Synthetic Stones or Created Gems

All precious stones have bad name counterparts, some of which are better than others. Synthetic stones (or by the correct name "created gems") are defined by law as "chemically, physically and optically" the same as real gemstones.

They are more expensive than imitation or faux stones which don't have the real characteristics but they're considerably cheaper than natural stones of the same variety. As long ago as in Victorian times, the French were creating synthetic rubies, emeralds and sapphires, which is a surprise to some people who buy estate jewelry thinking it contains a real stone only to find it is a synthetic stone.

Today's methods are definitely more sophisticated and create gems so good that only trained jewelers and gemologists can tell them apart from their natural cousins.

It's possible to create flaws in a created stone although it's more common to see created stones being too flawless or too perfect to be true.

Man made diamonds have existed for years although they have primarily been of industrial quality. Scientists have claimed it is impossible to make gem quality diamonds. This is not true. About 25 years ago General Electric discovered it could make perfect, flawless gem quality diamonds which were impossible to tell from their natural cousins. They decided not to continue the experiment in any mass version because it was "economically unfeasible."

In the 1950's the Soviets discovered a large diamond pipe in Siberia and began producing gem quality diamonds. In 1962 the CSP decided to buy all uncut diamonds produced by the Soviet Union as to allow them to be under De Beers price control. They expected that, based on comparisons with their own mines in South Africa, the Soviets would begin to run out of diamonds in about 1970 and, therefore, they could afford to buy all the diamonds they would produce.

Approximately once a month, a chartered aircraft landed in London and $50,000,000 worth of diamonds were turned over to De Beers Diamond Trading Company for the equivalent hard currency.

De Beers is not very fond of this arrangement but they feel they must do it in order to keep up the diamond prices.

However, an unusual development occurred to the shock of De Beers. The size of the Soviet shipments did not stop in 1970 but rather increased dramatically between 1970 and 1975, besides which the diamonds seemed to be very homogeneous in character, averaging 1/4 carat, flawless with sharp, angular edges and a slight green tint. The Soviet diamonds seemed to be remarkably uniform in size and shape and, unlike their African counterparts, did not come in a multitude of round, square, flat, triangular or twisted shapes but rather mere octahedron.

Coincidentally, the Soviets, under some pressure, have admitted they, with a group of 1200 researchers, developed a way to manufacture a flawless gem quality diamond. This process was officially developed in the 1960's by one Leonid Veres Yagin. The Soviets claim they are not manufacturing these gems but they are natural gems that they keep selling to De Beers.

American agencies, after numerous requests, were finally allowed to visit the Siberian mine and found it hopelessly inadequate in size and facilities to process even more than a fraction of the diamonds the Soviets are showing De Beers. The De Beers insist these diamonds are natural and deny the Soviets have the capability to flood the diamond market with a virtually unlimited supply.