Spotting fake crystals can be challenging, but with some tips, you can develop a discerning eye. Here’s a guide to help identify real versus fake crystals:
Examine Color and Transparency
• Real Crystals: Natural crystals often have a range of colors and may appear cloudy or have slight imperfections, inclusions, or color variations. They rarely look completely uniform.
• Fake Crystals: Artificial or dyed crystals may appear overly vibrant, overly saturated, or unnaturally uniform in color. Some fakes are made of glass, which often appears more transparent and flawless than natural crystals.
Check Weight and Temperature
• Real Crystals: Natural stones like quartz and amethyst feel heavier than they look due to their density. Real crystals also tend to feel cool to the touch initially and warm slowly.
• Fake Crystals: Fakes, especially glass or plastic, may feel lighter or warmer. They warm up much faster than natural crystals.
Inspect for Air Bubbles
• Real Crystals: Natural crystals don’t usually have air bubbles. Exceptions exist (like in certain quartz), but bubbles are rare in most genuine stones.
• Fake Crystals: Glass fakes often have small air bubbles trapped inside. Hold the stone up to the light to inspect for bubbles.
Observe the Surface Texture
• Real Crystals: Natural stones have a slightly rough, uneven texture. Even polished stones usually feel subtly textured due to microscopic irregularities.
• Fake Crystals: Fakes, especially glass or plastic, often feel too smooth and slick. Plastics may feel almost waxy or “too perfect.”
Research the Crystal’s Known Properties
• Real Crystals: Each type of crystal has certain attributes, like color, hardness, and density. For example, rose quartz should be a muted pink, while citrine should range from pale yellow to brown.
• Fake Crystals: Sometimes fakes are sold with colors or shapes that are too good to be true. For instance, bright purple “amethyst” or neon-colored quartz is often fake or dyed.
Do a Scratch Test (Cautiously)
• Real Crystals: Most real crystals are quite hard. Quartz, for instance, is a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale and should not scratch easily.
• Fake Crystals: Glass or other imitations often scratch more easily. (Note: Only do this test if you’re okay with the possibility of damaging the stone.)
Ask for Certification or Provenance
• Reputable Sellers: Look for sellers who can offer some form of certification or at least transparency about the source of their stones.
• Less Reputable Sellers: Beware of sellers who can’t answer basic questions about their crystals’ origins. Lower prices or mysterious sourcing can be red flags.
Use UV Light (for Certain Stones)
• Real Crystals: Some stones, like fluorite and calcite, naturally fluoresce under UV light, glowing in unique colors.
• Fake Crystals: Imitations may not react to UV light, or the reaction might look less natural.
Know Commonly Faked Crystals
• Frequently Faked Stones: Certain stones, like turquoise, lapis lazuli, moldavite, and malachite, are often faked because they’re highly valued. For instance:
• Turquoise is often faked with dyed howlite.
• Moldavite can be mimicked by green glass.
• Malachite may be faked with plastic due to its unique banded appearance.
Do the Heat Test (if safe)
• Real Crystals: When real crystals are heated slightly, they do not smell, burn, or change much.
• Fake Crystals: Some fakes, especially plastic ones, might release a chemical smell or begin to melt under a lighter flame. Be careful with this test, though, as some stones can crack with
