EMERALD
ZAMBIAN EMERALD
COLOMBIAN EMERALD
Emeralds have been always among the most expensive colored minerals, a segment that includes rubies, sapphires and alexandrite. The price of an emerald can be as high as 25 000 USD per carat. Some transparent dark emeralds can be more expensive than diamond cuts of the same weight which are sold worldwide. The huge popularity and high cost of emeralds has led to an increase in sales of different substitutes such as glass, cubic zirconia, corundum etc. Such "imitations" can be easily identified by experts as well as many customers due to their marked differences from the natural stones. The market's need for high-quality analogues of emeralds has resulted in elaboration of the materials, which possess all the physical, chemical and optic properties of the natural stone. Such crystals are internationally referred to as Lab Grown gems.
Experienced specialists from RG Crystals recrystallize low-quality natural emeralds which undergo a multiple-stage technological process to create an ideal gem. A Lab Grown emerald of RG Crystals is a gem, which is revamped and brought to perfection by means of using the hydrothermal method of growth (common abbreviation is НТЕ).
THE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF HTE ARE
Excellent quality with reasonable price. HTE has the same properties as a natural emerald, but its price is a thousand times less than that of the natural analogue
Most emeralds in today’s market undergo primitive refinements such as polymer or oil impregnation to improve marketing appearance. Such improvements do not last long and gem flaws will show up sooner or later. Recrystallized emeralds do not require intensive care and won't change in appearance even over a long period of time
Full control over the creation process enables variations in crystal gradations depending on the client's preferences: colors may vary from bright Colombian up to dark Uralian or Indian ones. This is achieved by changing the proportion of natural colorants used in the process
The structure of a recrystallized emerald is very much identical to the organic stone so therefore it can contain inclusions and flaws, which are typical for organic minerals. Such a structure is achieved by control over the growth stages. Thus, it is not possible to employ standard methods to identify a recreated stone, which would be based on simple assessment done in terms of its spectrum, refractive index or presence of inclusions. To get an expert opinion, it is recommended to only contact certified gemological laboratories.
The table below provides a comparison of the properties of Lab Grown Emeralds to natural emeralds:
