FABULOUS FACETS Vintage Jewelry Collection, Page 14

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Misleading Gem Names

What follows is a list of gemstone misnomers - misleading names for gems. Following each entry is a description of what the material referred to actually is. Generally speaking, be very skeptical of two-name names (e.g. jasper jade, or alexandrite garnet), of names with locations (e.g. African emerald, or Indian topaz), and of names with strange modifiers (e.g. alabandine ruby, or occidental diamond). Also, be careful of names that are not spelled exactly right (e.g. emeralda).

Additionally, there are trade names (not listed here) that are not exactly meant to be misleading, but can be misleading nonetheless if you're not familiar with them. For example, a Majorca pearl is an imitation pearl. We have listed some trade names for diamond imitators under "D".

"Another caveat... Legitimate gem names are sometimes used to describe something that's not quite the real thing. For instance, some may describe lab-grown alexandrite as simply "alexandrite." That is clearly misleading. Even the term "synthetic" can be used incorrectly. For example, "synthetic alexandrite" may be used to incorrectly identify synthetic corundum or synthetic spinel that imitates alexandrite. It's a good idea to ask lots of followup questions after "what is this?" Is it man-made? What mineral is it exactly? Has it been treated or enhanced in any way?

While we've tried to be exhaustive, the preceeding discussion and this list may only be considered partial. Be careful out there...

Most of these definitions came from the "Dictionary of Gems and Gemology" by Robert Shipley (6th ed., GIA, 1974) and the "Dictionary of Gemmology" by P. G. Read (2nd ed., Butterworth Scientific, 1988).

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