Inorganic Gemstones

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Ceramic Technique

A ceramic is basically:

  • A finely ground inorganic powder.
  • Which maybe heated, fired or sintered.
  • Sometimes compressed to produce a polycrystalline solid.
  • In some cases, a binding agent with a low melting point is used to hold the particles together.
  • The surface maybe glazed.
  • In all there are three main stages - grinding, precipitation and / or compressing.
  • Most of the ceramic products are not true synthetics since they do not have the exact chemical composition of the natural product which they simulate.
  • Constituents used might be powders of the natural substance itself (reconstructed) or totally different chemicals.

Gemstones made by this method are:

  1. Lapis Lazuli: (Gilson) Available with or without pyrite, lower S.G. of 2.46 and lower hardness of 4.5. Very even surface texture.
  2. Turquoise: (Gilson) Available with or without matrix, slightly porous, under magnification dark blue particles observed in a white background.
  3. Coral: (Gilson) Smooth texture, lack of pores and tree ring structure, lower S.G.
  4. Jade: (General Electric) Initially made in 1984, but has not been commercially produced.
  5. Yttralox: Used as a diamond simulant, is transparent, hardness is 6.5, R.I. of 1.92, dispersion of 0.039.

Did you know?

Jewellery is one of the most bought products online. An estimated $1 billion USD of diamonds are bought annually via the Internet. Over 40 million people use the Internet to trade!

In Germany, the garland of ambers is hung around the necks of the infants, so that their teeth might come out without much trouble.

In Turkey, people fix a piece of amber in the hubble-bubble, dogged by an age old belief that the presence of the jewel would destroy all the germs and no disease would spread, even after many have dragged their puffs from it.

In Greece, people think if wine is poured into the cups made of amethyst, one does not get drunk after drinking that.

In Rome, a talisman having coral pieces is considered very auspicious to quell the bad spells of evil look. The Romans were in the habit of hanging chains made of ancient coral pieces from the cradle of the infants to protect them from evil effects.

In China, people wear rings studded with tiny conch or oyster shells as they believe it cures all aches such as stomach ache, worms and like.

In India, pendants made of silver and studded with pearls are hung from the necks of the children to save them from any bad effects.

Greeks still believe, if women wear blue sapphires then no sense of immorality would pollute their mind nor can any fear of the supernatural can trouble them.

The Pope Innocent III had circulated an order asking all the priests wear blue sapphire, so that morality can be strengthened.

It is said about turquoise, that when the stone changes its color into yellow, it actually signals bad times to the person who wears it.

It is believed that a turquoise gifted to a friend or a lover turns his or her life into one of happiness and good luck.

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