Synthetic ? Real or Imitation

     The Egyptians made glass imitations endowing them with the same supernatural power as the real thing.  A glass imitation gemstone, paste, was used from the 13th century through the 17th.  Joseph Strass, in the 18th century, discovered brilliance increased in glass when a high percentage of lead was added to it.  This created more imitations.  A process for making synthetic rubies had been discovered in the early 19th century.  Almost 100 years went by before they were accepted for use in jewelry.

  
     Physically, chemically and optically, synthetic stones are the same as the natural.  They are not imitations.  Heat and pressure are used to speed up the process that takes nature 1000s of years.  Rubies were more expensive than the natural ones when first synthesized in the 18th century.  August Verneuil, in 1910, came up with an idea which produced stones at a much lower cost by using a smeltering torch.  They were still so highly regarded that 1920 jewelers often set them in 18K gold.

     Synthetic spinels came on the market in 1926.  Synthetic emeralds came in the early 1940s.  Synthetic star sapphires and rubies in 1947, were not far behind.  The process for making synthetic diamonds was perfected in 1955.  Diamonds used for industrial purposes to this day are mostly synthetic.
     Gem quality synthetic diamonds have been possible since the 1970s and they are more valuable than the natural ones.  Cubic zirconium (CZs) are synthetic stones but they are not synthetic diamonds.