in appearance than natural ones, there are no natural inclusions, impurities, gas bubbles, or curved color lines;

Under ultraviolet rays, the stone acquires a green tint (indicating the presence of titanium);

There are impurities of gold, copper, platinum.

Imitation sapphire made of plastic, rhinestones (glass), etc. If everything is clear with the listed materials - their origin is usually determined by eye, then composite stones can cause difficulties. Composite stone (doublet, triplet) consists of several parts. A natural stone is often placed at the top, to which an imitation of a similar color is glued. In a closed frame it is quite difficult to identify a fake, even with the use of a refractometer, but if you examine the stone in profile, under magnification and in bright light, the soldering of the composite stone can be clearly identified. In addition, usually natural and imitation inserts differ in color.

Beryl (aquamarine, emerald)

Aquamarine of natural origin, if When you touch it with the tip of your tongue, you feel cold. All imitations of this stone seem warmer to the touch. Synthetic aquamarine is not yet grown; all fakes of aquamarine are either spinel or glass.

Emerald rather natural if:

- it is transparent and has an evenly distributed rich color from yellow-green to blue-green;

- there are almost always splits and cracks on the stone;

- a corresponding document is attached to it and a high price is set.

The stone is synthetic if:

- has a rich bluish- green color;

- with magnification, twisted veils are observed;

- there are inclusions (tubular, brownish – Fe oxides);

You can fairly quickly identify most precious and semi-precious stones by their basic characteristics, such as color and weight (density). However, to more accurately identify stones, you will need special instruments that allow you to examine the internal structure of the mineral.

Steps

Stock up on a table of characteristics of precious stones

Part 1

make sure the stone is precious

Examine the surface of the stone. If it is rough and uneven, the stone is not precious.

Check whether the stone can be deformed. If the stone is easily deformed, for example, as a result of a slight blow with a hammer, compression, or bending, it is most likely a metal ore rather than a precious mineral.

• Gemstones have a crystalline structure. The external shape of a stone can be altered by cutting, chipping, or grinding, but each mineral has a set of crystalline facets that cannot be altered by simple pressure.

1. Some materials resemble precious stones without actually being them. For example, pearls and petrified wood may be mistaken for gemstones, but they are not such in the strict sense of the word.

2. Determine if the stone is artificial. Artificial (or synthetic) stones have the same structure, chemical composition and physical properties, like their natural counterparts, but they are not mined, but rather produced in laboratory conditions. As a rule, artificial stone can be distinguished from natural stone by comparing several characteristics.

   • Inside artificial stones, not even, but curved growth steps (surfaces) are often observed.
   • Often in stones of artificial origin there are spherical gas bubbles arranged in the form of chains, but be careful, as sometimes gas bubbles are also found in natural stones.
   • Thin plates of platinum or gold may remain on the surface of artificial stones.
   • IN artificial stones Acicular, V-shaped and thread-like inclusions are common, as well as a columnar internal structure.

3. Beware of fakes. At first glance, a fake stone looks the same as a natural one, but it is made from a completely different material. Fake gemstones can be of either natural or artificial origin, and there are quite a few effective methods to distinguish them from real stones.

   • The surface of a fake stone may be uneven and pitted, like the peel of an orange.
   • Some fake stones show wavy and spiral marks.
   • Quite large gas bubbles are often observed inside fake stones.
   • Often, fake stones weigh noticeably less than their originals.

4. Determine if your gemstone is compound. Composite stones include several different minerals. These composite stones may be composed entirely of individual gemstones, but often include synthetic materials.

   • To determine the joints, shine a small flashlight with a thin beam on the stone.
   • Take a closer look at the difference in shine and color of different areas, also paying attention to the presence of possible gluing points (filled with colorless glue).
   • Also see if there is a “red ring effect”. As you turn the stone, look closely to see if you can see the red ring around its outer surface. If such a ring appears in front of you, most likely it is a composite stone.

Part 2

main features

1. Pay attention to the color of the stone. Often, the color of a gemstone is the first clue to the type of stone. The concept of stone color can be divided into three components: actual color, tone and saturation.

   • When determining the color of a stone, do not add additional light unless the stone is dark and you need to determine whether it is black, dark blue, or another dark color.
   • The "color" of gemstones varies widely. Try to determine the color as accurately as possible. For example, if a stone is yellowish-green, say so instead of simply describing it as "red." Mineralogists distinguish more than 30 colors of stones.
   • “Tone” indicates whether the color of the stone is dark, light, or somewhere in between.
   • "Saturation" characterizes the intensity of a color. The first step is to determine whether the stone is a warm (yellow, orange, red) or cool (purple, blue, green) color. In case of warm color, check availability brown shades. For cool colors, presence is important gray shades. The more brown or gray shades present in a stone, the less saturated its color.

2. Pay attention to the transparency of the stone. Transparency characterizes the proportion of light passing through the stone. Stones are divided into transparent, translucent and opaque.

   • Through transparent stones, objects located behind them are clearly visible (an example of such a stone is a diamond).
   • Through a translucent stone, you can also see objects behind it, but their outlines are blurred, and often the color of the image does not match the original (for example, amethyst and aquamarine).
   • Through an opaque stone, objects located behind it (for example, opal) are not visible.
3. • To estimate the mass of a stone, place it in the palm of your hand and ask yourself whether the stone weighs as much as you would expect for its volume, or whether its mass is much different from your expectations.
   • Gemologists (gem specialists) make extensive use of weighing, and determining the density of stones is widely used in grading stones.
   • For example, aquamarine is relatively light, while the similar blue topaz is much heavier. Likewise, diamond is significantly lighter than the similar-looking man-made cubic zirconia.

4. Examine the cut of the stone. Although this method is not safe and requires some skill, a number of gemstones can be split along certain planes. Often these planes can be identified by the way the light falling on the stone is refracted.

   • Most often, gemstones have faceted flat edges, a convex or rounded shape (if not cut), a cameo (engraved) appearance, or beads. These basic cut types may include others at a smaller level.

Part 3

closer study of gemstones

1. Consider whether destructive testing methods are acceptable. There are tests that you will not want to carry out if you want to keep the stone intact. Such tests are hardness measurement, friction and splitting.

   • Some stones are harder than others, and mineral hardness is usually measured using the Mohs scale. Swipe the surface of your stone with the various minerals provided with the hardness test kit. If a stone appears scratched, this means that it is softer than the corresponding mineral. If the stone remains unharmed, its hardness is higher than the mineral used.
   • For a friction test, run a stone across the surface of the ceramic tile. Then compare the mark left by the stone with the scale given in the table of characteristics of gemstones.
   • "Cleaving" means breaking the crystal into pieces. If there are separate layers along the surface, peel them off and inspect the surface underneath. If they are missing, you will have to hit the stone quite hard to break it. Check to see if the surface of the stone is uneven, fragmented, rounded or shell-shaped, stepped or grainy.

2. Study the optical properties of the stone. Each type of gemstone has its own optical characteristics. Depending on the stone, you will observe characteristic color shifts, asterism, splitting of light into individual colors, and so on.

   • Observe the light effects by shining a thin-beam flashlight through the stone.
   • Color change under light is one of the main methods of grading a gemstone, so every stone must be subjected to this procedure. Observe the color of the stone under natural light, incandescent light and fluorescent light.

3. Look at the shine of the stone. Gloss characterizes the intensity of light reflected by the surface of the stone. When checking shine, shine the light on the smoothest edge of the stone.

   • Turn the stone so that the light reflects off its surface. After this, inspect the stone with the naked eye and using a magnifying glass with tenfold magnification.
   • Determine what type of stone it is: dull, waxy, metallic, shiny (like a diamond), glassy, ​​cloudy, shiny.

4. See how the stone scatters light. When white light is scattered, the stone splits it into spectral components (light of different colors), resulting in a spectral decomposition of a beam of ordinary daylight. The intensity of this splitting depends on the type of gemstone.

   • Shine a thin beam of a flashlight onto the gemstone and follow the path of light inside the stone. Determine whether the beam splits weakly, moderately, strongly, or very strongly into spectral components.

5. Determine the refractive index. This can be done using a refractometer. With this device you can measure the angle of refraction of light as it passes through the stone. Each gemstone has a different angle of refraction, so determining the angle of refraction will allow you to figure out which stone you have in front of you.

   • Place a small drop of the special liquid on the metal surface of the refractometer near the back of the half-cylinder (the window where the stone will be placed).
   • Place the flat surface of the stone on a drop of special liquid and press it with your fingers towards the surface of the half-cylinder.
   • Look at the stone through an eyepiece without magnification. Continue looking until you see the outline of a drop, then make the bottom surface of that drop come into focus. Record the micrometer readings, rounding them to the nearest hundredth.
   • Use a magnifying lens to obtain more accurate readings and round to the nearest thousandth.

6. Use birefringence. This method also allows you to estimate the refractive index. In this test, the stone is rotated six times in a refractometer and changes in the passage of light through it are recorded.

   • The scheme is the same as for determining the refractive index. However, instead of keeping the stone stationary, rotate it 180 degrees in 30-degree increments. After each 30 degree rotation, measure the refractive index.
   • Subtract the smallest value of the refractive index from the maximum, thus determining the birefringence index, which is a characteristic of the optical anisotropy of the material. Round the result to the nearest thousand.

7. Observe single and double refraction. Use this test for clear and translucent stones. In this case, it is determined whether the crystal is unirefringent or birefringent. Some stones represent a conglomerate of the above crystals.

   • Turn on the light in the polariscope and place the stone face down on the lower glass lens (polarizer). While looking at the stone through the top lens (analyzer), rotate it until the stone appears darkest. This is the starting position.
   • Rotate the analyzer 360 degrees and observe how the illumination of the stone changes.
   • If a stone, having become dark, does not lighten, then it is a monorefractive mineral. If the stone, after darkening, becomes lighter again and vice versa, then it is most likely birefringent. And finally, if the mineral remains light in color, it represents a conglomerate of such minerals.

• Before examining a gemstone, wipe its surface soft cloth. Take a piece of fabric and, folding it in four, place the stone inside. Lightly rub the stone through the fabric with your fingers, thereby removing dirt, fingerprints, and grease stains from its surface.
• When working with stone, use tweezers to avoid staining the surface of the stone.

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How to distinguish natural stone from a fake at home?

Natural stone is created by the forces of nature itself, and therefore it is unique in its variety of shades, patterns, and shapes. A person carefully processes and polishes natural stone, due to which its surface becomes smooth and shiny from rough.

Often, instead of a real natural material, you can find its artificial analogue. Imitations may differ slightly from the original, but fakes are produced on a large scale. Of course, synthetic “stones” have almost the same parameters - physical properties and color characteristics - as natural stones, but their cost is much lower. With modern technology, it is possible to artificially create rubies, emeralds, alexandrites, sapphires and even diamonds.

It is worth noting that good quality synthetic materials also have a fairly high price, which is why sometimes they are practically no different from the real thing.

How to distinguish natural stones from artificial ones?

To identify a fake at home, you will need the following tools and materials:

Household kitchen scales

The purchase is verified in the following way:

Tactile – natural material It takes a little longer to heat up (to do this, you can light a match and hold the stone over the fire); in addition, natural stones have a more low temperature. This is how you can distinguish amethyst, rock crystal or quartz from simple glass.

Visually, the stone is examined under a magnifying glass. So, in a real ruby ​​you can see cracks in the shape of zigzags (artificial rubies also have cracks, but even and straight); in a fake emerald, the patterns under a magnifying glass form tubular and spiral patterns.

Note: any natural stone, upon careful examination, will have small flaws, cracks, dimples with a white coating.

The aquamarine mineral will definitely change its color if you look at it from different angles - not very much, but the difference in shades will still be noticeable. Peridot and lapis lazuli have uniform colors, but fake turquoise easily stains a damp cloth used to wipe the stone.

Using a lamp - this is how you can check a diamond. By directing the light flux strictly at a right angle, you can track the glow of the edges - a real diamond will be visible through and its back edges will shine. What’s interesting is that if you illuminate a ruby ​​in the same way, then its zigzag-shaped cracks will not glow. But labradorite can create the effect of a real Northern Lights.

By smell - if you bring a lit match to the amber beads, then when burning, the smell of resin should be released. If the amber is “immature”, then spotty burns may appear on it. And any fake will emit a synthetic smell.

By hardness - for example, a diamond can be used to cut glass, but it will definitely leave scratches on the surface. But a diamond is not afraid of sandpaper - if you rub it on the diamond surface, there should be no changes.

In terms of thermophysical properties, the same amber becomes electrified after being rubbed with a piece of wool. This is also how a pomegranate is tested - if you put a cork on the scales, place an electrified stone on top and bring a magnet to it, the hands of the scales will move like a pendulum.

A certificate is an important attribute of a gemstone all over the world. Experts note that in the trade and production of diamonds, certificates have become much more important than in any other area. Here, a “piece of paper” reflecting the quality of a diamond has investment significance. Stones are a profitable investment. They grow in price every year, despite market fluctuations.

The certificate gives the stone individuality and increases its value, sometimes by a third. Shadows or deviations in the color and quality of a stone can change its market value hundreds of times! Many banks are already preparing to work with precious stones as a collateral fund, the popularity of which is beyond doubt. An important problem is the customs examination of stones. There are practically no knowledgeable specialists on the Russian borders, and therefore nothing is easier than organizing the illegal export and import of jewelry.

There are known cases when in some stores, under the guise of aventurine, customers were offered... ordinary plastic, under the guise of coral - a shell. Under a self-made pompous name " Black Star“The mineral hornblende was hiding, in one store on the display there was a “quartz-diopside” that does not exist in nature at all (such a name does not appear in any reference book). As usually happens: the factory trusts the supplier, the stores trust the factory, the buyer trusts the sellers. As a result, it happens that in some cases, consumers wear rings with synthetic stones instead of natural ones for years.

Fraudsters profit from the gullibility of ordinary buyers who want to purchase gold or silver jewelry inlaid with precious stones at an attractive, inexpensive price. Cubic zirconias are found in jewelry where a diamond should have been, and plastic instead of amber in a silver necklace.

Avoid buying fake jewelry with inserts
Gemological examination will help.

Gemological examination begins with the identification of a precious stone. Then experts prove its natural origin and look for traces of possible ennoblement. After this, the quality of the gemstone is assessed, but not its value. The final price of the stone is determined by the market and includes, in addition to the cost of the stone, many other components.

The oldest fraud
Since ancient times, various imitations, even simple glass, have been used instead of precious stones. Even Pliny the Elder (Roman erudite writer) believed that: “There is no occupation more profitable than counterfeiting precious stones.” Since then, the art of forgery has advanced significantly. In the Middle Ages, in the East they discovered a method for refining sapphires, turning gray stones into more expensive blue ones by annealing. Nowadays, methods for refining natural but low-grade stones include not only annealing, but also irradiation, crack filling, and surface coating. The main operation of counterfeiting precious stones since the beginning of the twentieth century has been the replacement of natural ones with synthetic stones, which are produced on an industrial scale. They completely replicate all the physical properties and appearance of natural ones, and are even better in quality, but usually much cheaper. Let’s compare, for example, the cost of a natural ruby ​​with the cost of a synthetic one: defect-free good color A natural ruby ​​weighing 5-10 carats can cost several thousand dollars per carat, while a synthetic ruby ​​of the same size costs only a few dollars for a whole stone. Today, synthetic emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and alexandrites are grown on an industrial scale, but, for example, topazes and tourmalines are not economically profitable to grow in large quantities.

If previously only colored stones were counterfeited, now diamonds may also turn out to be synthetic or refined. They can easily be replaced by rhinestones, which can acquire any color, even colorless, typical of diamonds.

Cleanliness is a sign of fake
There are different categories of imitation for different stones. For example, turquoise in most cases is sold pressed on the jewelry market. It is made from natural crumbs by sintering. In nature, turquoise grows in the form of threads; large nodules are very rare and, accordingly, cost fabulous money. When purchasing precious items with turquoise inserts, experts advise paying attention to the structure and color of the stone. The most valued stones are those with visible inclusions of other minerals and uneven coloring. Absolutely pure turquoise, as well as amber, should alert the buyer.

Deceptive tags
Price is also one of the main criteria when identifying a stone. But very often even specialists get burned, not to mention ordinary people who buy jewelry once a year as a gift to their loved ones. And one can hardly blame sellers and merchandisers jewelry stores in unprofessionalism, because when receiving goods they only superficially inspect the products, relying on lengthy inscriptions on the tags. For example, one of the jewelry stores received a batch of silver items with blue stone inserts; the tags contained the inscription “Sapphire cz.”. Experts found it difficult to answer what kind of stone it was. It turned out that this was cubic zirconia, which is called “zirconium cube” abroad (abbreviated as “cz”, which was reflected on the label). Or some manufacturers, instead of the inscription “synthetic emerald,” write “emerald vr.”, which means grown emerald. From a legal point of view, there is nothing to complain about, but an ordinary buyer can easily be deceived. In general, the International Gemological Confederation has established standards for signing inserts in jewelry, but these standards are not federal law, so manufacturers sometimes write the name of the product incorrectly.

Circular trust
It is no secret that the trade is not yet very profitable to check jewelry: the buyer is not spoiled, he will take anything. As a rule, buyers who purchase products in small stores that sell products of questionable quality or work with resellers turn to experts for help. Defects are most often associated with the quality of the metal and inserts.

For example, an examination was carried out on a ring with a very large, unconventionally cut topaz. A week after the purchase, the insert was lost, the results of the examination showed that there was a manufacturing defect: a technically ill-conceived stone setting was chosen.

Another reason to turn to experts is a purchase and sale situation, when it is necessary to evaluate a product that was inherited, for example (the tags have not been preserved) or an exclusive piece of jewelry made to order.

Citizens are often deceived when buying jewelry abroad. In Thailand, Italy, Israel, you may be offered to buy jewelry at a lower price; of course, sellers hope that you will not be able to detect the fake in time and are unlikely to return the product.

There are many cases related to improper handling of the product by the buyer during wear. As a rule, in these cases, the examination makes a decision in favor of the seller. Here is a specific example: a woman bought an expensive set with opals and went on vacation to Thailand, where she sunbathed and swam in the sea without taking off her jewelry. As a result, the stones changed their appearance. The fact is that many stones (opals, corals, turquoise, etc.) are chemically unstable. Therefore, when purchasing a product, you should consult with a specialist about the rules for wearing and caring for the product.

Rules to follow when buying jewelry
— in all stores, information about the rights of the buyer and the responsibilities of the seller of jewelry should be prominently displayed. Check it out;

— carefully read the price tag and tag (label) of the product;

- do not hesitate to ask the seller with maximum meticulousness about the quality and characteristics of the product, and first of all, about whether the stone in front of you is synthetic or natural. If natural, then has it been subjected to treatment (tinting, oil impregnation, heat treatment) in order to hide defects and give a better look;

- most importantly, ask for a sales receipt indicating all the important characteristics of the product. This document will allow you, if necessary, to defend your rights in court.

How to distinguish natural gemstones from synthetic (artificial) stones

SCIENTISTS GROWED THE HARDEST DIAMONDS FROM A GAS MIXTURE

Making a material that is harder than natural diamond has been a goal of materials scientists for many years. As NTR.Ru reports, a group of specialists from the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution created large diamonds(comparable to jewelry in size), which are superior in hardness to other crystals. Moreover, the researchers grew crystals directly from the gas mixture a hundred times faster than is possible using other modern methods.

Large crystals were grown in just one day. Moreover, the diamonds turned out to be so strong that they broke the measuring equipment. The researchers created the crystals using high-speed chemical vapor deposition, a new process they developed. They then subjected them to high temperature treatment under high pressure to make it stronger.

Crystals with a diameter of up to 10 millimeters and a thickness of up to 4.5 millimeters were grown. They turned out to be 50% harder than ordinary diamonds.

Nowadays, when jewelry with synthetic stones is increasingly found on the market, the question of their identification and difference from natural stones.

Why is it important to distinguish natural stones from synthetic ones? One of the attributes of a gemstone is its rarity. Pure, defect-free stones are rare in nature, so their cost sometimes reaches very high prices. high level. Synthetic jewelry stones almost always have higher quality characteristics compared to natural stones, but cost significantly less than the best natural stones. Let's compare, for example, the cost of a natural ruby ​​with the cost of a synthetic one: a defect-free, good-colored natural ruby ​​weighing 5-10 carats can cost several thousand dollars per carat, but a synthetic ruby ​​of the same size costs only a few dollars for a whole stone. If buyers expensive stone will not be sure of its natural origin, this will undermine the demand for the product this kind, which, naturally, will have negative consequences for the market.

What characteristics of natural and synthetic stones allow us to distinguish them from each other? In nature, the formation of a precious stone takes several tens, or even hundreds of thousands of years. In the laboratory, growth can take anywhere from a few hours to (at most) several months. Also, in the laboratory it is impossible to recreate a process that completely replicates the natural one, so it seems logical to assume that in any crystal of artificial origin one can detect signs determined by the conditions of its growth that will distinguish it from natural stone. Naturally, for crystals obtained different methods synthesis, such properties may differ.

What signs do gemologists pay attention to when diagnosing the origin of a stone? First of all, these are the internal features of the stone, such as inclusions, zoning (color distribution), growth microstructures, for observation of which a magnifying glass or microscope is used.

Currently, there is a wide variety of synthetic stones on the market. It is impossible to talk about them all within the framework of this article, so we will dwell in more detail on only some of them.

SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS In the last decade, great strides have been made in the synthesis of jewelry diamonds. Modern technologies make it possible to obtain gem-quality diamond crystals weighing up to 10-15 carats. In this regard, the likelihood of jewelry with synthetic diamonds appearing on the market has increased. In some cases, it is possible to distinguish between natural and synthetic diamonds; for example, inclusions of minerals indicate natural origin, while inclusions of metals (iron, nickel, manganese) indicate synthetic origin. Synthetic diamonds are also characterized by an uneven zonal-sectoral distribution of fluorescence in ultraviolet light (cross-shaped figures of UV fluorescence can often be observed), on the contrary, natural diamonds are characterized by a uniform or irregular distribution of UV glow. However, in some cases, the use of more complex methods of studying a substance is required, such as color and spectral cathodoluminescence, spectroscopy in the visible and IR regions, as well as luminescent spectroscopy.

SYNTHETIC RUBIES AND SAPPHIRES Today on the gemstone market there are many synthetic rubies and sapphires grown by various synthesis methods, each of which has its own distinctive characteristics. Thus, most synthetic rubies and sapphires found on the market are obtained by the Verneuil method, distinctive features These stones have curvilinear zoning (which is not observed in natural stones); sometimes they contain inclusions of gas bubbles. Verneuil synthetic rubies exhibit very strong red UV fluorescence. Rubies and sapphires grown by flux and hydrothermal synthesis methods are the most difficult objects to diagnose. However, in most cases it is possible to distinguish them using a magnifying glass or microscope: fluxed rubies and sapphires are characterized by inclusions of flux and growth chamber (crucible) materials - platinum, gold and copper, and distinctive feature hydrothermal corundums have irregular growth microstructures.

SYNTHETIC EMERALD In the last decade, in addition to large quantity hydrothermal rubies and sapphires, most synthetic emeralds are also obtained by this method and are produced in Russia and China. Such emeralds are characterized by tubular inclusions, brownish inclusions of iron oxides, as well as growth and color zoning. In some cases, synthetic emerald crystals may lack the listed characteristics, then the IR spectroscopy method is used to diagnose them.

SYNTHETIC QUARTZ The most important variety of synthetic quartz found on the market is hydrothermal amethyst. This jewelry material widely used in trade mainly due to its strong similarity to its natural counterpart and the difficulty of distinguishing them. Although inclusions and characteristic twinning structures sometimes make it possible to distinguish between natural and synthetic amethysts, in most cases an unambiguous diagnosis is only possible using complex spectral research methods.

Another important variety of synthetic quartz is ametrine, which began commercial hydrothermal production in 1994. Synthetic ametrine can be identified by a number of characteristics, including color zoning and twinning patterns. Methods for determining chemical composition impurities and IR spectroscopy.

How to distinguish natural gemstones from imitations (counterfeits)

Synthetic stones with a good reputation can, like precious stones, appreciate in value and become in demand, and rare specimens can even become collector's items. In general, we can conclude that synthetic gemstones can peacefully coexist with natural ones - rather, complement each other rather than compete.

Several types of artificial gemstones enter the modern jewelry market. Synthesized (grown) precious stones; synthesized crystals of compounds of the group of rare earth elements that do not occur in nature, for example cubic zirconia (imitation diamond); imitation of precious stones made from famous glass, which are mainly used in costume jewelry and are easily distinguished from precious stones by their low hardness “by eye”; as well as doublets - composite gemstones glued together from two different minerals.

Aquamarine

This mineral is very similar to topaz in color and even inclusions. However, topazes do not have chrysanthemum-like inclusions characteristic of aquamarine. white. Aquamarine is also imitated with both ordinary glass and less valuable minerals: synthetic spinel, artificial quartz. You can distinguish them from real aquamarine simply by looking at the stone from different angles: aquamarine slightly changes its color scheme, but there is no imitation.

There are no synthetic aquamarines on the jewelry market. The imitations sold under this name are actually bare spinel or glass.

All glass imitations seem warmer to the touch, unlike real stone. If the stone is not set in the frame, you need to hold it with tweezers (so as not to heat it with your hands) and touch it with the tip of your tongue - the stone should be cold.

Alexandrite

This is a very rare stone, large examples are unique. Alexandrite jewelry is very expensive. Alexandrites are counterfeited with rubies with the properties of the multi-colored mineral in different lighting conditions. This effect is called pleochroism. Also counterfeited with glass.

Diamond

The method for obtaining this mineral was based on the idea of ​​converting graphite into diamond. Back at the end of the 17th century. I. Newton suggested that diamond, the hardest mineral, should burn. The Florence Academy of Sciences donated a diamond crystal for the experiment. It turned out that before burning, the diamond turned into graphite at a temperature of 110°C. Scientists have decided that the reverse transformation into diamond is also possible. Many scientists have tried to obtain artificial diamonds. But there was still no success while the work was carried out without knowledge of the laws of synthesis.

To imitate diamond, colorless zircon, synthetic rutik, strontium titanite, synthetic colorless spinel, and synthetic colorless sapphire are used.

When examining a diamond with the naked eye or with a tenfold loupe, it must be taken into account that it is processed in such a way that almost all the light entering the stone through the crown is completely reflected from its back faces, as if from a series of mirrors. Therefore, if you look at the light through a cut diamond, only the luminous point in the stone will be visible. In addition, if you look through a diamond in a ring placed on your finger, it is impossible to see your finger through it.

The chemist Klaproth determined that a drop of hydrochloric acid has no effect on diamond, but leaves a cloudy stain on zircon.

Diamond leaves scratches on the surface of glass, as well as on the polished surface of other stones. By placing a cut diamond firmly against the surface of the sample with its edge, you will notice that the diamond “clings” to it, leaving a visible scratch that does not disappear if rubbed with a wet finger. For such a test, choose the least noticeable place.

To distinguish diamond from spinel and synthetic sapphire, stones are dipped into a colorless liquid with a refractive index close to that of spinel and sapphire (methylene iodide or monophthlene monobromide). Spinel and sapphire simply will not be visible in the liquid, but the diamond will shine brightly. A similar, but less distinct effect of the “disappearance” of a fake diamond is given by plain water and glycerin. In the same way, simpler and cheaper diamond imitations are distinguished - lead-rich crystal glass.

Diamonds are counterfeited quite often with such minerals as monsonites (almost indistinguishable without special equipment), cubic zirconia, leucosapphires, etc. You can distinguish a fake from a genuine diamond by looking near any lighting fixture. You need to hold the stone with the crown perpendicular to the light source. A genuine diamond's facets at the back will be fully luminous. But this is not yet a guarantee of authenticity. You can also check the authenticity of the mineral due to its hardness property. If you rub sandpaper on a diamond, it will not leave scratches, but on other minerals it will leave roughness. If you run a diamond over stones that have a lower hardness (for example, sapphire or emerald), then a real diamond will leave scratches on such minerals. Synthetic diamond substitutes will not have any inclusions or bubbles inside them, while a real diamond will definitely have them.

Amethyst

Amethysts that are pure and bright in color are precious. The properties of real and synthetic amethyst are very similar and it is not easy to distinguish them. Artificial minerals are now used by jewelers quite often, since they are produced on an industrial scale; in contrast, colored cubic zirconia to resemble amethyst can be recognized: they heat up faster, this can be determined, for example, by applying them to the face.

Turquoise

It is even counterfeited with plastic, which of course is not as porous and smooth as the real thing. Imitation glass has small bubbles in its structure, which cannot be said about real stone. Also, by refining in the laboratory, low-grade turquoise is transformed into high-quality turquoise. There they can glue small particles of turquoise, process them with temperature, and much more. Enamel, compressed turquoise powder, and the cheap mineral Howlite are also passed off as turquoise. Howlite becomes turquoise-like when colored. In general, natural turquoise without defects is practically impossible.

Crystals made from crushed turquoise with glue are difficult to distinguish from real ones. And only over time do the fakes acquire a dirty tint.
Heliodor

Heliodor - lemon color is precious if it is pure and free of inclusions. If a stone does not meet these parameters, then it is not valuable. The natural mineral Heliodor, when passed over glass, will leave a mark, since it is much harder than glass.
Rhinestone

Artificial rock crystal is made from quartz mixed with lime and soda. Dishes are also made from this mineral. Stone is also counterfeited with simple glass. The difference between real rock crystal is that it does not have high thermal conductivity, unlike fakes. Peering into the inside of a natural mineral, you can see a slight haze there. Rock crystal shines, like glass, without shimmering with rainbow colors, unlike diamond.

Real rock crystal is always cool to the touch.

Grenades

Garnets are among the precious stones that have the power of magnetic attraction. Some other stones are also determined by their magnetism. To do this, the stone (pre-weighed) is placed on a tall plug (to separate it from the metal pan of the scale), which is placed on the pan. Once the scales are balanced, a small horseshoe magnet is slowly brought towards the stone until it almost touches the surface of the stone. If the mineral has noticeable magnetism, then the balance will be disrupted when the magnet is 10-12 mm from the stone. Record the minimum weight that is “held” by the magnet. The difference between them in true weight will characterize the attraction of the stone to the magnet.

Garnet is lucky in the sense that it is almost never counterfeited. For this he must thank the unique features of his nature, as well as his rather inexpensive cost. The fact is that garnet has magnetic properties. If you want to distinguish a real garnet from a fake right in the store, you will need a magnet, metal scales and a stopper. We put the cork on the scales, put the mineral on it, then bring the magnet to it, and the scale arrow will begin to oscillate. An even simpler method for identifying a natural stone concerns its size, since a garnet itself cannot be larger than a “Bob”. In practice, the size of the stone does not exceed the size of the grain of the plant - Pomegranate.

Pearl

The secret of pearl cultivation was discovered in China, and the fishery flourished there for seven centuries. In 1890, the Japanese adopted the experience of pearl cultivation and created an entire industry. The Japanese were one of the last to develop the cultivation of pearls without a nucleus, in which a piece of mantle tissue from another mollusk is inserted into cuts in the mantle of a mollusk. Pearls grow quickly and the yield is high. If the mollusk, after removing the pearls from it, is returned to the sea, pearls can be obtained from it again. Such pearls are also called cultured pearls. Since 1956, the pearl farming industry began to develop in Australia.

The word “pearl” without definitions is allowed to be used only for natural pearls. Large pearls are considered collectible and are sold separately at a higher price. 70% of pearls are sold in the form of beads.

Pearls found in nature are much more valuable than cultured ones, thanks to the introduction of the bead into the shell of a mollusk. Large natural pearls are very expensive, unlike their analogues. An X-ray unit, by illuminating the internal structure of pearls, will help distinguish cultured pearls from natural ones.

Emerald

Emeralds can undergo a refining process, since the price of the mineral is directly dependent on the color saturation and shade. Artificial refining reduces the value of the stone. As a result of refining, the color and clarity of the stone can be improved, and shine can be imparted as a result of applying a special coating.

For many years, synthetic emeralds were made only in the laboratory of Carroll Chatham, a chemist from San Francisco. Now emeralds are produced on an industrial scale by a number of companies, and the methods for producing synthetic emeralds are constantly being improved, so that synthetic emeralds are practically indistinguishable from natural ones.

Characteristic signs synthetic stones - twisted veils.

Quartz

Quartz can be distinguished from glass by touching the stone and glass with the tip of your tongue. Quartz is much cooler.

Lapis lazuli

It will be difficult for even an untrained eye to confuse it with something else, because it has a pure, rich Blue colour. Imitations are paler, they can be azurite, dumortierite, lazulite, sodolite. They also fake dyed jasper and dyed synthetic spinel to look like lapis lazuli - these fakes will leave a strong mark in a glass with clean water. True lapis lazuli does not.
Moon rock

The imitation is both glass and plastic, non-uniformly colored. The only thing that cannot be conveyed in imitations is the million shades of colors when the mineral plays in the light. Also, sparkles will flicker inside the mineral. Analogues such as artificial spinel and white chalcedony can only be distinguished using x-rays. The present one moonstone under the influence of x-ray a light lilac glow is detected. Another fake is “opal glass”. Here, to determine a true moonstone, we need a tenfold magnifying glass, through which we can see the layered structure of the stone.

Ruby

This is the first gemstone that began to be produced on an industrial basis on a large scale at the beginning of the 20th century. According to recent reports, the production volume of synthetic rubies has reached one million carats. Artificial rubies are used for jewelry, and the difference in prices between natural and synthetic rubies is very large.

First of all, it is necessary to remember that clean, densely colored large ones are extremely rare in nature. This fact alone casts doubt on the natural origin of the large ruby.

The cost of quality rubies can be equal to the price of a diamond. A real ruby ​​is not without natural microscopic inclusions and defects, even if it seems perfectly transparent to the naked eye. You can scratch another mineral with a lower hardness characteristic with a ruby ​​- scratches will be visible. Stones that are small in size and have a cloudy structure inlaid with gold and silver products- rather real. Because due to their inexpensive price, there is no point in counterfeiting them. Under ultraviolet light, a fake ruby ​​will turn orange.

Exist traditional methods Determining the naturalness of a ruby:

1. When placing a mineral in glassware- a reddish light will pour out of it.

2. The milk in the glass will turn slightly pink if it contains ruby.

3. From one angle the mineral is pale, from the other it is dark red.

4. In a natural ruby, the crack has a zigzag shape and does not glow brightly when illuminated, unlike imitations where the crack is straight and shines.

5. Natural ruby ​​rarely has bubbles in inclusions, and if they do, then in color they do not differ from the color of the mineral. In fakes, the bubbles may be lighter in color and may be empty inside.

6. If you put real stone on the eyelid - it will remain cold for a long time. A synthetic substitute or glass quickly changes the temperature to a warmer one.

Sapphire

It is possible to distinguish a real sapphire from numerous “twins” only thanks to physical and chemical parameters, and not by external signs. Synthetic fake can be immediately excluded by the presence of inclusions inside the stone. Natural imitations, which also have natural inclusions, can be sorted as follows: in a special liquid with a certain specific gravity, the sapphire goes to the bottom, while the fake floats to the top. Sapphire is harder than ruby ​​or emerald - when these minerals are passed over sapphire, no traces remain.

If a stone is immersed in a liquid with a certain refractive index, the following color distribution can be observed in it: in a synthetic stone there are always curved, differently colored stripes, in a natural stone the stripes are straight and located parallel to one or several faces.

Topaz

Topaz is a natural mineral that feels smooth and cool when touched on the skin. Topaz will attract small particles (for example, napkins) if rubbed with a woolen cloth. A real stone will sink to the bottom if you put it in a container with methylene iodide. Counterfeits, such as quartz, will not sink. But there are higher quality fakes - even imitating the physical properties of the mineral. With the help of heat treatment, a pale mineral can be refined and acquire more bright color. The naturalness of a stone can only be determined in a gemologist’s laboratory. The amethyst mineral is faked as topaz by heating. This fake will be called “Golden Topaz, Madeira Topaz”

It is extremely easy to polish and can sometimes be identified by touch by its characteristic “slipperiness”. Synthetic corundum of various shades of pink is used to imitate pink topaz. However, it looks too good to be real.

Chrysolite

Painted glass is often found as a counterfeit. Unlike fake glass, peridot has a uniform “color” without compactions. This mineral is also imitated with green plastic, which is naturally easy to scratch. Other minerals that are being tried to replace chrysolite can only be determined in the laboratory. It can be either chrysoberyl or tourmaline. It is worth remembering that the large size of this mineral is a very rare occurrence.

Zircon

No stone, with the exception of opal and diamond, can be identified as easily as zircon. With the naked eye or with a simple magnifying glass. Its special shine, somewhat reminiscent of diamond and at the same time greasy or resinous, combined with a characteristic color scheme, often allow you to recognize the stone at first sight. Using a magnifying glass, when observing through the top of the stone, you can see the worn edges of the faces.

Citrine

You may be deceived by offering cheaper substitutes - refined quartz, or heat-treated amethyst. When buying jewelry, you should keep in mind that the color of natural citrine is not as bright yellow as substitutes. Rather, it is of a calmer shade. Also, a real mineral, when viewed from different angles, changes its shade from pale yellow to bright yellow. Imitations do not have such properties.

Spinel

Synthetic spinel entered the market in the 1920s. Spinel is easily confused with amethyst, chrysoberyl, garnet, ruby, sapphire, and topaz. But experts distinguish spinel very simply - by its lack of bifraction.

Amber

Amber is a resin that hardened many centuries ago. And it is quite common in gold and silver jewelry. Amber is counterfeited with lower quality minerals or plastic. If you bring a match to a plastic fake, it will smell like plastic, not resin. When unripe amber is set on fire, spots appear. Pressed amber becomes sticky.

Natural amber is electrified by friction, however, some imitations (made of plastic) are also electrified. But if there is no electrification, it is an obvious fake. The following method for identifying imitations of amber is very effective. If you draw a strip along the surface of the amber with the blade of a knife, it will give small crumbs, and the imitation will produce curled shavings. Unlike synthetic materials, amber is easily ground into powder. Amber will float in a salt solution (10 level teaspoons of table salt per glass of water), and imitations, except polystyrene, will sink. After checking, the product should be thoroughly rinsed in running water to prevent the formation of a salt crust.

Jewelry made from precious stones is a wonderful gift for yourself or for loved ones. Gemstones are believed to have a number of healing properties, and in the case of the right choice, can correct well-being, health and even luck. But how to choose the right stone?

The collector tells Evgeniy Vikstrem: “The first thing to say is that gems are very often counterfeited, so you should never buy them from dubious places. Go to a reputable store or jewelry show.

The second point is that you need to know how to visually distinguish a real stone from a copy. Contrary to popular belief, natural stones do not often have an ideal appearance - they were created by nature over millions of years, and not by craftsmen in a laboratory who made a shiny piece of glass in an hour and a half.

For example, rubies are extremely rarely clean, without inclusions and large in size - such stones cost thousands of dollars, so when you see a perfect ruby ​​for a couple of tens of dollars, you should already think - is it really a ruby?

It's the same with topaz. To imitate pink topaz, synthetic corundum is used, which is too shiny and sparkling for real topaz. “The characteristic features of synthetic emeralds are twisted veils. Quartz can be easily distinguished from glass by touching the stone and glass with your tongue. Real quartz is much cooler than glass.”

Why is it important to learn to distinguish real stones from fakes? Firstly, so as not to overpay. It’s one thing when they offer you beads made of pseudo-natural stone for 10 dollars, and another when they sell you a fake for a thousand with the words “this stone is natural.” Secondly, synthetic stones do not have the same composition as natural ones, and therefore, accordingly, there are no healing properties out of the question. And what kind of pleasure can we talk about wearing jewelry if you know that it was made of glass on a stamping machine in 10 minutes?

Imitations and recognition of gemstones

When determining the value of gemstones, errors often occur, especially if the stones are similar to each other or have the same color or are colorless.

The main identifying marks of diamonds are their high hardness, refraction of light and dispersion of colors.

The same high brilliance that a cut diamond has is possessed by: colorless zircon (when fired it turns into yellow, brown and reddish tones), leucosapphire, phenacite, rock crystal, “marble diamond” (quartz), colorless topaz and spinel; they, like diamond, are monorefractive.

Natural ruby replaced by red or pink spinel, tourmaline or topaz. Some blue stones, such as blue spinel, tourmaline or cordierite and cyanite, are lower in hardness and density than sapphire. Olivine (chrysolite), Russian green topaz and tourmaline, as well as chrysoprase are sometimes mistaken for emerald.

Behind yellow(gold) topaz Citrine is often produced, especially fired amethyst or rauchtopaz, which become yellow as a result of firing. Variously colored fluorites, which are used as imitations amethyst, topaz, emerald And ruby, are easy to recognize because they have low hardness (4).

Used in jewelry, thick black, non-translucent onyx, blue chalcedony And apple green chrysoprase They are, in fact, skillfully painted (stained) chalcedony. Artificial turquoise By appearance is no different from natural water, but when heated it turns blue or brown.

Synthetic gemstones created by combining two stones are called doublets. So-called " true doublet"is a stone, the top and bottom of which are made of a homogeneous mineral (connected with Canada balsam or mastic). "Artificial doublets", the so-called "mixleys", are obtained by melting colored glass (bottom) on the plane of translucent quartz or garnet (top). Loose, unsecured doublets are easy to recognize.

The most widely used synthetic precious and semiprecious stones all shades, imitated by differently colored glass. They are softer than natural stones, can be scratched with a file, and can also be recognized by their optical properties. They are always monorefractive, and if colored, they never show signs of polychroism.

Diamonds are imitated by transparent, highly polished glass with strong refraction, under which a mirror substance is usually placed to increase the light effect. Imitations of emerald have typical defects of natural emerald inside. Garnets are imitated with glass, the color of which does not differ from the color of natural garnets. However, glass has lower hardness and density.

In order to learn to distinguish precious and semi-precious stones from artificial ones, especially those set in jewelry, you need to have a lot of experience. It is believed that a specialist can recognize by eye which stone is natural and which is artificial. But this is not possible in all cases! Today's chemistry and technology have made it possible to obtain artificial gemstones that are similar to natural ones down to the smallest detail. Some methods of identifying stones require not only professional, but also scientific knowledge, and sometimes special research work.

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