Kunzite

[stepmars]

Has anyone heard of Kunzite being grown synthetically?
Thanks,
Steve

 

[valeria101]

Have you? I would very surprised to hear that this was synthetized solely for use in jewelry (with no larger scale technical application I know of) - cheap, abundant and color fading as it is.

 

[yowahking]

There is a new treatment of topaz that looks like Kunzite, but does not fade. I have not seen synthetic other than the old synthetic spinel which can be light pink. When I am at the Hong Kong show in Sept, I will see everything that is new. If I see it do you want to know about it? The Aphganistan stuff is still out there at a pretty reasonable price from 1000 different dealers in big sizes.
Scott

 

[stepmars]

The gem I'm asking about could be Topaz although I thought it was Kunzite (and was originally sold to me as Morganite). RI test result of 1.6X showed it wasn't Morganite but it's not worth me getting hardness or specific gravity tests to be any more certain. Under a microscope it displays a straight line through it's centre. I've been told this is probably evidence of a substrate used to synthetically grow the gem but is Topaz any more likely to be synthesised than Kunzite?