SC - Gemstonesy

[Jenne Heise]

> >>>  A further consideration is that something labelled "synthetic X" may
> >>>  actually be "synthetic Y in a color that looks like X." Many
> >>>  synthetic gemstones are either corundum or spinel, colored to match
> >>>  whatever they are supposed to be.

Part of that is because a proportion of gemstones ARE corundum (rubies,
sapphires etc)  classified by the color they are. :) Furthermore, the
situation in period was even more murky: Red spinel would in fact be a
period 'ruby' as they didn't have the same sophisticated classification
schemes and tests we do: hence 'The Black Prince's Ruby', which is a
spinel. 

I would suspect that for our purposes, if the synthetic process resembles
the process by which the gem is created in nature, it is probably a
reasonable substitute: cultured pearls for pearls, etc. Since we aren't
practicing the same kind of symbolic magick based on value the original
users did, having the same chemical make-up ought to be enough.

An excellent period work on gemstones available in translation from
Scarecrow Press is:
_Arab Roots of Gemology: Ahmad ibn Yusuf Al Tifaschi's Best Thoughts on
the Best of Stones_ Samir Najm Abul Huda. Scarecrow Press, 1997. $45.00.
ISBN:0-8108-3294-1
It's available directly from Scarecrow at:
http://www.scarecrowpress.com/Catalog/

Jadwiga, who doesn't know all that much but a) has a friend who is an
amateur lapidary and b) knowns where to look it up.

- -- 
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at tulgey.browser.net
disclaimer: i speak for no-one and no-one speaks for me.
"I do my job. I refuse to be responsible for other people's managerial 
hallucinations." -- Lady Jemina Starker