Feature
Gems & Gemology, Spring 2010, Volume 46, No. 1
Confocal Micro-Raman Spectroscopy: A Powerful Tool to Identify Natural and Synthetic Emeralds
Le Thi-Thu Huong, Tobias Häger, and Wolfgang Hofmeister
More than 300 natural and synthetic emeralds from various sources were examined with confocal Raman spectroscopy. This method identifies different water types in the beryl channel sites, making it possible to determine whether an emerald is natural or synthetic. In addition, this approach can provide information regarding geographic origin or synthesis technique (flux or hydrothermal).
