Market for imperfect gemstones?

In another newsgroup someone made the claim that the existance of
synthetic gemstones had not affected the market for natural ones.
I would have thought that the market for less-than-perfect gemstones,
at the typical-American-consumer level would have disappeared once
perfect synthetics started competing with them. I am not of course
counting lapidarists, rockhounds, etc. who appreciate natural stones
for themselves. But taking myself as an example, an imperfect
emerald in its original columnar crystaline form and still attached
to a bit of matrix rock is a thing of beauty and worth collecting;
facet it into a traditional "emerald" shape, and I would find nothing
to make me desire it over a flawless lab grown gem.

So what is the straight scoop? Are less-than-perfect natural gemstones
prefered over perfect lab grown ones at the retail level?

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