Saturday, January 17, 2009

Why use lab created gemstones?

There are many reasons to consider a piece of jewelry made using a lab created ruby or sapphire instead of a natural one. While lab created gems are not to everyone's liking, there are several reasons many people prefer them.

1. COST - It is certainly possible to obtain natural gemstones that have the depth of color and clarity you see in lab grown ones, but the cost can be many, many times that of the lab gems. Lab created gems are NOT cheap, but a 1.50 ct gorgeous blue sapphire that might cost you $150 looks financially attractive when compared to a natural sapphire that could cost $4,000 or more.

2. UNIFORMITY OF COLOR - if you are making a piece using several gemstones, then you know you will have matching hues and depth of color when you use gems grown in a lab.

3. LESS IMPACT ON THE EARTH - we recently read of one jewelry store that sells ONLY lab grown gems mounted in re-cycled precious metals. What a great, green message.

These are just a few of the reasons that came to mind this afternoon to celebrate lab created gemstones - maybe you have more?

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