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| Synthetic (Lab Grown) Precious Gems |
Labs around the world grow synthetic gems (such as synthetic emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and many other gems) and new synthetics appear on the market often. These created gemstones are plentiful. Russia has a lot of labs where synthetics and simulants are grown. It's important to note that in the Russian language, the terms "synthetic" and "simulated" aren't differentiated. This can be a problem because these two terms mean very different things regarding gemstones. "Synthetic" gemstones are genuine gemstones that are grown in a lab, and possess the exact chemical, physical and optical properties of natural gemstones. "Simulated" stones are produced to look like another gemstone, but don't have the exact same chemical properties. A cubic zirconia (CZ) is a simulated diamond, for example. It's not a synthetic diamond.
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| Lab Grown Siberian Blue Quartz |
Russian labs have been producing "Siberian Blue Quartz" which is said to be lab created quartz that is grown with Cobalt ions which give this quartz a distinctive cobalt-blue color. The term "Siberian Blue Quartz" is a trade name given to this lab-created stone. It's hard to tell when purchasing a "Siberian Blue" stone online whether it's actual quartz, with the exact physical and chemical properties as quartz, or a quartz simulant (which could be anything from glass crystals to CZ etc.) isn't always guaranteed. It could even be a created spinel, or other stone (see below).
The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) wrote about this synthetic blue quartz back in 1991:
"...the greater depth of color is due to a different position of the cobalt ion in the quartz structure. Some of this material was rather deceptively advertised as "Siberian Blue Quartz." We saw tens if not hundreds of kilos of this material being offered, perhaps in part because of its alleged metaphysical properties. Other colors of synthetic quartz seen were purple (synthetic amethyst), yellow (synthetic citrine), green (a tourmaline-like color), and a brownish orange reminiscent of dark, heat-treated citrine."
The GIA has a great article, with pictures, discussing synthetic gems and how they're grown
HERE.
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| "Siberian Blue" CZ bracelet |
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Although there is some lab-created blue quartz, there are also CZs (cubic zirconia) also sold as "Siberian Blue". There was a line of jewelry sold on HSN featuring CZ stones in Siberian Blue colors back in the 1990s and early 2000s. There are also faceted crystal stones for jewelry that have been around for a long time that are similar in color, sold as "Montana Blue" and other trade names. Swarovski has beautiful crystals, sold in many different blue colors, such as Bermuda Blue, Sapphire Blue, and Capri Blue, and all look very much like the "Siberian Blue" color. More pictures of various simulated crystals and other stones are below.
In the GIA's article above, they mention how synthetic spinel was grown in Russia while trying to produce synthetic sapphire. Interestingly, the color of the created blue spinel also looks like "Siberian Blue" and is used as a simulant for various gemstones. Here is their picture and accompanying description:
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| Synthetic spinels seen here are in crystal form as they appear from the
manufacturer. The faceted stones can be found in any color, and are
often used to simulate various natural gemstones. |
Since at best this is a lab-created quartz that is colored blue, it is NOT a mined gemstone. Yet there are sellers online who claim this is "Himalayan blue quartz" which was "mined" up in the Himalayas, complete with stories about the hardships of mining this and carrying it down the mountainside. It's not mined, it's lab created, possibly quartz and possibly not.
Lab-created gemstones are beautiful because they are grown in a controlled environment, which produces flawless gemstones in saturated colors. Lab-created rubies, and sapphires of all colors, are beautiful and are inexpensive, as well as ethical (since no mining).
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| Natural Amethyst and quartz (left) and created quartz (right) |
Lab-grown quartz is beautiful as well. There are literally tons of created Amethysts in the marketplace now, in a range of purples, but mostly dark. Since they have the same chemical composition as their natural counterparts, it's nearly impossible to tell if they're "natural" or "synthetic" Amethysts. I say "nearly" because there are ways to determine if a gem is natural or created, but a jeweler or gemologist would have to examine it with a microscope.
SUMMARY
Siberian Blue Quartz is not a natural gemstone. It can be a lab-created quartz that is colored with cobalt ions. Some of the material sold as "Siberian Blue" is lab-grown Cubic Zirconia, some are Swarovski crystals (or other manufacturers of crystals), and it's hard for a consumer to tell the difference. A gemologist can test a Siberian Blue stone to see if it's quartz, CZ, glass, or another stone. Either way, at best, it's created in a lab, and not mined.
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| "Capri Blue" Swarovski Crystals |
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| Montana Blue Crystal |
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| Blue crystal from a chandelier |
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| Blue Chandelier Crystals |
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| Swarovski "Siberian Blue Ice" for Suzanne Somers Jewelry |
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