Stimulated Stones

[Emeraldgirl]

Not sure if there has been a thread on this before (I think there has but nothing came up when I searched) but I wanted to know when dealing with crystals and gems how does everyone feel about stimulated or lab created stones. These are stones that are created in labs to havce the same chemical properties and balance as a natural stone but without the long waiting period of development. I have never minded using these stones for the more expensive or rarer stones if a suitable alternative has not been able to be found. I have been told by a few people that it is ok and a few more that only natural will do. What do you guys think? Would you ever use created stones in healing, spells, amulets etc?

 

[memries]

Hi, I think the poll results are wrong but maybe I missed something ? I am the first to reply to you that I can see and the Yes is by far a longer bar.

I was going to say that now they grow rubies from crystals. They are so perfect that they have to put a sign inside them so they will not be sold as natural. No one can tell. I am thinking that they must do sapphires the same way but not sure. If they are ground up stone stuck together with some type of resin then no I would not care for them.

In a way it is almost like artificial insemination ! A baby is a baby right and so a crystal grown in a lab must be the same. Just my opinion.

 

[Sophie]

Part of the deep pleasure I have in handling stones and working with them is their connection with Mother Earth. I like to know, to feel, that they grew out of her, and thus are linked to me and my own growing out of Mother Earth. Also, I first came to stones in a very natural way, by climbing rocks and collecting pebbles and seashells, like many children. Somehow, knowing they come from a lab would sever in my imagination that connection to the natural environment.

I don't think artifical stones are like artificial insemination, because there, the baby still grows inside the mother's womb. It's only conception that happens in the test tube, and the very early development (hours).

But having said that, I've nothing against them. I am sure they are beautiful and for those who don't have that thing about the earth, but concentrate on the actual properties of the stones, they probably do very well. It's just a personal thing for me.

 

[BodhiSeed]

Part of the deep pleasure I have in handling stones and working with them is their connection with Mother Earth. I like to know, to feel, that they grew out of her, and thus are linked to me and my own growing out of Mother Earth. Also, I first came to stones in a very natural way, by climbing rocks and collecting pebbles and seashells, like many children. Somehow, knowing they come from a lab would sever in my imagination that connection to the natural environment.

Ditto for me too. I would never tell anyone not to use manmade stones; I think it's just a personal choice.

Bodhran

 

[raeanne]

Hi all,
I'm not at all bother by manmade stones if they are structurally the same. To me a crystal, is a crystal, is a crystal, no matter how it got to the finish line. Now, the totally plastic looking and feeling stones that are fake, they are a different item. Those can maybe be used as decoration only but otherwise are pretty worthless. But, if a jeweler’s loop can’t tell the difference, I can’t either.

 

[wizzle]

Your poll didn't specify the use for the synthetic versus natural gem, so I voted "yes" I use the synthetics.

To be honest, I'm a magpie. Glitter? Can't get enough and the synthetics are way better at that than natural gems. Sorry. But in an eye to eye comparison, the synthetics have a better refractive index plus clairity going for them. Thus, for jewelry (which I collect) I love the manmade stones as long as they are well set. I did the diamond thing when I was young and didn't know any better but now I just go for the bling.

For healing purposes, I've always used my natural stones. Generally, these are not gemstones, but rather things like the opaque quartzes, lapis, labradorite, etc etc. I do have a nice collection of unset gemstones, but for some reason never dragged them out during a healing. I like the more "earthy" quality of the non-gem grades of stones, including some very humble stones I've picked up. For really protective stones, I'll take a found rock over about any other item. My very fav stone is still my tiger stone which I found in a bag of rocks from my local garden store.

 

[crystalwoman]

I never purchase or use synthetic stones - they're beautiful but they feel dead to me, they have no living spirit in them like natural stones that come from the earth and synthetics have absolutely no healing virtues. Also, synthetic stones wont continue to grow once they come out of the lab, whereas natural stones may often continue to grow new crystals on them, sometimes even after being cut and polished. For example, large pieces of cut and polished ruby-zoisite may sometimes continue to grow small ruby crystals, and quartz crystals commonly have new babies growing out of their sides even after they are removed from a cluster. Synthetic stones will never do that. I don't use reconstituted stones either.

 

[kerri28]

I wouldn't have a clue how to tell the difference. How would you know, apart from feeling them energetically, that they are man made?

 

[crystalwoman]

I use pocket microscopes that I got at Radio Shack, 30X and 100X magnification, also use high magnification magnifying glasses. I look right inside the stones or on the surfaces to look for natural flaws and microscopic particles of the other mineral inclusions that give the stones their colors.

Glass is always full of tiny round bubbles or circular swirls, and synthetic stones usually have no flaws at all, but natural stones almost always have little flaws or fractures that are identifiable even when a stone has been laser-filled.

 

[Little Hare]

unfortunatly i have ended up buying man-made stones which is annoying, but then i still felt this great energy off them, an example of this is blue sunstone, the ball is beautiful and looks like a planet, but i was so disheartned to get home and find out that it was man-made but i do love it.