Identifying NATURAL vs LAB Created Stones

Identifying NATURAL vs LAB Created Stones

In this week’s Unboxing, Natalie is joined by Elizabeth (the Geologist) in a Q&A about how to identify the difference between natural and lab-created stones.

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44 Comments

  1. sendo Lovato on July 20, 2023 at 4:21 pm

    Our country don’t have some stone mines like others where they have alot… same with jade …I seen them sale for dirt cheap in those third world countries and go for millions here in u.s. …



  2. Penny Martinez on July 20, 2023 at 4:22 pm

    I have a lab-created opal bracelet that is stunning. People can’t really tell the difference from a glance but I really like it and actually forget that they are not "natural" stones.



  3. Priscilla Woodhead on July 20, 2023 at 4:23 pm

    Ilikemininginfranklinnorthcarolinabutmusrbereallytrainedifnotbuyalabgrownyouthenhavetopayacuttertomakeiitcanbeexpensive



  4. neggispringfeild on July 20, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    I’ve bought many lose gemstones from many different sources my struggle is separating the lab created from natural in part because it’s such a wide variety of sources at variable prices it’s hard to determine if any were over or under paid for. I have only I feel successfully identified the opals and black star sapphires as natural but all the other colored gemstones I feel clueless…..I also don’t know if any of these did come from extremely high end pieces as sometimes from deceased jewelry store owners children who don’t know what any of it is……so judging color and clarity I feel is harder with these



  5. Debra Turner on July 20, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    I don’t mind lab created gemstones one bit. I’d love a 5-carat diamond ring and 4 carat diamond studs. But I’ve never been able to find them cheaper. They seem nearly as expensive as the earth grown gemstones so I’m not tempted to buy "my ring."



  6. Paul DuCharme on July 20, 2023 at 4:26 pm

    Lab Blue Sapphire



  7. RGBtv on July 20, 2023 at 4:26 pm

    do the natural ones glow differently to the lab grown ones? like under a UV light?



  8. Demonanimator on July 20, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    It’s disgusting scammers put more work into fake gemstones then actually seeking out the real thing. Almost as disgusting as telemarketing scams.



  9. Peter Bonucci on July 20, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    In the 80s I worked in a lab figuring out how to make diamond coatings. We made sapphires to verify our equipment was working. These were perfect to an atomic level.
    If you find a sapphire gem that is not absolutely perfect, there are better industrial stones.



  10. silent watcher on July 20, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    I don’t see anything wrong with lab created gems but they should be priced lower than natural gems. If claimed to be natural emerald and found to be zirconia then I would say its fake emerald.



  11. Mark Fluharty on July 20, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    I am a jeweller silver/goldsmith. First let me just say unlike many in my profession I love lab created stones. I agree totally with what you said that if a customer looks they can find a lab created stone to suit what ever desire they want in it, and not have to wait a million years to get it. As far as I am concerned natural gems are way over priced and should never go as high as some of them do regardless of how nice they are. With that said, I do like natural stones as well and will use those in my jewellery most of the time. But I still like to make pieces normal people can afford and that is the bulk of my business. Not everybody has 20 grand to buy an emerald or ruby with. This is where Lab created gems are outstanding for and many of my clients think they are almost always more beautiful then a natural stone. The only exception is diamonds and even those are getting way better in the lab. Soon I can see lab stones bringing the price of natural stones down a notch in price as more of them are sold. My favourite lab grown gems are rubies and emeralds. You can get emeralds with inclusions made into them that you just cannot tell the difference from a natural stone with the naked eye. Now I don’t believe every gem looks better created in a lab. There are some gems that lab created stones just cannot copy the beauty of. But many of the high end gems out there they can. At the end of the day to me, it is all about how they are presented in a piece of jewellery. When I create a piece of jewellery weather I am using a 50.00 lab gem or not, I treat it with the same respect and design approach that I would a 50k sapphire. What makes any piece of jewellery special is how it looks on the client wearing it and the pride they feel from owning it. Price only comes into play when deciding the budget you have to spend on a piece of jewellery. It should have nothing to do with the quality of the piece that was created by a real craftsman. Of course that is all just my opinion and practices. Thank you for the video.



  12. EARTH FINDERS natural is our teacher on July 20, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    ❤ very good job love u sister



  13. Patty Krajewski on July 20, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    ALEXANDRITE



  14. sendo Lovato on July 20, 2023 at 4:40 pm


  15. Jean Gab on July 20, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    A synthetic purple saphirre ring(3.25ct) is coming home this week ..then i want an other synthtic yellow saphirre ting (6ct) tho ..some vintage rings i found on the net tho



  16. Mary Kohler on July 20, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    Who really cares Just go to a real jeweler and be prepared to pay a hefty price tag since they are such experts Would I really want to take a risk of losing something at such high cost or even risk it being stolen Lab created stones are just as and even in most cases more beautiful



  17. Kristen Killen on July 20, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    My lab grown diamond wedding ring is beyond perfect and I wouldn’t trade it for any natural diamond because the lab grown’s quality is so far beyond every other ring I’ve looked at. I’ve got a lab grown green-blue moissanite ring cut in a dutch marquise on the way so, I’m excited to see how it looks in person!



  18. Anthony Allen on July 20, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    What about the UV test, from what I have seen a lot of synthetic stones glow under a UV light.



  19. 5ivestring on July 20, 2023 at 4:44 pm

    Nice video, learned a lot. Will have to watch more. On a side note, Elizabeth is a stunning knockout!



  20. Raven _ ous on July 20, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    Anything natural is far more beautiful, along with its imperfections. Though i get that it disturbs nature. Mother nature put those amazing things there for us all



  21. Fatimah Torres on July 20, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    I wanna pass down my jewerly. I don’t know how I feel leaving lab created



  22. AM Morales on July 20, 2023 at 4:52 pm

    I do appreciate lab created gemstones but love the natural ones better although like you mentioned that lab created ones are flawless, and I don’t diasagree. As a matter of fact, I have in my collection lab created pink sapphire, padparadscha and alexandrite and I absolutely adore them in jewelry setting.



  23. Nothing2SeeHere on July 20, 2023 at 4:53 pm

    What does Lab created stones" mean… "Lab created stone means they were created in a lab. Really?! Wow is that what that means?? I would have never go that. Thanks so much Bambi.. thanks



  24. Daisy Dd on July 20, 2023 at 4:55 pm

    ruby. emerald lab created looks too perfect with light and no inclusions



  25. Robert Williams on July 20, 2023 at 4:55 pm

    Can a lab grown diamond have a blue fluorescence ?



  26. RxStinky on July 20, 2023 at 4:56 pm

    Do u think I could go to every pawn shop in my state with lab grown rubies in a rusty treasure box and say they’re natural rubies and sell them for lots?



  27. None on July 20, 2023 at 4:58 pm

    I’m still confused. A real Ruby for example, is found in the ground. A lab grown Ruby is created from corundum. But where does this corundum come from? Is it chemically made?



  28. Armando Cury Filho on July 20, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    I think that is the BEST matter of discussion of all!
    You MUST be respected to be informed and to know if the gemstone is real or fake.
    The market is so gentle (in an excessive way) that they even the word "synthetic" for ARTIFICIAL "stones".
    The fact is that the REAL, the NATURAL gemstones is what will have the best price and premium above all.
    Since your company is reliable, that is a favour even to yourself to spread the word:
    The more people know how to recognize and separate the NATURAL ones from the artificial ones, that will be a great thing even for business and businessmen in general.
    Reliable companies have nothing to hide.
    And those should be the greatest interested in teaching people about that and letting people well informed and cultured.
    I really adore the gemologist of this video. She is a high skilled professional. And an example of great ethical values.
    Not only economical values, but she praises the ethics as well.



  29. A Concerned Citizen on July 20, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    Too much shootin the breeze! Get to the point! Not helpful.



  30. Khalia Nelson gray on July 20, 2023 at 5:00 pm

    And diamonds



  31. Ka`uilani Kim on July 20, 2023 at 5:02 pm

    Very easy. Natural stones have inclusions. Lab created doesn’t. If you’ve looked at gems enough, you can tell.



  32. Gilbert Ehret on July 20, 2023 at 5:03 pm

    How much is a real Burmese ruby worth? and who will buy it?

    If you can make it worth more I will give you 75%



  33. Jackie Brunker on July 20, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    I’ve always loved the color of turquoise but I think I would prefer a real stone because knowing that it came naturally made is psychologically kind of cool to think about



  34. C P on July 20, 2023 at 5:05 pm

    Wh as te better for the environment?



  35. ShiningB1ade on July 20, 2023 at 5:08 pm

    So interesting to know more about lab grown gemstones. Truthfully I didn’t realize it was pretty much a sterile way of copying nature producing gems. Thought was just similar, but not same chemically



  36. Khalia Nelson gray on July 20, 2023 at 5:10 pm

    Rubies are so pretty



  37. Aimee-Lynn Donovan on July 20, 2023 at 5:11 pm

    Love the knowledge.



  38. Kevin Chudy on July 20, 2023 at 5:12 pm

    Lab sapphire is quite lovely, and ibhave recently discovered the lab created diamond from lightbix and thay are beautiful



  39. Amy Dearing on July 20, 2023 at 5:13 pm

    Burmese Rubies are so expensive, you almost have to buy lab created ones for jewelry (if you are not rich)



  40. K Connor on July 20, 2023 at 5:15 pm

    First off let me put in my 2 cents and say that I prefer natural versus lab. I have 2 natural Alexanderite and I’ve seen the lab equivalent and I definitely prefer the natural because of the way that light reflects and bounce off of the natural. I also have 2 blue star sapphires , with 1 being a natural and the other being a Lindy sapphire . The Lindy is the man made, they are both being a carbidhone cut”sic”. But the natural one, although it is much larger forms a better 6 ray star than the other one. The color is also a deeper blue and , this is a subjective standpoint, If compared to each other side by side, the natural just has a more unique quality that I just can’t put into words.



  41. bookworm on July 20, 2023 at 5:16 pm

    I love lab grown gemstones. They’re always perfect and best part? Affordable! The only gemstone I buy natural are opals. They are much prettier than lab ones.



  42. MountainsNC on July 20, 2023 at 5:16 pm

    Lab grown is better!! I said it.



  43. Priscilla Woodhead on July 20, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    IpayAlottominemystonestoexpensivetohavethemcutbuyalabgrownwhowillknow



  44. Priscilla Woodhead on July 20, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    I
    Needllessonsonthisediatboxmoreaboutgemssorryiamold