Heigh ho, heigh ho. It’s back to work we go.
Happy New Year! and welcome to my first Blob for 2010.
Does the first line sound familiar? It’s from Disney’s Classic animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You may have noticed I’ve taken a tiny liberty with the lyrics, the original phrase actually goes: Heigh ho, heigh ho. It’s off to work we go.
Remember the scene where the dwarfs took to the glittering walls of a mine with picks and shovels filling their barrows with precious gems? I really loved that bit when I was a kid – it’s a delightful depiction of the way natural gems are garnered from source rock.
But I have long since learned that most gemstone beads (make that possibly most gemstones!) aren’t natural, that is they don’t originate from natural sources. They are mostly either synthetic or imitation.
So what’s the difference between synthetic and imitation gemstones? They’re both copies of the natural gem … Or are they?
Synthetic gemstones, also called created or manmade gemstones, are in fact genuine gemstones, having essentially the same physical, chemical and visual properties as natural gems, yet the rough form of the stone is produced in a lab in its mineral or crystal state. They are not as rare as naturally mined gems, which makes them less expensive, and being produced in the contained environment of a laboratory, they don’t have the imperfections.
On the other hand, just about all natural gems have flaws, albeit minuscule, such as cracks and foreign bodies trapped inside the gem (called inclusions). These are caused by the uncontrollable conditions in which the gem mineral or crystals develop, for example variations in time, humidity, pressure, light, water etc.
Increasingly, as natural precious gems become rarer and more costly, conventional jewellery is being made using synthetic gemstones; they are cut and polished using the very same techniques. And who wouldn’t want a flawless gem?
Imitation gemstones, also called simulants, may look like genuine gems at first glance but that is where the difference ends. They can be produced from any substance such as glass, plastic or less costly stones and are (usually) easy to detect upon closer examination.
So it seems there’s not so much difference between synthetic and natural gemstones, but quite a lot between synthetic and imitation: synthetic is the real deal, imitation is, well, the copy. And it just wouldn’t do to confuse them.
Natural, synthetic or imitation. Can you tell the difference?
Until my next Blob,
Carmen
Carmen’s colourful counting book for children Where are Grandma’s Beads? is out now.
Chain Sta has a wide stable base, and there are clamps on the columns to hold the chain securely while you attach your dangles along the finished length. Aaahh, that’s better.
