When buying gemstone jewelry or any other type of jewelry it’s recommended that you do plenty of research before you part with your money. To be on the safe side, it’s advised that you buy the jewelry in the company of a knowledgeable person. When making the purchase you will come across different types of the jewelry. The most common types are:

Faux gemstones

Whether you call them faux, simulated or imitations they have one in common – they resemble real Tuerkis gemstones, but they don’t have the characteristics of natural or synthetic gemstones that they are meant to represent. They are made from plastic or glass and they are perfectly made that you can’t easily know that they are faux unless you are very keen.

You are advised to avoid them if you are interested in buying the real thing, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t buy it – especially if you are buying them knowingly. Since the units are cheap and look almost like real gemstones, they give you an opportunity to look elegant without spending plenty of money on it. When buying them avoid paying too much. After all, they aren’t real.

Composite gemstones

These are gemstones made from a small piece of a desirable, genuine stone that has been combined with an imitation or inexpensive stone. There are two main types of composite gemstones that you can come across in the market: Doublets and triplets. Doublets are made from large, inexpensive piece of material topped by a slice of gemstone. Triplets are units that are assembled in three parts instead of two. The divisions are hard to pick unless you observe them under the microscope.

Even if you don’t have the knowledge on gemstones you can tell that the stones being sold to you are not real by their names. If you come across gemstones with fancy names such as American ruby, Oriental emerald, or Australian jade, raise a red flag and ask a professional to take a look at them.

Stabilized and reconstituted gemstones

Stabilization is the process where the gem is forced to bond using pressure. The material being forced to bond is usually too soft and chalky to use. Reconstituted gemstones on the other hand are made from mixing powders of the real stone and binding them using a binding agent. Coloring agents are usually added to enhance the colors of the stabilized and reconstituted stone. Since most of the units made using this method are fragile, most of them come backed up with materials that make them last longer.

The most common and popular representative of stabilized or reconstituted gemstones is Turquoise.

Enhanced gemstone

This is a real gemstone that has a foil placed underneath it in order to make it look more brilliant or change its color.