Man-made Crystals: A Review of their Historic and Contemporary Context and Use.

This paper reports on the history and use of man-made crystals for jewelry in a contemporary context. The cross-disciplinary contextual review traces human fascination with gemstones back centuries, and covers key developments in their "imitation." The infiltration of these man-made crystals in the market sparked the development of the discipline of gemology, through which they are often painted in a negative light. With innovations in the growth of man-made crystals revolutionizing other industries (engineering, technology, etc.), and their distinction from mined crystals increasingly more challenging, the paper reports on the terminology prescribed to the industry to describe man-made and mined crystals. These descriptions, which include "natural" and "real" versus "synthetic," are interrogated in relation to key texts and a need for the identification of an alternative terminology is proposed. The jewelry industry remains apprehensive about the influx of man-made crystals, and only a small number of man-made crystal suppliers are growing crystals for the purpose of creative exploration beyond the imitation of mined crystals for jewelry. Through the review of artifacts, where man-made crystals have been used, their ability to enable creativity is highlighted, and their further future creative possibilities explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]