Cubic zirconia is a lab grown gem but it is not the same chemically as it s natural counterpart. Cubic zirconia can be made into a green gem that looks extremely close to an emerald. Cubic zirconia is much cheaper than a natural gem or a gems synthetic counterpart. There is nothing wrong with making synthetic gems and there is nothing illegal about it. But selling or passing off a synthetic gem as a natural gem is illegal and fraudulent.
Retailers feel that the term imitation when used next to the gem doesn t sound good.
Most customers wouldn t want to buy an imitation gem. So, they insert the word synthetic for an imitation stone. Synthetic stones are not the same as imitation stones in the jewelry world. So when you are buying a piece of jewelry make sure you ask if the gem is natural, synthetic or imitation. Another deceptive practice that sellers play on buyers of gems is coating them with a colored substance.