Nano Gemstones: Facts & Uses - Rare Earth Gallery

Nano Gems are a type of man-created gemstones made especially for jewelry.

⚡ Quick Answer

Nano gemstones — also sold as Nanosital or nano crystal — are man-made gem materials created in a lab specifically for jewelry. They are a glass-ceramic hybrid, with nano-sized spinel crystals grown inside an aluminosilicate glass, so they are neither natural stone nor ordinary glass. Their color is perfectly uniform, and they convincingly imitate emerald, sapphire, aquamarine, and many other gems. Scroll down for how they are made and used.

Uniform, Consistent Color

The color is homogeneous, meaning that if you bought 100 emerald green nano gemstones, the color would be exactly the same in every stone.

How Nano Gemstones Are Made

Nanosital or Nano Crystal gemstones - are a glass-ceramic material with nano sized crystals of Spinel in an aluminosilicate glass matrix, which is not special glass and it is not synthetic crystal or mineral - it is their hybrid. The material has been created with precious metal clay in mind, so any size gem should be kiln safe and blow torch safe without colour change or damage.

Gemstones Nano Gems Can Imitate

It completely simulates the brightness, colors, hardness and density of many gemstones, including: Green Emerald, blue Sapphire, blue Topaz, Aquamarine, Citrine, Peridot, Garnet, Kunzite, Morganite, Smoky Quartz, Turquoise and many others natural stones!

For more on modern, man-made jewelry materials, see our guides to Carbon Fiber Jewelry and Ceramic Jewelry.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Nano Gemstones

What are nano gemstones? ▼

Nano gemstones, sometimes called nano gems, Nanosital, or nano crystal, are man-made gem materials created specifically for jewelry. They are a glass-ceramic hybrid: nano-sized crystals of spinel are grown within an aluminosilicate glass matrix. That structure makes them neither ordinary glass nor a natural or fully synthetic crystal, but a distinct engineered material with a bright, gem-like appearance.

Are nano gems real or natural? ▼

Nano gems are real, physical stones, but they are not natural — they are man-made in a laboratory rather than mined from the earth. It is worth being honest about this: a nano gemstone is a manufactured material designed to look like a natural gem, not the natural gem itself. Their appeal is consistent color, durability, and affordability rather than natural origin.

What are nano gems made of and how are they made? ▼

Nano gems are made from an aluminosilicate glass that contains nano-sized spinel crystals dispersed through it, producing a glass-ceramic material. Because the crystals are grown at a microscopic scale within the glass, the finished material is a true hybrid rather than special glass or a single grown crystal. This engineered structure is what gives nano gems their strong, even color and their gemstone-like hardness and density.

Why is the color of nano gems so consistent? ▼

Because nano gems are manufactured under controlled conditions, their color is homogeneous — if you bought 100 emerald-green nano gemstones, the color would be virtually identical in every stone. Natural gems, by contrast, vary from piece to piece. That uniformity makes nano gems especially useful when a jeweler needs many matching stones for a single design.

What gemstones can nano gems imitate? ▼

Nano gems are made to simulate the brightness, color, hardness, and density of many popular gemstones. Common examples include green emerald, blue sapphire, blue topaz, aquamarine, citrine, peridot, garnet, kunzite, morganite, smoky quartz, and turquoise, among many others. Because the color is engineered, the range of available shades is very wide.

Are nano gems durable enough for jewelry? ▼

Yes. Nano gems were developed with precious metal clay in mind, so most sizes are kiln safe and blow-torch safe without color change or damage — a durability that many natural and synthetic stones cannot match during metalworking. Combined with their gemstone-like hardness, this makes them a practical, hard-wearing choice for handmade and production jewelry alike.