RetroHex™ Cut Gems, Laser Garnet and More

These are various lab-grown gems cut in our long hexagon RetroHex™ cuts!  These are sold by approximate length--the exact proportions, thickness and weight vary.  More gem varieties are in progress and coming soon!

This is a simple style of long hexagon tablet cut reminiscent of all kinds of gems and crystals in old video games (thanks in part to the restrictions of pixel art)--in spite of its simplicity this design makes for a lively gem with a very satisfying look.

Vanadium YAG is an exotic lab garnet--its pure composition gives it the most vivid green base color I have seen in any gem.  Like Christmas garnet it functions as a Q switch to make lasers more powerful, and also makes an amazing gemstone.  Some of these stones have fine inclusions which give them a slightly translucent look.

Christmas garnet, or chromium-doped YAG, is also used as a Q switch in lasers.  It has a rich green base paired with strong red fluorescence--depending on the background it is viewed against it might look green or red with flashes of both colors possible.

CTH YAG is chromium yag with added thulium and holmium which reabsorb the red fluorescence, allowing it to be used in laser rods and giving it a pure green color, similarly rich but deeper than vanadium YAG.  In smaller RetroHex™ stones the difference is not very pronounced.

LuAG is a hyperfluorescent lab garnet famed for its yellow-green base and ultra strong green fluorescence which gives it a highlighter dayglow look.  Though it has been grown for technical applications since the late 1990s we were the first to ever bring it to the gem market.  These stones are guaranteed to catch the eye!

The sprite in the front photo is from Daniel Cook's classic space shooter game Tyrian 2000, used with permission from his site: Lost Garden.