Chatham Gems Now Available at AfricaGems.com

Chatham Emerald

At AfricaGems.com we have always brought you the best of the best in gemstones and gemstone jewelry.  In that vein, we are very pleased to announce that we now carry loose Chatham Gems - the very best of the lab created synthetic gemstones.  Chatham Gems have been around since 1938 and is the industry leader in created gemstones. 

Why Chatham Gems?

Chatham Gems

Chatham Gems are gem crystals that are “grown” in a laboratory rather than mined from the crust of the earth.  Chemically, they are identical to their natural gemstone cousins - they are the same hardness, the same colors, and the same spectral and optical properties.  One of the advantages of being “grown” in a laboratory is that the less desirable foreign materials that occur naturally in gemstones that come from the earth’s crust are eliminated.   The other difference is that Chatham Gem crystals take about a year to grow rather than the thousands of years it took for Mother Nature to create her gemstones.

Color Gemstone Collectors

Believe it or not, there are people who collect jewelry designed with Chatham Gems.  Why?  For several reasons.  They are a fraction of the cost of their natural cousins so you can afford “The Look” at a more affordable price and no one but you has to know.  You just look like a million bucks.  This really applies if you want a flawless emerald or a rare padparadscha sapphire or an alexandrite.  Or if you travel a lot and you love wearing fabulous looking jewelry but you are concerned about losing your jewelry or having it stolen, created gemstones makes sense.

 Chatham Opals

And something you won’t get with gemstones from Mother Nature is a lifetime warranty against chipping, breakage or manufacturing defect.

AfricaGems.com carries loose Chatham created emeralds, rubies, sapphires (blue, yellow, pink, Padparadscha), alexandrites and opals.  Be sure to check them out.   And be sure to read the history of these created beauties while on our website.  As of 2009, the first 1 carat Chatham emerald ever grown resides at the Smithsonian Institute.  Yet another cool product that started life in someone’s garage.