Artificially made substance that has the same appearance, physical properties and chemical compound as its natural counterpart mineral. Some synthetic stones have no counterpart in nature they are synthetic gemstones except if they used as an imitation fo
IT Gem Testing Laboratory (GIT-GTL), has been accredited by The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) as the CIBJO Registered Laboratory since May 2000.
The museum features four main galleries: The Weinman Mineral Gallery, The Fossil Gallery, Science in Motion and The Collins Family My Big Backyard. A 120-seat digital planetarium and an observatory with a state-of-the-art 20-inch telescope will also be lo
Gemstone transmits light but no object can be seen clearly through it such as moonstone. Translucent gemstones are not suitable for brilliant cutting but cut cabochon.
A device for cleaning dirt and other foreign particles from gemstones and jewelry articles by subjecting them to ultrasonic vibrations immersed in water or other solvent. The articles must be free of stress flaws. Glass lenses and other bodies can be poli
A very hard, light-gray, ductile, malleable, metallic element of the group V of the Periodic System with the symbol V. It is one of the 8 pigment metals responsible for color in gemstones such as beryl, sapphire (natural or synthetic). Used as a component
First and foremost, we need to look at the quality and strength of the color change. A strong change where the colors are bright and attractive under any kind of light is most desirable. Many stones are either a beautiful green in daylight or a nice pinki
With a hardness of 8.5, Alexandrite is a tough, hard, and durable gemstone that doesn't require any special attention. Still, even the hardest gemstones can shatter with a single well-placed blow so caution is always a good idea. Washing dishes with your
Alexandrite is an expensive gemstone because it so rare and production has always been limited. For years, the only source for alexandrite was Russia. In the last 20 or 30 years several new discoveries of alexandrite have been reported but production of s
Fine alexandrites or alexandrite jewelry can be purchased from jewelers specializing in colored gemstones, at trade shows, from TV sellers, at high end jewelry auctions, or online from websites specialized in alexandrite. You would be unlikely to find a h
The most well known gemological laboratories are listed below and all of them are equipped to test alexandrite. Most gemological laboratories only identify gemstones, they do not appraise them.
Although Russian alexandrites have the most historical value, fine stones are occasionally available from deposits in Brazil, India, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, there has been little production of alexandrites from any deposit in r
Natural alexandrite is not better than synthetic alexandrite but natural alexandrite is very rare and uncommon in modern jewelry because it is hardly ever available and because it is too expensive for the general public to buy. Even lower quality more inc