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Both stones
above were cut from "real" crystals of the substances that make up emerald
and ruby (aluminum beryllium silicate, and aluminum oxide, respectively).
They grew in a controlled environment or laboratory rather than an
uncontrolled or wild one. Chemically,
optically and physically, these "domestic" stones have the same
properties as those that grew in the wild - just as any domestic animal is
similar to its wild counterpart.
Also like
domestic animals, domestic stones are often superior to wild ones.
Domestic stones are usually superior in features such as color, clarity,
and, most importantly, freedom from fractures.
Only a trained gemologist can positively separate
gems that grew wild in Africa from those that grew wild in Columbia, from
those that grew in wild in Brazil from those that grew in a controlled,
domestic environment.
ADVANTAGES of domestic stones:
- Still a "real"
emerald, ruby or sapphire.
- Greater clarity for
the money.
- Better color for
the money.
- Better size for the
money.
- MORE DURABLE -
Emerald, in particular, is brittle, and sensitive to heat and shock. The vast
majority of emeralds harvested from the wild have
fractures within the stone, even if they are hidden
through the use of epoxy or oil. Bumping a ring set with
a wild emerald could turn your investment into a pair of shiny
pebbles. But, domestic emeralds are much more difficult to break
because they are less likely to have a hidden crack.
- So-called "real"
or "natural" (wild) stones suffer a surprisingly high incidence of fraud.
Two international gem dealers have told me that the closer you get
to the mine, the more synthetic material you'll find. While Brazil and
Columbia are the world's leading exporters of wild emerald, they are
also the world's leading IMPORTERS of synthetic emerald. You figure it out. Do you want
to pay more for a gem that is less attractive and less durable because
someone CLAIMS it grew in the wild?
If you are set on a wild stone, make CERTAIN of both the integrity
and the COMPETENCE of your jeweler to tell the difference.
DISADVANTAGES of domestic stones:
In the end, the only
identifiable disadvantage to purchasing a domestic stone rather than a
wild one is that you don't get to tell your friends it is wild. But why
should that stop you - It may not bother the broker who supplies gems to
your neighborhood jeweler...
Copyright 2001 John Bailey
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