I’ve been looking at a lovely piece of vintage jewellery today made of French Jet. Did you know that French Jet is not actually real Jet at all but an imitation made of black glass? There are lots of similar gemstone terms that have the name of the gemstone with an additional name alongside. This can be quite confusing and its only fair that when you are looking to buy a piece of jewellery you know what you are getting for your money.
Here are the names that I have come across, the list may not be complete so please do let me know if you come across any and I will add them here.  

 

These are not real Diamonds

• German diamond: quartz
• Herkimer diamond: double-terminated quartz
• Bohemian Diamond: quartz

These are not real Emeralds

• African emerald: green fluorite
• Bohemian emerald: green fluorspar
• Broghton emerald: green glass
• Chatham emerald: synthetic emerald
• Cape emerald: Prehnite
• Gilson emerald: synthetic emerald
• Emeraldine: chalcedony that’s dyed green
• Oriental emerald: sapphire
• Evening emerald: peridot
• Spanish emerald: glass

These are not real Rubies

• Adelaide ruby: Australian garnet
• Australian ruby: garnet
• Bohemian ruby: garnet
• California ruby: garnet
• Cape ruby: garnet
• Montana ruby: garnet
• San Diego ruby: red tourmaline
• Siberian ruby: tourmaline

These are not real Sapphires

• Brazilian sapphire: blue tourmaline
• Burma sapphire: synthetic sapphire
• Hope sapphire: synthetic blue spinel or lab grown sapphire

 

This is not real Jade

• African jade: garnet
• Colorado jade: feldspar
• Honan jade: soapstone
• Indian jade: aventurine
• Manchurian jade: soapstone
• Swiss jade: jasper

These are not real Pearls

• Atlas pearls: calcite beads
• Delta pearls: imitations
• Roman pearls: glass beads
• Swarovski pearls: glass beads

This is not real Opal

• Ceylon opal: moonstone
• Blue opal: lazulite
• Gilson Opal: Synthetic opal
• Opal Doublett or Tripplet, part opal part glass

Not real Lapis Lazuli

• Swiss lapis: chalcedony or dyed jasper
• German lapis: dyed jasper
• Canadian lapis: sodalite

   

Turquoise Immitations

• African turquoise: jasper
• Chinese turquoise: calcite, soapstone
• Sacred turquoise: smithsonite
• Utah turquoise: variscite
• Vienna turquoise: simulated at one time but may contain reconstituted turquoise
• Yellow turquoise: often jasper or serpentine

   

Jet Immitations

• French Jet: Black Glass

Remember also that anything with the term “Faux” is not real. It is a term used a lot ( including by me) . The word “Faux” is actually French for false.