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Gem “certificates” are often the weak link in a jewelry purchase. Many are issued by unknown or fake labs that inflate grades or skip treatment disclosures. That paper can make a cheap stone look rare, which lets a seller ask a high price. If you want a grading document you can rely on in any […]

Dealers sometimes sell pink glass as “rhodolite” garnet. It looks right at a glance: bright raspberry color, clean clarity, a nice cut. But real rhodolite is a natural garnet. It has specific optical and physical traits that glass can’t copy. You can spot many fakes at home with a loupe and a few simple checks.

Bright, crisp, and unmistakably summer green—peridot has a look you can spot across the room. Lately, though, a wave of green “nano gems” (glass-ceramic imitations) has blurred the line for buyers. Many of these fakes are sold as “nano peridot,” “lab-grown peridot,” or “nano crystal.” They are not peridot. The good news: real peridot has

Tanzanite’s famous blue-violet color is almost always the result of heat—virtually every gem on the market has been heated after mining. That fact confuses many buyers: if 100% of tanzanite is heat-treated, does it lower the value? And how does a heated tanzanite compare with a natural (unheated) sapphire in price, durability, and long-term desirability?

You didn’t buy a diamond. You bought moissanite. That’s not a downgrade—it’s a different gem with its own strengths. The confusion comes from sloppy marketing that calls moissanite a “lab diamond.” It isn’t. Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds made in a lab. Moissanite is silicon carbide. This guide explains what moissanite actually is, how it

Red beryl is the rarest well-formed gem most people will ever encounter. Jewelers sometimes call it “bixbite” or “red emerald.” Natural stones are tiny, scarce, and very expensive. A lab-grown version now exists, which makes expert testing essential. If you buy one without a lab certificate, you risk paying a five-figure price for a different

Morganite, the peachy-pink cousin of emerald and aquamarine, looks romantic, large, and affordable—especially in rose gold. That is why it’s everywhere in engagement rings and social feeds. But here’s the part you rarely hear: many morganites don’t keep their color under real-life wear. The pink can lighten over time, and resale value is weak. If

Most “aqua” gems sold in malls and online are not aquamarine. They are treated blue topaz—beautiful, durable, and very inexpensive. The two look similar at a glance, which is why confusion (and mislabeling) is common. But they are not the same. Aquamarine is a type of beryl and can be valuable. Blue topaz is usually

Spinel can be a treasure or a trap. Natural spinel—especially vivid reds, pinks, and cobalt blues—can be rare and valuable. Lab-grown spinel, by contrast, is mass-produced and inexpensive. One optical clue tips the balance in seconds: the “Maltese cross” seen under crossed polarizers. If you see a clean, centered Maltese cross in a spinel, you

“Cobalt blue” spinel is one of the most confusing stones in the market today. Top natural stones can fetch $10,000 per carat or more. Lab-grown lookalikes cost around $100 per carat. To the eye—and to most jeweler’s tools—they look the same. That gap creates an easy trap for shoppers and even for honest retailers. Here’s