The presence of these zircon clusters might help separate Ethiopian sapphire from other basalt-related sources.

Garnets have been known since antiquity. However, it was only during the late nineteenth century that the green variety demantoid—named for its “diamond-like” luster—was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia.

In the early 1960s, French ceramist and engineer Pierre Gilson succeeded in growing and producing flux synthetic emerald of commercially marketable quality.