Editor’s Note
This article explores the counterintuitive economics of the gemstone industry, where technological advances in creating flawless lab-grown stones are reshaping concepts of value and luxury.
In this world, most crafts essentially pursue one thing: flawlessness.
Pharmaceuticals pursue purity, workshops pursue dust-free environments, eyeglasses pursue transparency…
But in recent years, one industry has become increasingly surreal: the more flawless and pure something is, the cheaper it becomes.
The answer will颠覆 many people’s perceptions.
— The jewelry industry.
The reason is that the technology for growing gemstones in labs has become truly astonishing…
Not to exaggerate, the clarity, color, and cut that would cost around 100,000 yuan for a natural gemstone can now be achieved with a lab-grown gemstone for just a few hundred yuan.
It’s not just ordinary people who find it hard to tell the difference; even industry professionals struggle to distinguish them with the naked eye.
Take the two sapphires below, for example.
Can you tell which one is the natural sapphire with a production cost of 70,000 to 80,000 yuan, and which one is the lab-grown sapphire costing a few hundred yuan?
Even merchants themselves can no longer tell the difference.
Clarity, color, fire… it’s very difficult to see major differences with the naked eye because, structurally, they are the same thing.
Unlike the traditional Chinese medicine industry where natural growth is believed to yield better efficacy, the long growth period of natural gemstones, involving earthquakes, volcanic activity, tectonic shifts, and mineral sedimentation… makes them prone to containing impurities.
Therefore, for centuries, the gemstone industry has pursued flawlessness and purity.
However, with lab-grown gemstones, the environment is more controllable and production costs are lower.
Not only is the overall clarity higher, but if a section with many impurities is encountered, it can simply be cut away without much financial loss.
The identification method involves using instruments for testing.
Test what?
Test the growth patterns, traces, and clarity within the gemstone.
If a gemstone has very high clarity, with almost no impurities or traces from growth, then it is most likely a lab-grown gemstone.
It can only be sold for a few hundred yuan.
Conversely, if it has internal growth traces and “natural flaws,” it is a natural gemstone that can be sold for tens of thousands of yuan.
But this method also has blind spots. Especially when high-quality natural gemstones are sent for appraisal, testing institutions dare not issue certificates🤦♂️, fearing they might misidentify a lab-grown gemstone as a priceless natural one and ruin their reputation.
Take the 11 pieces of lab-grown sapphire jewelry we negotiated for this time.
All feature high clarity, cornflower blue quality, and high-quality pink Padparadscha, with exquisite cuts.
And they come from the century-old Swedish royal brand, Maleras.
All are packaged in gift boxes, each with its own certificate and a gift bag, making them very suitable for personal wear or as gifts.
Since the lighting of its first furnace in 1890, Maleras has begun the brilliant story of its century-old crystal jewelry brand.
During Swedish royal visits, their products are often taken as national gifts, highlighting their extraordinary status.
After nearly 200 years of development, Maleras is headquartered in the UK, with stores mainly distributed in the European market.
As one of the representatives of top luxury brands in Northern Europe, it was once pursued by nobility.
Sapphire is known as one of the most noble gemstones, alongside ruby, emerald, cat’s eye, and diamond, collectively called the “World’s Five Rare Gemstones.”
It is a regular at luxury auctions, symbolizing nobility and glory, and is deeply loved by the aristocracy.
Today, you can buy very high-quality pieces for around 200 yuan!
The Maleras high-end lab-grown sapphire series jewelry comes in gift box packaging, with one certificate per item, and chains made of 925 silver.
Group purchase price: starting from 249 yuan.