Feature
Gems & Gemology, Winter 2000, Volume 36, No. 4
Synthetic Gem Materials and Simulants in the 1990s
John I. Koivula, Maha Tannous, and Karl Schmetzer
The 1990s witnessed important developments in the commercial viability of gem-quality synthetic diamonds. Improvements in, and new applications for, existing synthesis processes in the production of colored stones such as ruby, sapphire, emerald, quartz, and alexandrite have had an impact as well. The development and commercialization of a variety of new synthetics and simulants, such as synthetic moissanite and flux-grown synthetic spinel, also played an important role in shaping the past decade for the gem and jewelry industry.
