Under FTC guidelines, what term describes an artificial product with essentially the same properties as a natural gem?

• A. A laboratory-created gem
• B. A simulated gem
• C. A man-made gem
• D. A synthetic

Answer: (D)

Synthetic describes an artificial product that has essentially the same properties as a natural gem. This term indicates the stone is produced by human technology in a lab but matches the natural version in chemical composition, crystal structure, and optical behavior. It’s the precise label when you want to convey that you’re dealing with genuine gem material in lab-made form, not just an imitation. A simulated gem would only resemble the natural stone in appearance, not in the underlying material. Laboratory-created or man-made labels describe origin but don’t carry the same standard implication of material equivalence that synthetic does. So synthetic is the most accurate and informative descriptor for a gem with identical properties produced in a lab.