Beryl var. Emerald (synthetic) - image 1

Beryl var. Emerald (synthetic) - image 2

Beryl var. Emerald (synthetic) - image 4

Beryl var. Emerald (synthetic)

Unknown Owner

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There's a good chance if you collect gemstones, or if you're involved in the gem/jewelry industry, then you've probably heard the name Chatham. Chatham is one of the industry leading companies in producing lab-grown gems, but they are best known for producing amazing lab-grown emerald and ruby crystals. You'll hear people mentions "Chatham Rubies", which are arguably the finest representations of the purity and beauty that can be seen in the material. Chatham emeralds seem not to have found as much success, at least not among mineral collectors, as there were few specimens or crystals getting out. These are actually high-quality examples, which take many months to grow, and were allowed to form on a piece of matrix material to make a “matrix” mineral specimen. It's important to note that these emeralds are not simulants, they are chemically identical to crystals found in nature, just grown in a lab environment. This specimen was one of a large group of Chatham crystallized products purchased by the legendary collector John Barlow in the 1980s (you can see his book, The F. John Barlow Collection, 1998). His number #1310, on his label, is on the backside. We recognize the numbering well, as it was my first large deal for over 1000 specimens at a time, back in 1998 when I got part of this collection (it was, literally, just me at the time as the biz was a sole proprietorship while in grad school - Rob).