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Figure 1. Pearl diver collecting shells from the wild. Photo courtesy of Pearls of Australia: Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm, Western Australia.

An Environmental, Social, and Governance Assessment of Marine Pearl Farming

Heidi Alleway, November 3, 2023

A look at the sustainability challenges and opportunities facing marine pearl farming using an Australian pearl farm as a case study.

Natural inclusions are visible when the assemblage is viewed face-up.

Beryl and Glass Assemblage Imitating Emerald

Tyler Smith and Augusto Castillo, August 9, 2018

An unusual assembled stone is examined at GIA’s New York lab.

Figure 1. An imitation emerald in the form of a chess knight measuring approximately 35.05 mm in height. Photo by Kristin Reinheimer.

Plastic Imitations of Emerald

Emily Jones and Abadie Ludlam, August 4, 2023

Two items submitted as emerald to the New York lab are identified as plastic manufactured products.

Figure 1. A ring mounted with an estimated 5.56 ct brownish yellow cat’s-eye cabochon resembling chrysoberyl. Photo by Johnny (Chak Wan) Leung.

Glass Imitation of Cat’s-Eye Chrysoberyl

Tsz Ying Fong, August 4, 2023

A brownish yellow cabochon submitted as cat’s-eye chrysoberyl is identified as artificial glass.

shell pearl necklace, bracelet, earrings

Shell Pearl as a Pearl Imitation

Jessie Yixin Zhou and Chunhui Zhou, July 25, 2014

Examination of commercially-available "shell pearls" reveals imitation material.

Two samples of hydrogrossular garnet received for identification.

Honey Brown and Light Yellow Hydrogrossular: An Uncommon Jade Imitation

Supparat Promwongnan, Budsabakorn Srisataporn, and Jirapit Jakkawanvibul, November 10, 2021

The Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand (GIT) identifies two samples as hydrogrossular using advanced testing techniques.

Uneven color and blemishes on low-quality cultured pearl necklace.

Dyed Yellow Beaded Freshwater Cultured Pearls Imitating South Sea Cultured Pearls

Lore Kiefert and Pierre Hardy, August 7, 2017

A yellow cultured pearl necklace is compared to the work of a producer specializing in freshwater pearls of all colors.

Figure 1. The cluster specimen weighing 1114 g and measuring 119 × 126 mm. Photo by Lai Tai-An Gem Lab.

Synthetic Rock Crystal Quartz Cluster with Natural-Looking Inclusions

Larry Tai-An Lai, January 25, 2023

A synthetic quartz crystal cluster is easily mistaken as a natural specimen.

Figure 1. A semitranslucent 5.72 ct red-dyed spodumene, presented as “red corundum.” Photo by Guy Borenstein.

Red-Dyed Spodumene Imitating Ruby

Guy Borenstein and Sean O’Neal, January 25, 2023

Testing identifies a “red corundum” sample as red-dyed spodumene.

Figure 1. Left to right: Reconstructed root amber (assembled from small fragments and from powders), natural Burmese root amber, and plastic imitation. Photos by Yilei Feng.

Identification of Natural, Reconstructed, and Imitation Root Amber

Yan Li, Yilei Feng, Zhaoyi Li, and Yamei Wang, January 25, 2023

Three types of root amber beads submitted for identification are analyzed in Wuhan, China.

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