Here at the laboratory, we have seen enough synthetic rubies and man-made sapphires from clients, to know that a large portion of the jewelry buying population still does not know the difference between natural VS synthetic VS imitation stones. Natural fine rubies for example, are often worth tens of thousands of dollars, however synthetic rubies (also beautiful) are grown using an artificial method and can cost anywhere from 5 to 20 dollars per piece. Synthetic rubies are also called man-made, cultured or laboratory grown rubies, and it's imperative that jewelry buyers find out beforehand whether their ruby or sapphire is natural or synthetic.
Imitation rubies on the other hand, are simply lookalikes. While synthetic stones possess the same chemical composition and structure as their natural counterparts, imitations do not at all. They merely show some resemblance to precious gemstone materials, and are often used in costume jewelry or for fraudulent purposes. Be sure to ask your gemologist about the authenticity of your gemstone. Don't get fooled by charismatic vendors who spin wild stories about how their rubies and sapphires were unearthed in some ancient mining deposit, use science to distinguish fact from fiction.
