Pendulets Crystals and Gemstones

Almost every Pendulet is made with natural crystals and gemstones. On occasion, some designs also incorporate enhanced and synthetic gemstones — particularly when stones are chosen for their color and astrological properties.

If you're curious about whether or not your Pendulet includes natural or enhanced gemstones, read the detailed description of every Pendulet on this website. That way, you'll know whether the stones in each piece are natural, synthetic, or enhanced. You'll also find details about the specific ways in which some stones may have been enhanced.

What is a natural gemstone?

Here on the Pendulets website, the descriptions of natural and enhanced gemstones conform to the standards of the American Gem Trade Association.

The term “natural gemstone” connotes natural origin and is defined as follows:

“Natural” means material found in or on the earth formed completely by nature, without human intervention, except cutting, carving, and/or polishing. If it has been enhanced in any other manner by human action including but not limited to color and/or clarity enhancement, such treatment shall not affect its classification of natural origin; provided, however, that such treatment must be fully and properly disclosed.

“Gemstone” means a naturally occurring mineral possessing the qualities of beauty, rarity, durability, and the chemical composition and physical properties of a specific mineral species.

The term “gem” may be applied to gemstones and non-minerals; amber, coral, jet, natural pearl, cultured pearl and naturally occurring glass.

How are some stones enhanced?

Historically, some "natural" gemstones have almost always physically or chemically enhanced — usually to approve their appearance, durability, or availability. Enhancements do not affect a stone's metaphysical properties.

The following codes and descriptions are intended make any enhancements clear.

ASBL — Assembled: Products made of multiple layers or combinations of manufactured and/or natural materials joined together.
B — Bleaching: The use of heat, light and/or other agents to lighten or remove a gemstone’s color.
C — Coating: The use of such surface enhancements as lacquering, enameling, inking, foiling or sputtering of films to improve appearance, provide color or add other special effects.
D — Dyeing: The introduction of coloring matter into a gemstone to give it new color, intensify present color or improve color uniformity.
E — Enhanced: This indicates that this type of gemstone is routinely enhanced. Since many enhancements are difficult or impractical to prove definitively, I will assume, unless otherwise indicated, that such enhancement has been done to the particular gemstone material being described. If the particular type of enhancement is known, that enhancement symbol will be stated.
F — Filling: The filling of surface-breaking cavities or fissures with colorless glass, plastic, solidified borax or similar substances. This process may improve durability, appearance and/or add weight.
H — Heating: The use of heat to effect desired alteration of color, clarity and/or phenomena.
HP — Heating and Pressure: The use of heat and pressure combined to effect desired alterations of color, clarity and/or phenomena.
IMIT — Imitation: Manmade products, fabricated in such materials as glass, ceramic, or plastic, designed to imitate or resemble the appearance, but not duplicate the characteristic properties of a natural gemstone.
I — Impregnation: The impregnation of a porous gemstone with a colorless agent (usually plastic) to improve durability and appearance.
I — Infilling: The intentional filling of surface-breaking cavities or fractures, usually with glass, plastic, opticon with hardeners, an/or hardened foreign substances to improve durability, appearance, and/or add weight.
L — Lasering: The use of a laser and chemicals to reach and alter inclusions in gemstones, usually diamonds.
MM — Manmade: Fabricated products.
N — Natural: Stones which are not currently known to be enhanced.
O — Oiling/Resin Infusion: The filling of surface-breaking fissures with colorless oil, wax, resin or other colorless substances, except glass or plastic, to improve the gemstone’s appearance.
R — Irradiation: The use of neutrons, gamma rays or beta particles (high energy electrons) to alter a gemstone’s color. The irradiation may be followed by a heating process.
S — Bonding (Stabilization): The use of a colorless bonding agent (commonly plastic) with a porous gemstone to give it durability and improve appearance.
SYN — Synthetic: Man made or laboratory grown. Synthetic stones have essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as a naturally occurring counterpart, and are as stable in color and composition as their natural untreated counterpart.
U — Diffusion: The use of chemicals in conjunction with high temperatures to produce color change and/or asterism (star-like) inclusions.
W — Waxing/Oiling: The impregnation of a colorless wax, paraffin or oil in porous opaque or translucent gemstones to improve their appearance.