The Collaborative International Dictionary
Gem \Gem\, n. [OE. gemme precious stone, F. gemme, fr. L. gemma a precious stone, bud.]
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(Bot.) A bud.
From the joints of thy prolific stem A swelling knot is raised called a gem.
--Denham. 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.-
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).