You can identify artificial gems quickly if you observe some basic characteristics such as colour and weight. Although if you want to make a more meticulous and accurate identification, you will need to use special tools to examine the inside of the stone.
Check the malleability. A stone is malleable when it is easy to shape it by hammering, crushing or bending it; it is more likely that the stone is a metallic mineral instead of a real gemstone.
True gemstones like black star ruby have a crystalline structure that can be molded by cutting, breaking and subjecting it to abrasion, but having fixed planes that cannot be altered by pressure alone.
Be careful with synthetic stones. Synthetic stones (quartz gemstone) share the same structure, chemical composition and physical properties of their physical equivalents, but are produced in a laboratory and not naturally. Often, you can see the synthetic material by observing several characteristics.
- Synthetic stones like London blue often have curved growth patterns within the stone instead of angular growth patterns.
- Gas bubbles that are around and that come in long lines are an indication, but be careful, since a gas bubble is an inclusion that can occur within a natural stone.
- Gold and platinum platelets can stick to synthetic stones.
- Fingerprint inclusions are common in synthetic stones, as well as nail-shaped inclusions, chevron growth patterns (v-shaped), inclusions similar to fine veils, and interior structures in the form of columns.
Be careful with imitations. An imitation stone is a material that looks like a created ruby at first glance despite having been made with completely different materials. These stones can be natural or artificial, but there are some good techniques that are used to recognize them.
- The surface of an imitation can be full of holes or uneven, like the shell of an orange.
- Some imitations have spiral marks known as "flow lines."
- Large, round gas bubbles are common within imitations.
Determine if the dark ruby is assembled or not. The assembled gray moonstone stones are made of two or more materials. These stones can be composed of natural gems in their entirety, but sometimes they are mixed with synthetic materials.
- Use a pocket flashlight to illuminate the stone and verify signs of having been assembled.
- Look for the "red ring effect". Put the stone face down and look for the red ring along the outside of the stone. If you look at the red ring, you probably have an assembled stone.
Make basic observations
Observe the colour: Usually, the colour of the gemstone is your first clue. This component can be subdivided into three parts: hue, tone and saturation.
- Do not expose the stone to light to examine its colour unless you have a dark stone and you need to determine if it is black, dark blue or some other deep colour.
- Tone means the color of the stone, if it is dark, medium, light or somewhere in between.
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