Hey Crystal Peeps! I get a lot of questions about this topic & have been working on a loooong article on this topic for a loooong time…it just keeps getting longer. A little bit ago I posted some of this in a newsletter about 6 months ago (you can subscribe up there on the right side of my banner!) I figured I need to get a bit more of this out there now & perhaps 1 day it will mature into a grown-up full-fledged article! Yay!
So, is the crystal you purchased natural, enhanced or an all-out fake?
The only way to know for sure is with exhaustive lab tests, however, you can still use your mad-crystal-skills & a little geology to make a strong educated guess. I see lots of misinformed YouTube vids on some of these & just want to set the record straight so you can make wise & informed decisions when making your crystal purchases, My Sweets!
Glass vs. Quartz
Glass is an amorphous solid. Oooooo, BIG SEXY SCIENTIFIC WORD! Amorphous just means that due to quick cooling, the molecules didn’t have time to arrange themselves in a crystalline repeating geometric pattern.
Quartz, on other hand, cooled slowly & does have the geometrically perfect molecular structure that all crystals do. That’s what makes a crystal a crystal, Sweet Pea!
TELLTALE SIGN OF A FAKE GLASS “QUARTZ”: Glass will often have tiny air bubbles, quartz won’t. End of story.
Recently I got this great question:
I remember reading on a post you made about fake crystals that if a quartz has bubbles it’s glass, not a real quartz crystal. How can you tell the difference then between an enhydro crystal (bubbles containing water) from a fake simple glass?
The glass bubbles will usually be very tiny, spherical & have no movement inside (hence no water).
Enhydro bubbles will def. have water moving around in them & they’re usually oddly shaped…and tend to be larger. HTH!
Fruit-Named Quartz (strawberry, cherry, pineapple, blueberry, C’mon guys!)
Fruity-named crystals is usually a tip off of FAKES! Not always, but I’ve found it to be true more often than not. These are typically dyed quartz or glass. Sometimes, natural red-colored fire or harlequin quartz may be dubbed “strawberry” by the seller but since those in the geo-community equate the fruity name with artificial glass, most sellers in the know would stay away from calling it that.
Fire Quartz from Africa- the real deal
Turquoise vs. Dyed Magnesite or Reconstituted
Magnesite looks very similar to turquoise…when it’s been dyed. So does howlite. Undyed howlite & magnesite may even be sold as “white turquoise!” SHEEESH!
The photo below is an example of dyed howlite (See the little slice I made? It’s white inside.)
A telltale sign of dyed magnesite is very deep cracks.
Then we have “reconstituted” turquoise. Reconstituted is when small amounts of turquoise that would otherwise be wasted are recycled by grinding it up into a fine powder. Resins & dyes may then be added & then pressed into a mold, carved or shaped. Ummmm, no thanks. None for me.
Here are my tried & true tips for testing your turquoise:
- UV Light Test: turquoise containing resins will fluoresce; have a black-light? Check it out!
- Scratch Test: due to its Moh’s hardness being a 5-6, it can be scratched by a steel knife & under magnification the edges will look tattered, if they’re smooth as butter, it’s not the real deal
- Hot Needle Test: the tip of a hot needle will burn real turquoise, but reconstituted will melt
I really like DurangoSilver’s video on what exactly “White Turquoise” is:
Amethyst, Citrine or Rose Quartz with SUPER-saturated color
If your quartz is really vibrant & pretty uniform in color it may be dyed. A tell-tale sign of dyed quartz is excess dye collecting in cracks.
And that fuchsia, bright green & deep blue agate…you know that’s dyed, right?
So the moral of the story, my Sweet Crystal Hotties, is…Buyer Beware. Who are you buying from? Are they reputable & do they know what they’re talking about? Be informed & cautious. Do you have any fake-out stories to tell? Please post below to help us all out!
Happy Crystal Buying. 🙂
Spotting Crystal Fakes & Frauds | Hibiscus Moon Crystal Academy
Thank you for this information. Yes, I was caught off guard by color enhanced rose quartz that I recently purchased. About 13 pounds of rose quartz rough from 3 different vendors. Several pounds was AAA high grade. This morning I decided to tumble about 6 pounds. Like an eager little kid, I had to take a peak after 8 hours of tumbling. To my shock…the stones were very pale pink or without color. They were dyed stones. It was upsetting…then I started laughing about it. I have many years of experience working with stones, though I was caught off guard, I was not going to let this surprise spoil my peace. I have the choice to react, respond or observe. I think I did all three ♥
i got a quartz from a small shop and it was deemed a tangerine quartez. its not a full color its got lines of color on three sides and there are no bubbles. its been cut in the middle to let a lether thing go through because its a necklace. is it fake?
Hi Paige, I live in a small town northern Quebec and there’s a quartz mine around. They are claiming to be one of the two places on earth that has tangerine quartz.
I can’t say if yours is real or fake, but I confirm that tangerine is a correct denomination of quartz. I would define the one I could gather as pinkish/orange.
You can find out pictures and more information (unfortunately only available in French) on their website : https://cristaldulac.com/
Hi, I just found your site and thank you for your info. I appreciate it greatly. I’m new to crystals. I’m very sick and want to find real natural crystals to help me. I’m also having financial problems at the moment so I can’t risk buying fake stuff. How do I find a reputable seller? I need to find them sorta fast so I can’t take much time researching. Im already overwhelmed after 2 hours of reading and searching online. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. One of the stones I need is natural citrine like in your videos. I went to shop online, but could not be sure who to get it from. I saw an ad on Etsey for UN-treated with a certificate but it had white on the bottom. Isn’t that bad? Geeze. I’m afraid to trust my judgment yet. Thanks again for your info and all your work.
Sometimes Citrine white spots or lines will show on citrine unless you’ll pay big bucks…the cheaper you pay the less satisfaction you’ll get. That’s the name of the game in business
After reading this I’ve realized my very favorite stone in my collection is glass, and now I’m questioning everything! I was so attracted to this stone on an energetic level, it genuinely made me feel better when I carried it with me, and realizing it’s glass makes me now think any energy or benefit I’ve ever felt from crystals has been all in my head. I’m seriously starting to think of all of this as the Spiritual Industrial Complex and it is so frustrating. Thank you for this article, though. I’m disillusioned but better off. Just irritated and disappointed. I got the crystal at a local shop I trusted. :/
Hey, I hate that you feel that way, but I believe that you were attracted to that particular crystal because it was indeed fake. My theory is that your Spirit guides led you to it and this blog, so that you’d better understand that YOU have to believe in yourself to know that you can make anything manifest be it good moods, abundance or just an out new perspective on life. So, don’t be frustrated with the spiritual process as it is already showing you your power. Though, the power of manifestation resides in YOU …crystals and stones acts as an aid in the process. Case and point … for some reason you believed you needed to believe in something in order to believe in YOU when in all actuality all you needed was YOU. Hope this helps in some way. Peace, love and light to you on and of your spiritual journey.
What a beautiful perspective. I completely agree and hope it brings Jennifer some peace and faith.
Doesn’t matter what it is. Your power is way more powerful then any stone or gem. As u said. U felt better because YOU believed it. This is just proof that mindset is wat really matters. Your thoughts are the power not the tool.
if you got it at a local shop, it’s MUCH less likely to be a fake! Crystal energies are not all in your mind. that said, many objects can have an energetic resonance with us. If it’s been helping you, I’d say take all this with a grain of salt
It’s not in your head. It still does work, just a pure crystal would be way more intense. Don’t doubt your energy, if you were feeling better it means its true.
Google the free documentary “Earthing.” Known to cure a host of ailments for free.
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Hi!
So I recently found this site that sells crystals in my country .And it is very affordable , I mean you can get smaller stones for a good price and only the bigger ones are really expensive and they offer a certificate that it´s a genuine crystal . I also recently complained about the fact that they sent me a bracelet that was plastic and I figured it out and was unhappy with that and told them it should state clearly if there´s a manmade crystal that you get , I got the money back and they also have like a green square on the natural ones and yellow on the processed and so on now . I´ve got many stones from them and I like them a loooot , they also gave me stones as a gift after each larger purchase .. my only doubt is how can they be so cheap ? for example about 4 euros for a small pendant of blue quartz , same for onyx same for nephrite .. I feel like the crystals are real but I might be placebo-ed into feeling it , although I tend to rely on my intuition as it doesn´t go wrong , but again can someone be selling crystals for so cheap? Is there really a certain “market price” for certain crystals? It depends on the seller , right?Bear in mind that this is a crystal shop for a country where most people have no idea they mean something and what power they have , nobody has interest in them if it´s not a big ol´ diamond or ruby on a dainty gold ring (pff) so that might be a factor . THank you !
So there are alot of things that determine pricing. You can find emeralds, one of the most valuable stones in the world, for a dollar per dime sized piece. Now a well cut emerald pendant or ring with a stone that size would easily run you up thousands of dollars. The reason you can find real ones so cheaply is they are not gem quality, they are like what the article talks about as powderizing excess and melding it together, or simply unfavorable pieces that can’t be sold as emerald jewelry. And since those favorable pieces are being mined for constantly the unfavorable pieces come up in bulk.
The ‘white’ under the citrine or yellow quartz described above isn’t necessarily bad. Citrine color appears in normal quartz due to the addition of other elements, it’s quite common in real natural colored quartz to see the color doesn’t run all the way through. Often that’s actually a good sign as anyone willing to dye it would probably dye the whole thing. However amethyst is more common than citrine and it’s pretty easy to convert amethyst into citrine via heat treating. They have the same holistic properties because it is technically citrine, if manmade, it also takes on some amethyst properties, but it will be a darker orange color (I suggest you look at photos.)
I am an amature gem miner and have seen thousands of natural crystals and understand the formations. However I’d glance at the fire quartz (sometimes called blood quartz) and assume it fake because of how the color clings to the outside, like it does with metal treated quartz, and is very unlike the blood quartz I find here in the states. That’s my problem. Understanding what’s manmade and what’s merely unusual or exotic. But for a low enough price an unusual piece is worth buying, like I said the chemical makeup and thus the holistic properties are often the same in a ‘fake’ stone in the quartz family, as long as it’s not glass.
You sound like you know a lot about crystals. I’m looking for good crystal beads. Do you know of any reputable places where I could buy some? I’m new at this and really want the benefits. I’d really appreciate any guidance you could give me????
My husband purchased a beautiful Tesavrite (sp) pendent for my birthday . today 7/10. How can you tell if it’s real or fake. It is in somewhat of a triangle shape, and has a beautiful dark green sparkle. It looks like green sugar crystals on christmas cookies. Can you help?
Tsavorite Garnet is a gorgeous gemstone…one of the rarer colors in natural garnets. How large is/are the stone(s)? Pretty much anything over 2 carats is extremely rare, and would cost a fortune. Tsavorite garnets are mined exclusively in Kenya…but you best bet is to take your pendant to a certified gemologist to confirm/deny your gems.
Hii does the price matter in determining if it’s a fake? For example I saw this “blue lace agate necklace” for 39.99 in Canadian. Whereas some other sites were minimum 89.99 in CAD
This just made my day. Fraudulent/fake healers trying to tell you how to spot even more fraudulent/fake healers.
You enhanced the color of your hair. Will hair become not natural? NO.
If you enhance the color of mineral will it become not natural? NO
You just confusing people.
As a cosmetologist, if you “enhance” or change your hair color, then NO it is no longer natural. Natural for hair is when it hasn’t been colored or enhanced. Just wanted to clear that up for you. Unless you’re meaning it in some other way I didn’t understand.
i have one question, how can i tell if a quartz is fake via a photo. i wanna buy a spirit quartz to wear to protect myself but idk if the photos are a fake.
OMG lives this read and content…
There was a trend on a lot of shows with pearls and scams and people not knowing what they’re getting. Now I’m seeing a trend and shows people are selling synthetic or lab made Jim stones and people are spending hundreds of dollars. So much information is out there I wish everyone would read first before they go spending money they did not have. Thank you and keep it up the great information
Jewels
OMG and now they call them Jim stones instead of gem stones?! What is this world coming to?!
Oh look grammer natiz
We believe that treatments severely injure or ‘kill’ the stones. Therefore, look for natural, untreated stones & beads. While many sellers are honest, others blatantly scheme and lie, to highly profit from sick, depressed and hurting people. I will not buy on etsy anymore for this reason. They don’t stop sellers from telling obvious, tall-tales about their beads & stones. For example: ‘Therapeutic Quality Gemstones Jewelry’ For By AscensionStones’ on etsy. This seller claims that all of her beaded stone bracelets/necklaces are ‘natural & untreated’. Therefore, she gets top dollar while her customers are duped into buying useless, low grade, highly treated stones. Seller refuses to disclose her source of ‘untreated’ beads/stones like smoky quartz, citrine, carnelian, etc. The lava beads sold there are obviously dyed/coated. It disgusts me, to see people lie, to profit, on the suffering of others. I asked seller about her source for these mentioned ‘untreated stones’ (which aren’t found anywhere… in full-strands of beads, especially!)She called me ‘rude’ and explained that she was a ‘gemstone expert & healing advisor’ and also told me she was a ‘lapidary’…whatever that means. She slammed Fire Mountain company (who discloses all treatments of gemstone beads AND grades them) by saying, ‘Fire Mountain sells low grade stones & beads’. But refuses to disclose her source. Looking thru etsy, you’ll see several of these unscrupulous sellers. They lay in wait for the next sick, desperate and naive person, to come and throw down, $250. on $12 worth of beads strung on fishing line. These deceivers should be exposed . How can we lead people to honest sellers of real, untreated healing stones?
Shayla..can you give us other vendors who are selling fakes? I want to buy genuine citrine..and am having a hard time trusting what I see. I get the baked amethyst..but more troubling is iron staining to make a quartz look like a citrine 🙁
I know this comment is old, but in case you’re still looking for a legitimate vendor, Nharo on etsy is a wonderful store. They specialize in African gemstones and have beautiful raw congo citrine and citrine from Nambia, amongst other beautiful gems. They have great prices. They are ethically mined and make sure the miners and environment are treated with respect. They even do some of their own mining at times.
I just bought a citrine from Nharo. They seem real to me. I have been on the hunt for a long time and I felt confident with this vendor.
Healingcrystals.com is a good place to buy! I know them from the hearts they have as a symbol. They have great quality stones.
Not the fishing line????????????
There actually is a real strawberry quartz! So you may want to check your facts and edit your article. It was found in Mexico in the 70’s. It is a complete secret where to this day. The material is extremely rare and very expensive since no more has come out of Mexico since then. However some has now been found in Kazakhstan and a regular supply is coming out of there but it is not quite the same quality as the Mexican strawberry quartz.
Learned alot. Buy crystals on-line, so difficult to trust
There’s a famous crystal water bottle company, to me all of their crystals look fake. How do I tell the difference?
A question…
Is dyed quartz, or any other dyed stone or crystal, still ok for spiritual work? Obviously not the highest quality, but would it still hold the attributes of the original stone? The earth knows, but I don’t ????
Do you know how they make the chakra pendants with the different stones? Or are they fake.
This is great information! Thanks so much for posting about this!
Always my pleasure Gin Gin♥
can you help me identify this piece of stone that i have,,,,,,,,, please contact me
I whole heartedly agree with the assessment that Amy made about Peach’s comments.
Amy’s comment begins with: “What a beautiful perspective…”
Blessings
hello, so i have been researching for a while to know whether or not my rose quartz is real. i noticed today that there is a small dark pink dot in the stone. it doesnt have any bubbles and i bought it from someone i think i can trust.is it real or fake?
Very informative! I actually fell victim to the dyed agate once, I got a big chunk that was super bright blue. Lesson learned on that one!
Many of us do in the beginning. I wish more beginner books would address this.
Miss Hibiscus!!! What a great article and I sooooo very much appreciate your easy going and lighthearted way of explaining things! I must share this on fb.
Love to you and thanks for what you do!
Awwww, TY Amanda. Send me a message on Facebook too. :)♥
Very interesting about the white buffalo. I love American Southwest Turquoise so have been very cautiuos when purchasing. There are so many mines and diffrernt color variations of turquoise but have to say, the faux stuff really looks faux! Would love to see (was it WildHorse white?) Thanks for sharing the video!
Yes, even some shop owners in AZ aren’t aware of this. Quite surprising!!
How old is that video about White Turquoise? He stated most faux turquoise is made of Howlite but that simply is not true now. He stated himself that Howlite only came from one mine. It is simply not found in the lapidary market anymore or if you luck up and do find some, it is very very expensive. You can find info about that on some geological sites, Mindat for one. Most all the newer fake turquoise is Magnesite! To the untrained eye it can be indescernable from Howlite. Especially with the volume of fake turquoise in the market today, and the super low prices, using Magnesite is the only real, viable option to create fake. Wild Horse is gorgeous and it’s a combination of Magnesite and Hematite, in case anyone was wondering where the beautiful reddish brown color comes from.
I found this geode wanna know if it’s fake or not how can I send u a pic of it
Are the aqua aura/angel aura/ruby aura crystals considered fakes? They have been coated with various heavy metals and have remarkable colours, but it is said that the combination of crystal plus heavy metal produces an object with the qualities of both. I’d love to know what you think.
Hi Lisa, you’re right about how aura quartz is created. I would prefer to call it man-altered quartz…still something I wouldn’t work with. To me,anything man makes is synthetic energies…far less superior than ANYTHING Mother Earth cooks up in her Magical Kitchen! Hooorah! But, if you’ve been working w/ it & benefiting from it then please continue on.
I’m interested in your opinion on this too
I love the coated quartz crystals. I have a few but do not work with them. I am very picky about natural stones. I normally do not want them tampered with and Never any synthetics, no matter how beautiful they are
very interesting Thanks Hibiscus Moon!
Personally, I like howlite. I can see how it would be passed off as white turquoise. This is a very informative video. Thank you for posting it.
I like howlite too…just not passed off as turquoise. But once you’re aware its very easy to tell the difference. 🙂
Right on! Its time for a 15 min. LIVE Crystal Q & A. I’ll be here until 8:56 answering your crystal questions. 🙂
Spotting Crystal Fakes & Frauds http://t.co/X6cq2jCu
RT @hibiscusmoon1: Spotting Crystal Fakes & Frauds http://t.co/X6cq2jCu
Can “Super 7” be “faked”? If so how can you tell?
That would be a tough one to fake.
Amber and moldavite are two others that tend to be faked…amber I believe creates static when rubbed. Fake moldavite is glass, not sure of any tests for it though.
Yep, I have a post about those on here too. ♥
I make stone jewelery and many placees like michaels sell fake stones as jewlery. Education education education.
Hi Moon,
I still cannot tell if my crystal is real. I didnt really get much information from you advice in figuring out if its fake or real.
This is a guide. Its impossible to figure it all out without proper mineral testing which you can possible ask your seller about or see if a geo museum will graciously honor your request.
Thanks for the info! My question is just because an agate or other crystal has been dyed or heated to make the color brighter or prettier, does that mean it is useless to work with? Does it negate the metaphysical properties of said agate or crystal? I have a great rock shop I go to, they are honest about what’s been modified, but I must admit I am drawn to the pretty, bright stuff.
heard that a lot of citrine is actually heated amethyst. very disappointed. how can we know the difference.
wrote a whole post about that here: https://hibiscusmoon.com/citrine-real-fake/
thanks for sharing the info! with dyed agates would it still be okay to use them for healing, as colour is used as a therapy for healing? 🙂
I bought some supposed authentic Malachite beads off a Trade Me website and got them, they were like Malachite painted wood, could SO tell they were fake and I was not happy with the purchase as they had them on as real. Real malachite is not woody and dull, has a beautiful soft semi-gloss, Watch out for fake Malachite!
Love this page by the way 🙂
i was at a garage sale last weekend
they had two bookend size blue dyed quartz for $100 (9″high by 3″wide) advertized as bright blue quartz. I called them on it and asked if it was dyed and they said no. I said i believe they were dyed and showed them the cracks where the color was darker, the lady got mad at the husband(boyfriend) and throw ed them on the ground and smashed them and then yelled at him for giving her crap for a gift.
I did not mean for that to happen and said i was sorry but too late
Hi there,
I have bought several crystals from CrystalAge in the UK. They appear to be very good quality. But I did stumble across their cherry quartz. http://www.crystalage.com/online_store/cherry-quartz-tumble-stone-20-25mm26011601.cfm
Now that I know they are trying to pass off these as real, should I avoid making further purchases?
Thanks!
Crystalage is one of the greatest sites for crystals. They have really high quality crystals.
Well, they never said its fake. Actually its not fake stone, just dyed…
its still clear quartz
Years and years ago my mother purposely bought a cabochon @ 1 1/2 x 1 x 1/16 inch piece silver banded piece for a necklace, purposely dyed, she said, by injection into to agate, by the proprietor, selling it as such, as a pretty novelty for me, it was an agate, of a light turquoise and lavender radiating out n the center for color. I still have it. We thought it was rather unique at the time due to the injection process. It definitely does not look a”normal” agate and I doubt anyone would consider it so. Maybe it was a new process at the time. There are lots of “rock hounds” in Oregon and jewelry makers. At that time, no one was out to screw anyone.
I tend to say away from online purchases. Here were i live we have a store that sell them and everything else its so peace full when you walk in to that store you feel the energy of everything and its calming. when you buy stuff they also cleanse if for you right away unless you say no. They have so many things. I did how ever have a hard time find lapis and i did a lot of research online with one store before i did buy them and i once i got them i brought them to the store so they can check them out. and they where good. so i hope that you can find a store in your area that is true and will be helpful like i find this one to be. 🙂
not away having a coffee and waking up an apparently can’t spell this morning.
I tend to stay away….
hi, does anyone else hear the video, it seems to be really low volume, the beginning of the video is loud, but the man talking, his volume is very low.
What about Opalite?
It is or it isn’t a “false” crystal?
I’ve found so many contradictory information that I’m lost about it! Energeticaly is a “dead crystal” right?
Thank you already for your shares and posts with which I have learned so much! 🙂
Opalite is glass
I haven’t bought a lot of crystals to begin with because of this fakery. But, I do however go hunting in nature for crystals and stones, and my biggest problem is knowing what I have found. I have recently come across a jackpot of stones that really look like different quartzs. Some are milky white, some very clear, some with pink or yellowish orange tints, and a couple that look marblish like turquoise. I am no expert so I have no way of knowing if I have amassed a nice collection of quartz or if I have a bunch of really pretty rocks. Is there a way I can find out without mortgageing my home for lab tests?
hello there,I am from India and i was told by crystal healer that wearing prescribed crystals bracelets and turtle placed in specific region would bring wealth and heal problems like stress depression fear and anxiety.I wanted to ask you if this is true and how much would be the cost of real crystals as I dont want to be conned by these people and yet cure my problems.(dont we all)
thank you hope you do reply on my email id,looking forward to your answer.
Hi, I bought a crystal (from EBay though) and its from China (apparently they are notorious for selling fake crystals) and now I’m worried that it might be a fake. This is it:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Natural-Gemstones-Hexagonal-Pointed-Reiki-Chakra-Pendant-Real-Leather-Necklace-/371097486278?pt=Fashion_Jewelry&var=640261270842&hash=item56672243c6
Do you think it might be fake?
I purchased a turquoise ring from Justin Morris out of Winslow, apparently Navajo…FAKE FAKE FAKE, it is painted rock. Beware!!!!
This is great information? Will the test of the white tirquise work for every crystal?
I want to purchase a few crystals to wear on me as I know they have abilities of keeping negative energy away or clean your own energy, etc. (not sure if I got that right), but I don’t want to get fakes.
I found five crystals to purchase for almost £13, isn’t that too cheap? I thought they would be much more expensive, or it doesn’t matter?
It does say in the description that 4 of them are natural and one of them is not natural, so should I trust it?
Has anyone heard of fake black obsidian? Can the Asians fake that too?
Although they are notorious for fake crystals, China does have a large crystal mining industry. I have seen photographs from eBay sellers of them polishing quartz from a raw material.
Since obsidian is “nature’s glass,” it would be fairly easy (possibly THE easiest crystal) to fake. Especially the pure black, as opposed to the “snowflake” variety. And FYI: any Chinaman says “smelted quartz” –they mean glass.
can you fake a aura quartz? I would like to add you are wrong about the energies being synthetic, While man has indeed altered the crystal, metals and other items found from the earth are then combined with the said quartz to form the aura quartz “line”. I have never heard of being able to fake metal or other items used to “treat” these quartz pieces. while on the term of synthetic how do you think synthetic things came into being? because as far as I’m aware everything on this earth synthetic included had to be made by using something from this earth.
I’m aware of at least one case of faked aura quartz. How successful the fake is depends on the core stone and which metal is getting bonded. Titanium develops a rainbow coloration when heated and that’s darn hard to fake.
almost anything can be faked,dyed,diffused,irradiated,heated,etc.98% of all transparent/translucent gemstones have been treated in some way to improve the clarity and /or color of your gemstone-your best bet would be to invest in a refractometer or a gem microscope,where you can find evidence of various treatments also,you can empower yourself by contacting the gia,[gem institute of America],where you can find out a lot of info,as well as take courses in gemology-I also suggest sites like the vug.com,mindat.com,and pininterest,rock and mineral specimens-remember,you get what you pay for-if you think that you are really getting a first class piece of pariaba tourmaline for 20.00 or less a carat,you are dreaming….you can find pages and pages of it for sale on the net,when in reality,the amount of it ever found wouldn’t fill the back of a small pick-up truck….remember,buyer always beware,and you need to educate yourself where geology/gemology is concerned-sellers are out to make money-while many are honest and hardworking,some are not-buying mineral specimens is safer-remember,glass and Lucite look good as gemstone cuts,too-just be careful,if it’s cheap,ask youself why-trust me,there’s a reason……
i really wish you had side by side photos of the real vs fake!
Hummmm…I am Jonathon. I stumbled on to this site by “accident”…I am not sure what this site is all about. I blog on google+. I have a deep affinity with stones. They are like family. I live in country and am close with nature. I am an artist/sculptor. Retired from corporate world to live a more simple lifestyle. I have limited computer skills. I don’t know what else to say…………..
Namaste
So, I’m a somewhat new at working with crystals, and I usually buy crystals from my very favorite shop, which I was considering taking a job as a reader at. But, upon research, I’ve discovered, that a lot of the stones I’ve bought from them (yellow obsidian, strawberry quartz, blue agate, citrine, cherry quartz, and probably more) are either dyed or completely glass (which makes sense as to why I could never get any vibrations from them). I probably should have done my research, but I’m a bit upset that the owner of the shop never told me before I bought them. I’m gonna chalk it up to her not knowing, because I kinda wanna keep shopping there…
I found some crystals in a old drawer and have no idea if they’re real or fake and since I haven’t done anything with crystals I don’t know what they are. Can you or someone help me identify the types of crystals? My Kik (Kik is a messaging app) is wiljactay
I want to order the rose quartz from Kirstin Ash online. However I realized that all the rose Quartz pendant look exactly the same. Aren’t they supposed to all look different? Also they’re very expensive compared to the prices I’m used to seeing at my local area where they cleanse my crystals before I bring them home.
I was showering with my amethyst and when it got wet I realized it started dripping purple. Pretty sure that’s a fake right?
My beach is covered by pebbles and rocks, besides sea glass, there are loads of clear pebbles some pinkish. I was told they are quartz. Does quartz come in pebble form as well as crystal? How can I tell? One day I will make jewelry with them, but I need a way to identify them without sending to a lab.
So many of my friends are being schemed, “feeling the powerful vibes” of possibly chemically altered “hot” radiated glass that they keep close to them the majority of the time! Terrible. Very good article, thank you for sharing whay you know!
Bought some purple alum crystals that were sold as natural. Working on getting a full refund instead of store credit because goods were not as described. The octahedral formation looks so much like fluorite. I should have known that they were fake because of the powdery coating. Great article.
I truly wish I would have read this. 2 days ago I bought a “quartz” massage wand. There are tiny little bubbles all through it. It sounds different from my other crystals when my rings hit it as I ick it up or move it around in my hand. The massage wand is handy so I am not going to take it back and argue with the seller. I will just be a bit more careful before I purchase again!
Thank you for this article it was very informative to a newbie to crystals like me. I really got into stones and crystals when vacationing in NC we went to a gem mine. We bought a few large buckets of dirt and sifted through them for a couple hours. After all was said and done I ended up with huge array of rocks and raw crystals. Some precious stones like ruby and Sapphire to amethyst, Quartz, fluorite, moonstone, and jasper. I found a huge hunk of Kyanite which I love. It was so enjoyable to get down and dirty sifting through the dirt looking for treasures. I’d highly recommend it if you ever get a chance.
I personally don’t mind the dyed agate bookend type pieces (and i’m sad about that one commenter at the garage sale who said the lady broke hers after finding out it was dyed). I know they are color dyed, and it just enhances their beauty to have as decorations around the house. Now, i don’t use them for mediation or healing, just for beauty.
I just received my ver expensive hand crafted clear quartz crystal raven skull in the mail. Upon closer inspection I could not see any marks or inclusions in the crystal till I examined the head. They look like air bubbles but not quite the same. I was wondering if a healer could help me out.
I want to know if the pyramid i have is natural or fake ..Therefore how can i contact you.. pleas eprovide email so that i can send a picture and u can then tell me whether its natural or a fake one!
With all this fake out there, it would be really nice if you can share your trusted sites to purchase real and un-dyed crystals.
I,ne just bought madagascar banded agate on ebay from chinese suppliers . I cut one agate pink color he was dyed . Inside there are thin white stripes , on the shores of pink in midle of the colour pale spot .
So, which sites are recommended to sell genuine stone?
Cảm ơn hibiscusmoon về bài viết ý nghĩa, 1 bài viết đầy đủ thông tin về thạch anh khác: https://phongthuylucyen.com/thach-anh/
Hi, and thanks for the information. I was wondering how you could spot a fake amethyst geode? I have one, and its already broken, I bought it. But I’m afraid to see if it isnt real. It has two colors, both are basically purple, one darker like real amethyst and one a touch lighter, like violet, and there are teeny tiny white chunks throughout between some of the crystals. The outside of the geode is all jagged and slightly chipped, with mostly colors other than white like violet or even brown. That’s all I can really describe, thanks!
What about Vogel crystals?
I know there is a lot of debate, and certainly a TON of fakes, but the photos of the “original” Vogels, particularly those sold on the sites owned by the only two cutters trained by Vogel himself, look to be glass, tbh. They are perfectly clear except for small, what appear to be round, bubbles.
So are Vogels cut and polished glass? Or are they genuine quartz that has been precision cut and polished into the classic Vogel shapes?
Hi ,there.I recently bought a point of lapis lazuli.It came into a very deep ,dark blue with a bit of shines .I was very exited about it and I started meditate with the crystal place on my forehead ,where the third eye should be .I accidentally felt asleep during the meditation and wake up with a purple blue mark of the point on my forehead .Is this a sign that is a fake crystal or is just dyed ?I paid 9,99 for it .Fo you think is just plastic or real ?How do I recognise if is s fake ?
Hi, so I would like to start by saying thank you for your post, there were some very helpful tips in there. I know many people might not like what I’m about to say though, but this is my opinion on fakes, color enhancement, and real. So some real stones are more than most lower/ fixed income individuals can afford. While fakes(glass at least) may not have energy naturally, thus not always great for healing, they could potentially still be energized and used for things like grids. After all anything we put energy and truly believe will work then it still will, because we made it so. Color enhanced stones do still have natural properties and thus as long as a seller is honest about it I don’t have issues with them. I am aware some people are far more attuned to energies, and can see why they would steer clear of both fake and enhance. So in my opinion, if fake is all you can afford as long as you believe it will work it will so buy it. Also I wanted to include some tips I learned from both hibiscus moon and others. Please keep in mind these are not always 100% accurate as hibiscus moon stated the only real way to know is lab testing which is often expensive. Most sellers, not all, coming from China on eBay mostly likely are fake or enhanced (at least on stones starting under $5 is my experience). Another good test for quartz is the glass scratch test. If a quartz is able to scratch a piece of glass easily odds are its real. To test a for dyed stones simply use acetone it will remove dyes quickly. RESEARCH the type of stone before doing this though. As some stones that are natural get their color by iron ore dust ( usually from what I’ve seen) coating the stone, such as tangerine quartz and fire quartz ( these are technically the same stone but the more settled to create different coloration). Again I love the information hibiscus moon puts out. I just wanted to say in my opinion there is nothing wrong with a fake stone, if you believe it will work for you, but again might not be the best for healing purposes. I typically use my man maxes for grids, spells ect after charging them of course.
So, I don’t know how to evaluate, I am very excited to have many friends very interested in crystal. because I am also a crystal bead jewelry seller, specializing in selling high-quality crystal beads, this is our website: cailinger.com
Our gemstone products are from China, located in the world-famous Shenzhen Shuibei jewelry market. I searched for crystal information on crystal bead strings on the Internet to find your blog, such as price, quality.
There is another question, can you review our online store? Thanks 🙂
Hi! Just a question… I heard you say before on a video somewhere here on your site that hematite should not be magnetic and if it is that its fake.. so, my question is this, how can it NOT be magnetic given the fact that it has iron ore in it? and if its not supposed to be magnetic what are we supposed to be looking for to tell the difference?
Your analysis helps me better understand the different types of gemstones.
I am wondering feng shui bracelets at a store I have found here:
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Can you give me advice if I should buy them
What about obsidian? In my understanding it is a form of vulcanic glass, but somebody was trying to sell me “aqua obsidian” which looks like blue beach glass and it has air bubbles inside. Definite fake?
I just made a purchase from spiritmagicka. Do you know if it is reputable? source. I can’t really tell on the crystals I already have.
Thank you so much!
How about the dreamcoat lemurian?? Is it natural??? Looks like the fire quartz.Thanks
Does reconstituted quartz have air bubbles like glass?
A question…
Is dyed quartz, or any other dyed stone or crystal, still ok for spiritual work? Obviously not the highest quality, but would it still hold the attributes of the original stone? The earth knows, but I don’t ????
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I recently bought a package of rocks (untumbled), and am having a hard time deciding whether my Hematite, Rose Quartz, and Amethyst is real.
The majority of the rocks in this package are dyed, but I only bought it for those three.
Miss Hibiscus, I’d really like guidance on this!
So, it seems like most crystals sold online are probably fakes, great. Scratching glass and your head to figure out if the clear quartz you just bought is fake or real. After reading this website and most of the responses, it still does not answer the questions: 1. Where are the sellers who can be trusted to sell real quartz? 2. And, how to do you test your clear Quartz crystals to know for sure if they are real. This website fails to address those very simple questions.
There is good information in this article, but it is not 100% accurate. There IS real Strawberry Quartz which is included with Hematite needles and I believe Lepidocrocite. Also there is very rare “Mango” Quartz from Colombia that is technically called Halloysite Quartz. Not all “fruity names” mean that the crystal is fake. That is just simply not true at all.
I hope you can help me. I bought some “crystal” shaped mushrooms on Amazon. A lot were glass, but I’m having trouble identifying the fake howlite and blue howlite. They’re cold to the touch and broke cleanly, smooth but not shiny like glass (no powder or rough surface). The fine veining goes all the way through, and the blue howlite is blue all the way through too. I know it’s not Howlite or Magnesite. Water doesn’t phase it. Can you please help me? I don’t want to sell fakes. I’m pretty sure it’s a fake, but how?
Thank you for your article, it’s quite useful to help me pind fakes crystals.
I think most of crystal collectors may exprerience fake gemstones. So I have carefully read your article twice. It inspire me a lot. Thank U
I enjoyed reading this article about 7 crystals for anxiety healing. I have some of them at home and they really help me feel calm and relaxed. I also love fluorite for its soothing energy and beautiful colors. Check out for some amazing fluorite products
I found the following site looking for a Crystal , are these guys legit?
https://www.vogelcutcrystals.com