Lab Gem History
The articles cited here about lab gemstones are all open source and chronologically sorted for quick and easy access. We hope this resource is useful for the consumer, collector, lapidary, gemology student, gemologist, natural stone dealer and anyone else interested in the history of lab gemstones.
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Each article comes from either the Journal of Gemmology (JofG) or Gems and Gemmology (G&G) archives.
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Chronology
The images below are taken from the 1997 article: "The Chronology of Synthetic Gemstones" by Kurt Nassau, and show the historical timeline of man made gems.
Period Surveys
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1949: American Snthetic Crystals - Sapphire to Titania (G&G)
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1979: New Forms of Synthetic Gem Materials: Two Brief Notes (JoG)
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1991: Part 1: The microscope determination of structural properties for the characterization of optical uniaxial natural and synthetic gemstones (JoG)
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2000: Synthetic Gem Materials and Simulants in the 1990's (G&G)
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2010: Synthetic Gem Materials in the 2000's: A Decade in Review (G&G)
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2022: Cryal Growth History: Theory and Melt Growth Process (Journal of Crystal Growth)
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GIA: An Introduction to Simulants or Imitation Gem Materials (GIA)
Emerald and Beryl
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1942: Synthetic Emeralds Appear Commercially in Small Quantities (G&G)
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1960: More Light on Beryls and Rubies with Synthetic Overgrowth (G&G)
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1969: New Nonfluorescent High-Property Synthetic Emeralds (G&G)
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1978: Did Professor Nacken Ever Grow Hydrothermal Emeralds? (JoG)
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1981: The Chromium Content of Lechleitner Synthetic Emerald Overgrowth (G&G)
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1988: Characterization of Russian hydrothermally-grown synthetic emeralds (JoG)
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1990: "Emeraldolite": A New Synthetic Emerald Overgrowth On Natural Beryl (G&G)
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1990: Hydrothermally Grown Synthetic Aquamarine Manufactured in Novosibirsk, USSR (G&G)
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1993: Hydrothermal Synthetic Emeralds From Australia: Emeralds and Pink Beryls (Gemmology)
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1995: Russian hydrothermal synthetic emeralds: characterization of the inclusions (JoG)
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1996: Gemological Investigation of A New Type of Russian Hydrothermal Synthetic Emerald (G&G)
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1997: Characterization of Chinese Hydrotherm Synthetic Emeralds (G&G)
- 2000: Characterization of a group of experimental Russian hydrothermal synthetic sapphires (JoG)
- 2001: Hydrothermal Synthetic Red Beryl from the Institute of Crystallography, Moscow (G&G)
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2001: Hydrothermal Synthetic Red Beryl from the Institute of Crystallography, Moscow (G&G)
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2004: The nature of channel constituents in hydrothermal 215 synthetic emerald (JoG)
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2005: Characterization of the New Malossi Hydrothermal Synthetic Emerald (G&G)
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2016: Synthetic Emeralds Grown by Richard Nacken in the Mid-1920's (G&G)
Ruby and Sapphire
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1947: Synthetic Sapphire and Spinel Production in Germany (JoG)
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1953: "Reconstructed Rubies" found to be Synthetic Corundum (JoG)
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1957: Structures and Inclusions of Synthetic Star-stones (JoG)
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1982: New Synthetic Rubies Made By Professor P.O. Knishka (G&G)
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1982: Distinction of Natural and Synthetic Rubies by Ultraviolet Spectrophotometry (JoG)
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1983: Identification of the New Synthetic and Treated Sapphires (JoG)
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1984: 'Ramura' - A new Synthetic Ruby made in the U.S.A. (JoG)
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1985: New Lechleitner Synthetic Ruby and Synthetic Blue Sapphire (G&G)
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1985: Identification Characteristics of Flux Grown Synthetic Orange Sapphires (JoG)
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1985: Some Aspects of Identification of Kashan Synthetic Rubies (JoG)
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1985: Polysynthetic Twin Lamellae in Synthetic Verneuil Sapphire (JoG)
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1985: Gemmological Properties of Synthetic Corundums Coated by Lechleitner (JoG)
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1987: On Twinning in Natural and Synthetic Flux-Grown Ruby (JoG)
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1988: A Gemological Look at Kyoceras New Synthetic Star Ruby (G&G)
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1988: Lechleither synthetic rubies with natural seed and synthetic overgrowth (JoG)
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1992: Radioactive glass imitation emeralds and an unusual Verneuil synthetic ruby (JoG)
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1994: An examination of Chatham flux-grown synthetic pink sapphires (JoG)
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1994: Flux-Induced Figerprint Patterns In Synthetic Ruby (G&G)
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1994: Flux-Induced Fingerprint Patterns In Synthetic Ruby: An Update (G&G)
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1994: Synthetic Rubies by Douros: A New Challenge for Gemologists (G&G)
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1995: "Ti-Sapphire" Czochralski-Pulled Synthetic Pink Sapphire from Union Carbide (G&G)
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1997: Tairus Hydrothermal Synthetic Sapphires Doped with Nickel and Chromium (G&G)
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1998: Separating Natural and Synthetic Rubies on the Basis of Trace-Element Chemistry (G&G)
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1999: Some Diagnostic Features of Russian Hydrothermal Synthetic Rubies and Sapphires (G&G)
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1999: The Separation of Natural From Synthetic Colorless Sapphire (G&G)
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2002: A comparison between a flux grown synthetic ruby and an untreated natural ruby (JoG)
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2002: Verneuil synthetic sapphire showing an iron absorption spectrum (JoG)
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2003: A Verneuil synthetic ruby showing diverse veil-like 'fingerprints' (JoG)
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2007: The causes of Colour Variations in Kashan Synthetic Rubies (JoG)
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2014: Creating Corundum: The Production of Synthetic Star Rubies and sapphires (JoG)
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2017: Synthetic Star Sapphires and Rubies Produced by Wiede's Carbidwerk, Freyung, Germany (G&G)
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2020: A Quantitative Description of The Causes of Color in Corundum (G&G)
Alexandrite
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1988: The Distinction of Natural from Synthetic Alexandrite by Infrared Spectroscopy (G&G)
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1999: Druses of synthetic alexandrite and synthetic 447 phenakite from Russia (JoG)
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2012: Flux-grown synthetic alexandrites from Creative Crystals Inc. (JoG)
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2013: Natural and synthetic vanadium-bearing chrysoberyl (JoG)
Spinel
Quartz
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1950: Improvements in the Production of Synthetic Quartz (JoG)
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1984: Hydrothermal Growth: the First Historical Achievement by Giorgio Speciz on Quartz (JoG)
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1986: A Simple Procedure to Seperate Natural from Synthetic Amethyst on the Basis (G&G)
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1987: New Investigations of Synthetic Amethyst produced in Japan (JoG)
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1989: Methods for the distinction of natural and synthetic citrine and prasiolite (JoG)
Opal
Diamond Imitations
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1960: Strontium Titanates Examined Under A Microscope (JoG)
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1974: G.G.G. - A new Man-Made Stone with a Garnet-Type Structure (JoG)
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1991: An Examination of Nontransparent "CZ" from Russia (G&G)