A Natural Gemstone or Created Gemstone for an Engagement Ring

The world of gemstones has been faced with the ever-rising demand for quality jewellery, which in turn has driven the need for a greater range and diversity of gemstones, which can keep up with customer expectations, in terms of quality and availability. A matter that is especially pertinent in the case of the fine jewellery industry: where the price point is generally higher, and customer demands are far more specific, where personalisation and wearer expectations are much greater. The need to match customer expectations in relation to the supply of high-quality gemstones, combined with the need to meet more particular demands of modern customers, like their growing concern for the natural environment and business ethics, has driven the rise of artificial or lab grown gemstone alternatives. However, this has not stopped the historical value that is attached to the natural gemstone, especially when it comes to fine jewellery like engagement rings. Here we will quickly outline some of the reasons why.

What is a Natural Gemstone

Natural gemstones, as their name suggests, are those that naturally occur in the natural environment. Natural gemstones, according to a more conventional understanding are usually not treated in any particular way to enhance colour or clarity. The idea of the “treatment” is limited to cutting and polishing that stones receive during this particular part of the gemstone value-adding process. However in recent decades gemstone treatments have gained in popularity, notably the heating of stones, and have been recognized as an acceptable method of natural gemstone enhancement. And are being recognized as genuine gemstones. Heat treatments are carried out since natural gemstones are generally not perfect when it comes to colour or clarity. However, there is a darker side to gemstone enhancement: Where treatment methods like the addition of chemicals, irradiation, laser treatments, glass filling and diffusion treatments are problematic, as the stones that are subjected to these treatments lose their structural integrity. Thus natural gemstones are viewed as more authentic and a preferable choice for engagement rings. 

What is a Created or Lab Grown Gemstones?

Created or lab grown gemstones are a newer addition to the world fine jewellery, which had initially made their mark in the industrial sector, where gemstones, like diamonds, are in high demand. The most popular types are created sapphires and lab grown diamonds, which as noted have been used in various industrial applications in high-end manufacturing and electronics. Over the years created sapphires and lab grown diamonds, in particular, have begun to enter the gemstone market set for fine jewellery: where they have found a niche but a growing place. To answer the question: What are created gemstones? These stones are made in a lab, under carefully controlled environments: where gemstones are formed using extremely high heat and pressure, by using the compounds that make up natural gemstones. This is why created gemstones are technically identical to their natural counterparts in terms of their chemical composition and physical properties, and look virtually the same as the natural ones they are trying to replace. 

Lab Grown Diamonds

Lab grown diamonds or man made diamonds are arguably the most recognizable type in the artificial gemstone market. In the later part of the 18th-century researchers discovered that diamond is fundamentally a carbon-based mineral, which led to research into other, more available carbon types. Like charcoal. Early attempts at heating carbon, like charcoal, failed to produce desired results, as advances in chemistry and other material sciences led to the development of technologies that lab created diamonds become a possibility. As the idea of developing synthetic diamonds, with the possibility confronting problems related to sourcing natural diamonds, and the costs involved could be minimised with mad made diamond alternatives. The American industrial giant General Electric was the first company accredited with developing artificial diamonds, in 1940. Building on technologies like Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) and High Pressure - High Temperature (HPHT), GE was able to develop synthetic diamonds, which came to be viewed as real alternatives for natural diamonds. As other companies recognized the economic value of artificial diamonds, notably in industrial applications. Whilst the demand for mined diamonds have remained, with people still valuing them, notably when it comes to natural gemstone jewellery, diamonds or sapphires still hold an important position in the minds of customers. 

Natural Sapphires

Natural sapphires are sapphires that are sourced directly from nature, through mines predominantly in alluvial deposits and primary sapphire sources. Unlike the lab made sapphire variant, natural sapphires develop over time in the natural environment. And come with an array of imperfections, in terms of clarity, colour and carat. So natural sapphires, when they score well or highly in these areas, they are valued highly, and much more than lab made sapphire types. Natural sapphire rings are among the most popular types of jewels in the market for fine jewellery. Natural sapphires, its popularity has also crept into other areas of the gemstone industry, with natural ruby and natural emeralds being top gemstone types in this category. Natural sapphire rings, particularly those which have rich hues, and or colours like the Padparadscha sapphires have risen in popularity.

Advantages of Natural Gemstones

The main advantage of natural gemstones is that they are naturally (pardon the pun) valued more than their artificial counterparts. Since they are taken from nature, where the gemstones form over the course of billions of years and hence carry a greater intrinsic value. Critically, natural gemstones, like diamonds have a higher resale value. Whilst natural gemstones tend to have a higher number of inclusions, and other weaknesses, but depending on how the treatments they are subject to they can overcome such weaknesses. Further, as noted, natural stones whilst taken directly from the earth, they’re often treated by other forms of treatments: like cleaning, polishing, cutting and sometimes heating. As natural or uncut, rough diamonds will be weaker in their glow and demand a lower market price. It’s the job of diamond cutters to polish this raw form and add facets that create the multidimensional sparkle we associate with diamonds. Natural gems are also often heat-treated to enhance their colour, for example, a natural ruby will be made into a richer red. 

Strengths of Lab Grown Gemstones

Synthetic or lab grown gemstones have many advantages over natural ones. In that, they are cheaper to make, quicker to develop. The main problem is that a lot of natural gemstones don’t have the quality that buyers desire, as these stones do carry a lot of flaws that detract from their beauty, and the colour of natural gems is often dull. High-quality natural gemstones do exist, but they are rare and expensive. This is why synthetic gemstones were created – they are more affordable, just as durable, and there are more of them. There is another reason to prefer synthetic gemstones, which is related to why they were created: These stones have few flaws and nearly perfect clarity. If you compare a created stone with a typical natural one, you will notice that the natural gemstone has more inclusions in the form of black dots or cloudy spots. The term “synthetic gemstone” is often used instead of “created gemstone.” Although both terms are used interchangeably, there are people who use the word “synthetic” to refer to fake gemstones. However, created gemstones are not considered fake since they are identical to natural ones in terms of structure despite being created by using different methods. Fake gemstones, on the other hand, are simply imitations made of a different material. If you are told that a certain gemstone is synthetic, always ask how the stone was created to make sure you understand the meaning correctly.

Which Gemstone Type is Right for Your Engagement Ring

When it comes to choosing the right gemstone type for yours, it would depend on what you are looking for. If you prefer a cheaper and environmentally friendly option then lab grown diamonds or created sapphires and rubies are the way to go. This is especially true in the case of lab made or grown diamonds. The mining of natural diamonds is a costly, at times invasive process with respect to the natural environment. In addition to facing challenges like conflict minerals which affects diamonds and other gemstones. However, if you want a natural gemstone that connects you with the Earth, the millions of years of development and the tag of it being ‘natural’ then a natural gemstone is the best way to go. A point which is especially true in the world of for your engagement ring.