HOW TO SPOT FAKE CRYSTALS
February 19 2020
Dear crystal lovers,
Today’s blogpost is all about fake crystals and how to spot them.
I was surprised when one of the first things that I noticed as a crystal seller was how many fake crystals there are, how difficult it can be to tell, and how many degrees of alterations there are.
As a designer I absolutely love man made objects. As a crystal seller I don’t.
What I fell in love with with crystals was first of all their unbelievable beauty but also the geology and science. Crystals are different from anything else on this planet: they are defined by being solid, naturally occurring and inorganic, having a fixed chemical formula and atoms that are arranged in a specific crystal structure. Every crystal’s atoms are arranged in an ordered repeated three dimensional pattern which defines the crystal’s features and appearance. They are perfectly packed with energy, created over millions of years and nothing we as human beings can create can compare. To me they are nothing short of amazing.
My intention with this blogpost is first of all to make clear to you guys where AVIUVI stands on these various alterations, and secondly to provide you with a guide for what to look out for when choosing a crystal or crystal seller.
I sincerely feel sorry for those who want to explore crystals and end up being scammed. I’m sure that there are a lot of well meaning crystal seller who don’t inform costumers on how the crystals were altered or all together artificially made, because they themselves were not properly informed by their retailers. However, I have come across both popular Danish and international crystal sellers who do know that they are pushing fake crystals as if they were the real deal. Don’t be fooled by the natural and holistic look, the soft facial expressions, the profound spiritual messages or celebrity endorsement - these scammers know exactly what they are doing. The thing about crystals is that the industry it is not really regulated and unfortunately that makes it very easy for sellers to lie to their costumers.
When people are looking for help through crystals - or in any kind for spiritual practice for that matter they are vulnerable and that is what these sellers are exploiting. I can’t imagine how they justify their actions but somehow they do.
So I want to provide a little bit of clarifying that hopefully can help you navigate the world of crystals, and find crystal sellers that you trust.
First of all I want to mention that there are various degrees of fake crystals that go from ‘man altered’ to ‘man made’. Here I have listed some of the most common ones.
CUT AND POLISHED
Most crystals available are cut and polished. That of cause doesn’t make them fake, but it definitely makes them altered. The reason why crystals are cut and polished is that it is a way to make an otherwise unattractive crystal look more beautiful. It is also a way for retailers to create standardized products that are easier to sell.
Personally I love cut and polished crystals - beautiful spheres, big tumbled stones and clear quartz points. But they are not natural, and the price difference between a natural point and a cut and polished point is huge.
One way to tell if your crystal is cut and polished is simply by running your fingers over the surface and feel if it is completely smooth. These types of crystals are also typically very symmetrical and have softened edges on the bottom.
AVIUVI does sell cut and polished crystals whenever I find unique and beautiful examples, and it will always say so in the accompanying text.
COATED
Aura Quartz look pretty so it’s understandable why they are popular especially amongst new crystal collectors.
Aura Quartz is an artificial way to make less valuable crystals more appealing. By chemically bonding a metal such as gold, silver or platinum to the crystal it appears to have an iridescent glow. Another way of making them look more attractive is by simply applying metallic paint.
I’m not particularly fond of either of these methods (perhaps for the same reason that I wouldn’t appreciate a metal coated tree) but I do however understand the visual appeal.
It is easy to tell if a crystal has been coated, because it looks very unnatural, and retailers typically will call them something along the lines of ‘angel’, ‘rainbow’ or ‘sunset’ Aura Quartz.
AVIUVI does not sell coated crystals.
DYED
I have seen a lot of dyed crystals at trade shows, mostly geodes and agates artificially colored pink, purple, blue and green. Obviously they are not natural, and often the dye will rub off when you touch it. There are dyed crystals where it can be hard to tell especially with the more pale color tones.
Another example of dyed crystals is Howlite that is colored blue to resemble Turquoise.
Like Aura Quartz I personally don’t see the point of selling our buying artificially colored crystals for either metaphysical or aesthetic reasons.
AVIUVI does not sell dyed crystals.
GLUED
A tendency that I unfortunately have come across is glued crystals. This is either one type of smaller crystals like Pyrite glued together into a big cluster or just random broken off crystal chips that sellers putt together without telling their costumers. This is of course in no way okay, and to me is just a straight up scam.
AVIUVI does not sell glued crystals.
BAKED
,Baking crystals’ is a method used to make poor quality Amethyst turn yellow in order to sell them as the more rare and expensive Citrine.
I see fake Citrine all the time at retailers and trade shows, and unfortunately I see a lot of bloggers, Instagramers and YouTubers referring to baked Amethyst as Citrine. I am sure that many crystal sellers and collectors are not aware that what they are recommending is actually a fake, however I do know that there are sellers who consciously want to mislead and twist the truth to make a profit.
Generally it is easy to spot a fake citrine. Firstly real Citrine is quite rare and expensive, so the price should be an indicator.
Secondly the color of a fake citrine is typically gradient going from a white base to brown, orange or yellow.
Thirdly genuine tumbled citrine is highly unlikely for the simple reason that this crystal is expensive. As I mentioned earlier cutting, tumbling and polishing is used for less valuable crystals, and for real Citrine the value would surely decrease.
AVIUVI does not sell baked crystals.
MAN MADE
100% man made crystals are unfortunately a widespread phenomenon, for the simple reason that they are easy and inexpensive to make. Typically they are made out of clear or colored glass and resin to resemble quartz.
Fake tumbled crystals can be hard to spot, but a hardness test such as scratching it could indicate wether it is real or not.
With rarer crystals such as Opal, Moonstone and Onyx as well as the tektites Moldavite and Libyan Desert Glass it can be difficult to tell and you might need a magnifying glass or jeweler’s loupe to see the details.
Another type of fake crystals are resin mixed with small crystals or metals, such as Goldstone.
AVIUVI does not sell man made crystals.
I encourage you to do a Google Image search so you know how to recognize a fake crystal when you see it.
I hope this list will be helpful to you the next time you consider buying a crystal, and if you are interested I will be happy to share more information. Also let me know if you want to share any experiences you have had with fake crystals - leave a comment or send me an email at mail.aviuvi@gmail.com.
Lots of Love!
AM