What is the difference between genuine and lab-created gemstones?
Lab-created stones are not imitation gemstones.  They are grown in the laboratory under controlled conditions, which makes for stones with very consistent appearance and quality characteristics. 

Genuine stones may have natural inclusionsm which are tiny "flaws" that result from varying conditions under which they form. A vast segment of the jewelry industry is devoted to careful classification of gemstones by type and quantity of inclusions. Genuine stones also tend to have color that varies by the locations in which they are found.

Paraiba tourmaline, for example, is from the Paraiba area of Brazil.  Even though there are 16 naturally occuring colors of tourmaline in the world, only one color - a brilliant blue-green - is found in Paraiba, Brazil.  Mozambique garnet is from . . . guess where? 

These natural variations are some of the reasons why we love genuine stones - they are each one-of-a-kind creations of Mother Earth.

Lab-created stones do not show the subtle color variations of earth-formed stones, and they also have exceptionally high clarity. They sometimes have other advantages:  For example, many of our clients now favor lab-created sapphire, because they tend to have more depth of color when compared to genuine sapphire. In addition, some of our clients appreciate that lab-created stones offer lowered environmental costs.  We share that appreciation. 

We offer both genuine and lab-created gemstones to you, because this way we can offer you the maximum number of choices, so you can decide for yourself what is most important to you in the puzzle ring you choose.

And what's with the AA and AAA stones?
Most of the stones we use are AA, because unless you're a trained gemologist, you probably can't tell the difference between AAA and AA, and we save you money by going with AA.  The ones we offer in AAA are ones for which you can readily tell the difference. 

At the same time, we offer stones that are higher than AAA, usually in larger sizes, if those are what you want.  In most cases the higher grades of stones start at about 1CT and up, but that is not uniformly true.  These colored gemstones are certified stones, while our smaller ones are not.  Please contact Mandira directly with your concerns and inquiries.

We guarantee that your stone will be gorgeous on the hand, and if it's not, Norm won't ship your ring to you.  But you get to decide for yourself:  when you get your stone, you must love it, or let Mandira know right away for immediateaction

"There are only two responses to the gemstone in your ring. Either your heart is lifted or it sinks. If it sinks, please don't wait for it to "grow on you." It will not. 

It is important that you really love the stone in your ring, so contact me immediately for resolution. We will pick up your ring via FedEx and trade your stone for another.  You may opt for a new version of the same genstone, or, if you are just not in love with the type of stone you selected, we'll exchange it for a new type of gemstone upon consultation with you.

So far . . . we've not had to exchange a single stone. Our stones are really beautiful, aand our clients love their rings!" Mandira, Co-founder, Crystal Realm

Gemstone hardness information coming soon
Please contact us directly with your questions about gemstone durability.