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About Lab Created Rubies
About Lab Created or Synthetic Rubies-
A synthetic gem material is one that is made in a laboratory, but which shares virtually all chemical, optical, and physical characteristics of its natural mineral counterpart, though in some cases, namely synthetic turquoise and synthetic opal, additional compounds can be present.
Synthetic gem crystals have been manufactured since the late 1800s, and their production is often marked by a need for them in industrial applications outside of the jewelry industry. The first success was in producing synthetic ruby of faceting quality. Synthetic crystals are used in communications and laser technology, microelectronics, and abrasives. Because synthetics for jewelry applications can be “made to order” [i.e. consistent color and crystal shape] given the right ingredients, time, and the facilities to grow them, they are likely to be much less rare than natural gems of equal size, clarity, and saturation of color. Because of this, and because it is possible to confuse them with gems that are naturally occurring, there are strict guidelines regarding how they are marketed and sold.
In melt processes, the chemical composition of melt is the same as the composition of the resulting crystal. In solution processes, the solution or melt has a different chemical composition than that of the resulting crystal. Constituents are dissolved in the solution or melt at high temperature, and the crystal forms initially on a seed crystal as the melt temperature is lowered
Source GIA- Gemological Institute of America
Ratings for lab created ruby stones is identical to the grading system of naturally mined ruby stones. This includes 4 color quality identifiers, AAA-B. AAA is the highest and rarest ruby found naturally, yet a majority of lab created rubies are rated AA-AAA!
In order for a ruby to be graded AAA is must have a red hue. The stone's level of saturation is what gives ruby its color purity and intensity. The color saturation of ruby categories include vivid, strong, fair, medium, and weak. The highest quality rubies always have vivid color saturation. The stone's tone refers to how much color is in a ruby gemstone. Its ranges include very dark, dark, medium, light, very light. A medium tone is ideal for rubies!