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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Artificial gem

Gem \Gem\, n. [OE. gemme precious stone, F. gemme, fr. L. gemma a precious stone, bud.]

  1. (Bot.) A bud.

    From the joints of thy prolific stem A swelling knot is raised called a gem.
    --Denham.

  2. A precious stone of any kind, as the ruby, emerald, topaz, sapphire, beryl, spinel, etc., especially when cut and polished for ornament; a jewel.
    --Milton.

  3. Anything of small size, or expressed within brief limits, which is regarded as a gem on account of its beauty or value, as a small picture, a verse of poetry, a witty or wise saying.

    Artificial gem, an imitation of a gem, made of glass colored with metallic oxide. Cf. Paste, and Strass.

Usage examples of "artificial gem".

It was an artificial gem the size of a child's fist, its chiseled planes glittering with the green and gold of endolithic lichen.

Wide belts studded with artificial gem-stones, rakish scarves and stage jewelry had been carelessly tossed about like so much flotsam and jetsam on a beach.

However, the first definite reference dates back only to 1679, when Johann Kunckel (1630-1703) mentioned borax in a recipe for an artificial gem (Smith).