r/SyntheticGemstones

Do NOT confuse this with material that Tom Chatham claims to have made. Tom has NO material sciences background and couldn’t bake a Pillsbury cinnamon roll! John created this stone in his own custom created solid platinum crucible and the entire “flux growth” process took nearly a year. Chatham hasn’t used this process in decades but instead FARMS OUT virtually all of its gem growth processes. Today Chatham uses cheap “pulled” material that has none of the crystal morphology of John’s groundbreaking “flux methodology.”

Hi all, newbie on gemstones here just looking to learn more about this field. I had a question regarding pricing.

I am inquiring a few european Jewellers about pricing of their engagement rings, but using synthetic orange sapphires (8x6mm, pear shape, precision cut, ~ 1.2ct) instead of a natural one. And I've been quite surprised by the quoted prices. I've recently received a quote for €700-€900 for the gemstone alone (for comparison, they charge €1,250 for the natural orange sapphires).

I understand that a lot of variables are at stake for pricing of a lab gemstone (from growth method, cut, color, to jeweller's import and trade costs and, of course, markup), and I plan to ask to understand better the pricing. But when comparing to prices of other orange sapphires from the Vendors List in this subreddit and to some posts, it still seems like a crazy difference in price. So, before I do so, I wanted to know:

Are there any factors that can justify such a big difference in pricing between a gemstone vendor and a jeweler vendor? Or is it actually a reasonable price for (assuming a) high quality lab grown sapphire? How can one evaluate if pricing of a specific gemstone of a specific color is actually reasonable, and not a rip-off?

I love the idea of Alexandrite and went to a showroom to see it in person, I saw a nice 3 carat diamond shaped (not cut) piece. I'd take a picture if they allowed me.

But unexpected to me, the lab Alexandrite seemed rather dark at the center, with the greenish blue hues mostly on the sides, and it stayed looking that way no matter what angle I looked at it. We sat at a standard office room with florescent office lighting and sunlight out the window.

It's only when the handler pointed a small spotlight at it that the gem changed to a more red hue, but I find it hard to imagine in what general situation would a light like that would hit the ring.

That made me think that the gem is too dark. I wanted the gem to be used on an engagement ring. Is this the right expectations for this gem?

I wanted to put a small real emerald on a Gundam model, and synthetic gems seem a good way to save money. Is there a reliable marketplace?

Hi everyone,
I am looking to commission a high-end, loose lab-grown sapphire for an engagement ring project. I want to completely avoid commercial-grade factory stones and invest in an elite, precision-cut gem with exceptional optical performance.
Here are my exact specifications:
Shape: Oval
Dimensions: 10x8mm (roughly 3.5 to 4-carat face size equivalent)
Color: Vibrant medium blue / "Ceylon" blue. I want a lively saturation that does not turn dark or inky indoors, preferably with a nice violet flash.
Material Preferred: High-purity Czochralski-pulled or premium slow-grown flux rough.
Setting Plan: This will be going into a custom hidden halo engagement ring. Because of this, it is critical that the stone has absolutely no windowing and is cut to mathematically perfect angles to maximize face-up brilliance and light return.
Please let me know your current lead times, rough material options that match this color profile, and pricing estimates for a custom cut. I look forward to working with an artisan lapidary here!
Thank you!

All the synthetic sapphires I can find for sale look too “unreal” to me… 5+ carats, perfect clarity, sci-fi cuts… i am looking for sellers/cutters of “realistic” synthetic sapphires. Fancy colors, under 3 carats, traditional cuts… anyone come to mind?