Rare Stones vs. Substitutes

Most lab-created stones are technically flawless. They have to be because a lot of them have technical applications, like mirrors and lasers and whatnot. One can't have a lot of inclusions when making a laser lens.

I like lab-created stones because they are the real thing--they're chemically and structurally identical to the ones pulled out of the ground. They're a hell of a lot cheaper, though, as they're produced in quantity, and they're coming from labs and not from (often) questionable Third World sources. I may not like kids, but I also don't relish 10 year olds forced into slave labour to dig up diamonds, or proceeds from rubies smuggled into Thailand going to the Burmese junta. Give me a karmically clean one from a laboratory.

Some stones I work with, like obsidian and clear quartz, are cheap and abundant, especially here in AZ. A lot of obsidian is found here or just across the border in Mexico. Onyx is the same way. It's mainly the precious stones that have issues.

I'm lucky--we have a whole season of rock and gem shows in the spring. A lot of the dealers go out in the desert and dig up their own inventory. They can tell you exactly where a sample was found and how they got it--not always, but often. The worked stuff often comes out of China but I'd still rather buy from people I know. The dealers will also often give discounts to people they know.

YMMV so do what feels right.

To me, lab created is like GMO's- and I don't like that at all.
Lab created minerals really turn me off and if I had a shop I would never carry them.

I haven't got a lot of lab-grown stones right now, except for some quartz spheres. For scrying purposes, I love utterly clear spheres, and there's no way I could afford an eye-clear natural quartz sphere of any real size (if I could even find one, which would be a feat in itself). The lab-grown spheres still have all the Silicon Dioxide energies I know and love, and I can afford them, so win/win.

I do have some natural quartz spheres, too, and I have used them for scrying. Or just for gazing at them and letting my eyes be drawn into their patterns. That's a good way to get into an "alpha wave" state of mind (light meditative or relaxed state). But my natural spheres do have internal patterns -- they're not eye-clear. There are some additional and different energies to the earth-grown spheres, but they share the Quartz energies in common with their lab-grown counterparts.

@ Briar...As was stated earlier in this thread, it really depends on the user which stone is best for them. Use whatever you feel works for you personally.

What came to my mind was that when scientists try to replicate fruit and vegetables(known as GMO's -Genetically Modified Organisms) it has been shown they cause cancer and other terrible diseases.

And since the human DNA cannot be replicated...

I am VERY VERY skeptical about labratory created gemstones. And I would like everyone here to feel that I am looking out for them.

I know that back in (Christmas)2008 the gemological administration took all of the enhanced topaz off the market. No jewelry stores had any for about 4 months until they were tested for radiation. That includes those mystic topaz too. Very dangerous.

So when I read lab created in this thread I wanted to give heads up that maybe working them with for healing and handling them isn't a good idea.

The company that would really know the answer is International Isotopes. That is a company that does all the testing for gemstones. I wrote them about Vaseline glass and irrated gemstones and they wrote me back telling me that it's like leaving a microwave oven on constantly in your back room 24/7. If you have any of those gemstones in your house- oh no! But I never wrote them about synthetic gemstones. I can't really say. I am making an uneducated guess. However-when I process all information I have learned at a college level, and being a certified diamond expert, my educated guess is that IF fruit and veggies that are synthetically modified cause cancer, then what about synthetic gemstones?

We're not suppose to mess with mother nature. ya'll buy hormone free milk right?- for an example.

I don't think that anyone here can make an educated remark unless you've really done the research or it's from a company that can do testing on that issue.

I don't think it's how we feel when we touch something is a good example for whether not not it's good for us- who wouldn't want a (at first glance- enhanced London Blue Topaz)? well, I wouldn't.

I want just the facts. And for me, I have never seen any life in a lab created stone. Never!

Not only does working with stones not require large quantities, one can work from a distance with a stone pictured on the Internet, or that is simply known about. Ask permission and if the stone agrees, go for it. Nobody actually owns anything, even their body(ies). It's up to the entity in question whether to play. In that case we work mainly with the entity's unlimited presence, which holds the qualities of its manifested form.

Diamond greatly amplifies and focuses input, but it amplifies everything, including the manifestor's issues. I laughed pretty good years ago when I realized that royalty and the wealthy made and make life much more difficult on themselves by hording and wearing precious stones. They would have done much better to wear grounding stones--including common rocks--with quartz. Earth makes what we humans most need easily accessible! (Those rocks again.) But try to tell a human something, eh?!

On another track, each stone is unique. Each diamond is unique, rather than serial number blah blah of the Porsche 959 model, for example. There is always a replacement, but each quite different. I'm always amazed at how different my citrines are from each other, for example.

Briar Rose: That's one thing I always caution people about, to stay away from radioactive minerals. If you have information on them, how about a caution thread in one of the two permanent areas? I would like to have that reference available, especially to refer curious people.

Wow! Thank you for not blasting me out. It just makes sense to me to stay away from synthetic stones.

After I signed off for a moment, this is what came to my mind.

How would I feel if I just spent $100.00 for a massage with gemstone healing seesion and I noticed the tray- and some synthectic gemstones where on the tray? Could I trust that healer? The first thing I thought is that the healer has no idea what they are doing!

I could be totally wrong, but for some reason my gut instinct is to give warning to stay away from anything that has been made or modified in a labratory.

Briar: aeclectic is a friendly place. There's no reason to blast anybody out.

If your gut told you to avoid something, I would heed that feeling. I wasn't attracted to lab-grown or altered stones at first. However, I've since had great experiences with such stones that attracted me. The first were a pair of clear quartz crystals made in Russia. Awesome energy! They were for others, but I enjoyed playing with them prior to sale. As a boy, I had a small treasured red goldstone, unaware it was manmade.

Perhaps make your feelings known prior to having bodywork done to avoid misunderstandings. When I help people with healing, I use whichever stones volunteer, and whatever else comes up. Each healing is custom fit for the person, respecting any limits they express.

Regarding the caution thread, I was talking about radioactive minerals, both natural and human created. Radioactive minerals are not here to play with humans, obviously.

Briar Rose said:

"Love is in the EARTH." hello? knock knock? Did anyone get that?

Click to expand...

Ahahaha!!!!! OMG! I got an image of telling that to all the "material" people I work with.

I have several crystals and I can only hope they're natural and not lab grown. I do have a couple of crystal balls that would have to be "man-made" but I don't see that as lab-grown. I probably need to go back and read the differences. Although come to think of it I've held them in my hands and there's no pulse, no vibration. On the other hand I have a crystal ball not much bigger than a shooter marble and when I held it in my hand I couldn't believe what a strong vibration it had.