Characterization of the New Malossi Hydrothermal Synthetic Emerald

A new production of hydrothermal synthetic emeralds, grown in the Czech Republic with Italian technology, has been marketed since December 2004 with the trade name Malossi synthetic emerald. Several samples were investigated by standard gemological methods, combined with chemical analyses and UV-Vis-NIR and IR spectroscopy. A comparison of this material with natural and other synthetic emeralds (the latter grown by the flux and hydrothermal techniques) reveals that Malossi hydrothermal synthetic emerald can be identified on the basis of microscopic features and chemical composition, along with the mid-infrared spectrum