How to recognize real gemstones, synthetic variants, glass or plastic?

Safely buy gemstone jewelry. You want to buy a beautiful piece of jewelry with a gemstone, but you're unsure. Is it a real gemstone? That question is more complex than you might think. At first glance, you often think you can tell what kind of stone it is, but this can often be a very wrong assumption. A garnet or spinel can both resemble a ruby, even though they are not. Garnets or spinels are beautiful stones, but they represent a different value than a ruby. That's why it's important to know which gemstone is in the piece of jewelry. This way, you pay the price that goes with it.

Studying at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA)

Laetitia is our gemstone expert. She completed her training in colored gemstones, diamonds, and pearls at the renowned Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

She had to evaluate and identify all kinds of gemstones based on quality, uniqueness, and color before she could call herself a gemologist—an expert in gemstones. And now she has over 10 years of experience in determining and identifying gemstones.

Expert in diamonds, colored gemstones, and pearls

After graduating with a wide range of colored gemstones, she naturally couldn't resist taking the diamond course. She couldn't be torn away from the laboratory. Every diamond had to pass through her fingers and be meticulously examined under the microscope. Laetitia also graduated in diamonds. Her new passion is the lab-grown diamond or synthetic diamond—the production process and also the effect this diamond will have on the natural diamond trade. To learn more about lab-grown diamonds, she went to London and took a training course with Julia Griffith, The Gem Academy.

Not long after, she pursued her studies in pearls. Her respect for pearls and oysters grew, and after a visit to a pearl farm in Lombok, she also completed her pearl studies at GIA.

We have the most beautiful gemstones in our collection. Are you looking for a different gemstone? Do not hesitate to send us an email and we will search for you.

Besides jewelry, you can also hire me for a lecture on gemstones, and if you want to know more about lab-grown diamonds, you've come to the right person. Send an email for more information.

Laetitia Ruchtie
Graduate Gemologist