Content
O growing emeralds at home, you can find a lot of information on the Internet. Many people do not take all this information seriously. Most believe that this is a difficult process and it is unrealistic for an inexperienced person to achieve a good result at home. Although this is not at all the case. There are people who grow artificial stones at home and get good money for it.
Growing emeralds home can be a good option for people who want to start their own business but do not have start-up capital. Growing stones can be done by people who cannot leave their homes for a long time, for example, women on maternity leave, housewives, retirees or people with disabilities.
Necessary materials for starting a business
For growing emeralds, the hydrothermal method is most often used at home. To begin with, you need to shovel a lot of literature and delve into all the subtleties of this matter. The hydrothermal method is based on maintaining high temperature and pressure. To grow emeralds, it is necessary to use a special laboratory vessel that can withstand prolonged exposure to high temperature and pressure. You can search for it in online stores or at auctions. After purchasing a vessel, you need to find a sensible laboratory assistant who will help you adjust and properly adjust it.
Different devices can use different amounts of electricity. On average, the counter winds up thirty rubles per day. In about one week, you can already grow the first stone. After that, you need to find a stone carver who can split the emerald and make cut stones for sale.
Sales of emeralds
For the sale of stones, it is necessary to establish business relationships with jewelry workshops. In any city there are always several workshops in which gold items are reworked. They can be offered to buy grown stones. You can also search for buyers through. The main thing is to learn how to grow emeralds and find the first buyers. Then everything will go according to the established scheme. How to grow crystals at home - see the video below:
It has long been known that a wide variety of artificial stones are produced using a small amount of specialized laboratory equipment. In fact, they can be grown like vegetables in the garden. And this is absolutely true.
The most interesting thing is that such stones can be created at home right on the windowsill. Such an interesting and unusual hobby can become a small business that will bring additional income.
Or it may remain just a hobby to the surprise of friends and family. And, of course, what could be more exciting than watching how not flowers in pots are blooming on your windowsill, but real bright green emeralds.
Today there are many ways to create emeralds, but all of them, unfortunately, are not very suitable for home conditions.
Some of them require expensive equipment, and some require the use of components, solutions and various acids that are quite dangerous for humans, which are prohibited from being stored outside special chemical laboratories.
And yet, of the many methods, there is only one that is ideal for creating an artificial emerald on your own - this is the hydrothermal method.
This method requires only water and a special laboratory vessel. This method allows you to grow an emerald in just a week.
Subsequently, with a positive result, you can simply order its cut, and it is ready for the manufacture of future jewelry. Moreover, such artificial emeralds are now very popular and are often used in the creation of jewelry.
In order for the emerald to turn out, and the experiment was not unsuccessful, it is necessary to find a laboratory vessel that can withstand very high pressure and a temperature of 500 ° C.
Of course, the temperature is very high and surprises some, but it is worth remembering that in laboratory conditions the temperature can be several times higher. You can make such a device yourself if you have the right experience and knowledge.
Nevertheless, it is better to contact a specialist who can set it up correctly and can check whether all the mechanisms of the device are working correctly. Otherwise, the experiment will fail. Or you can buy a ready-made device in a specialized store, and at the same time save money.
At home, the growth of the emerald must be constantly monitored. Otherwise, it will grow in an irregular shape, and will no longer look beautiful as we would like. It is clear that at such a high temperature, the water from the vessel will evaporate with lightning speed.
Therefore, it is worth constantly monitoring it and adding it when necessary. Otherwise, without attention and without water, the emerald simply will not grow, and time will be wasted.
The size of the emerald will, of course, depend on the size of the vessel in which it is grown. The larger the volume of the vessel, the larger the emerald will be.
But the size is not always good, so it is worth making it small, but high quality. Moreover, it does not take as much time to make it as when growing, for example, other crystals. But the result is simply amazing.
Today's technologies are so advanced that virtually limitless possibilities are revealed to man. Nature is generous, but its reserves are not unlimited. The beauty and properties of natural stones are sometimes amazing, but their cost is far from affordable for every connoisseur of beauty. Therefore, stones grown in laboratory conditions are in demand and widespread popularity.
The hydrothermal emerald is a prime example of this. Unfortunately, not everyone knows the characteristics and features of these stones, and there are plenty of prejudices based on delusions. Because of this, many consider such gems to be nothing more than a cheap fake, unworthy of attention. In fact, lab-grown emeralds deserve our attention.
Hydrothermal emerald: what is it and why is it needed?
It would seem, why do you need to grow stones in laboratories, if there are many deposits around the world? But there are several reasons for this phenomenon. The main one is associated with the peculiarities of natural stone - in nature, large-sized emeralds are extremely rare. Not surprisingly, prices for large gems skyrocket. Even crystals of 5 carats can cost more than diamonds of the same size - of course, provided that they have good color and clarity indicators. Almost any crystal can be grown in the laboratory.
Even small stones the size of a crystal of sugar fall into the skillful hands of jewelers. They are processed, polished or faceted, decorated with jewelry, placed around the main stones. But very fine dust is unsuitable for business. It is she who ends up in the laboratory, where she turns into crystals of hydrothermal emerald. Often, jewelers also use low quality natural stones. They are removed from foreign inclusions and impurities, crushed, after which they are quite suitable for growing beautiful and high-quality crystals.This is a wonderful example of the rational use of resources, respect for the wealth donated by nature - after all, something that could simply be thrown away is used. But instead of this, even from seemingly unnecessary dust, a person learned to create beauty.
The history of artificial cultivation of emeralds
The technology is relatively new, a little over a century old. Synthetic hydrothermal emerald dates back to 1888. Scientists Perret and Otfel were not the first to try to grow this stone in the laboratory, but it was their successful experiment that laid the foundation for a new technology that is still used today.
In 1911, scientists from Germany got down to business and managed to make significant progress. But the government of the country imposed a ban on the publication of any research results, all developments were kept secret until 1960. It is worth noting that the atmosphere of strict secrecy surrounding the achievements of German mineralogists gave the world a reason to think about the excellent results of their labors. In fact, the appearance of hydrothermal stones produced in Germany, to put it mildly, left much to be desired. They looked little like the original.
Later, many other scientists were engaged in research and practical experiments. Today we can safely say that the technology for the production of hydrothermal emeralds has been brought to perfection.
Process features
Probably everyone who studied physics at school can easily guess by the name that the technology is based on processes related to water and temperature. This is indeed the case. Something like the following happens.
The powder obtained from the cutting of natural stones, as well as from low quality emeralds, is immersed in an autoclave. In this vessel, they begin to act on it with the help of chemical components and high temperature. The powder dissolves in the strongest solvent - water.
Then the vessel is placed in a special zone with a low temperature, where the crystallization process takes place. Emeralds are deposited on a seed substrate. Understanding what a hydrothermal emerald means, we can talk about how similar it can be to the original. After all, the process of natural formation of this gem follows the same pattern, but takes millions of years. In the laboratory, the stone is formed only for about a month.
Ample opportunities: shape, size, quality
Scientists are able to grow hydrothermal emeralds with almost any characteristics.
For example, emeralds with absolute transparency are almost never found in nature. They almost always contain inclusions. The absence of inclusions in a crystal, especially in a large one, is one of the main signs of a fake. That is, we are not even talking about a hydrothermal emerald, but about a piece of glass, plastic or other synthetic material that has nothing to do with an emerald. But laboratory-grown crystals have small inclusions, like natural stones. This process is difficult to control, it happens by itself, because everything goes according to the same scheme as in natural deposits.
As for the form, the possibilities of scientists are quite wide. They can get almost any stone that, when cut, turns into a beautiful specimen. In addition, rather large stones can be grown in the laboratory, but it is worth mentioning that this rarely happens. A large emerald is alarming, suggestive of a fake. Therefore, even hydrothermal gems are usually small.
Properties of GT emeralds
Laboratory-grown stones have the same chemical formula as natural stones. They have a high density and are not easy to handle. Hydrothermal emerald visually almost does not differ from natural, but still has some features:
- GT emeralds are always highly transparent;
- contain inclusions in the form of tubes;
- may have scattered brownish blotches;
- sometimes include air bubbles;
- can be blue-green.
Of course, these signs are very arbitrary. In many ways, the properties of the stone depend on the characteristics of the technology and raw materials.
Are there any similarities?
Hydrothermal emerald is quite similar to natural stone. So much so that sometimes even a professional jeweler finds it difficult to determine the origin of a gem.
But for all the obvious similarities, there are still differences. This is something that defies explanation and description with the help of formulas, as if we are talking about the power absorbed over millions of years of formation. Natural emerald plays with facets, shimmering in the sun's rays; hydrothermal crystals cannot compete with them at all.
Use in jewelry
This stone is often processed and set in a worthy setting even by the most respectable jewelry houses. The use of hydrothermal emerald is not at all bad manners, of course, provided that the price is adequate and there are no falsifications.
When creating jewelry, jewelers are guided by some rules. GT emeralds need rational additions. For example, earrings with hydrothermal emerald are decorated with cubic zirconia, rock crystal crystals, and other hydrothermal gems. Of the metals, common yellow gold and silver are most often used.
Prices
Another feature that distinguishes the hydrothermal emerald is the price. Of course, it is much lower than a stone of the same size, grown by nature.
The average price for a faceted stone is $ 30-50 per carat. In some cases, the cost may be higher - for example, for stones with impeccable clarity and excellent cut.
Purchase Precautions
If you are looking for a ring with a hydrothermal emerald, knowing in advance the features of the origin of the stone, then the risks of running into a fake are small. Remember that this stone is many times stronger than glass, it cannot be scratched so easily. In addition, the GT emerald has a deep color, often with a tinge of blue.
It is another matter if an unscrupulous jeweler passes off an artificially grown stone as natural. In this case, the risk of losing money is enormous. Not every jeweler can easily distinguish a fake. Therefore, when buying jewelry with natural emeralds, you should not trust random sellers, too low prices, jewelry without documents. Do not hesitate to ask the seller for quality certificates, examination results.
Focus not only on the appearance of the products, but also on your own feelings. Experts assure that if the stone is yours, then you will definitely feel it immediately.
