Fake Crystals: What to Look Out For

Don't Get Scammed When Shopping for Crystals

It's easy to get scammed when buying crystals online. Fake crystals, which include those imitated using a different natural stone, have been around for thousands of years.

A manufacturer usually produces a fake product to meet high demand, especially for something rare or in short supply. Imitations and fakes can be sold for a lower price, allowing the seller to make a profit while offering a cheaper alternative.

Generally speaking, imitation and fake are not the same. People who buy imitations do so in the knowledge of what they're buying. These products don't tend to be produced to deceive people into believing they're buying the real thing. 

With regard to rocks and minerals, imitation pearls and opals are a good example.

Many people buy products knowing they're fake, which is fine if that's what they want to do. It only becomes a problem when something is sold with the intention of deceiving or defrauding someone into believing it's genuine. 

Although fake products are often sold at a lower price, they can also be sold at the same price and, in some cases, are even more expensive than the genuine item.

Fake stones are often made from synthetic materials such as glass, resin or plastic. They can also be produced by dyeing cheaper, more readily available minerals. 

Mineral Manipulation: The Art of Deception

Howlite (pictured above), which can be white or grey, is often used to produce fake turquoise. Its dark-coloured veins make it a popular choice because they're difficult to reproduce in a synthetic material.

Another crystal that's often fake is quartz. Many crystal balls being sold are glass or lead crystal. Lead crystal is glass infused with lead, which enhances its optical properties. Lead is added during manufacturing to increase the refractive index, which makes the glass more reflective and sparkly.

The more lead that's added, the greater the brilliance and clarity.   
The crystal balls in these photos are being sold in a well-known online marketplace. The iridescence in quartz comes from the interference of light as it passes through the crystal.

Interference occurs when light waves interact with each other as they enter a crystal and bounce around inside. Refraction and dispersion also contribute to the rainbows that can be seen.

The colour in these crystal balls is not being produced naturally. They've been coated with a metallic material or another substance.

When a thin layer of titanium dioxide is applied to a surface, it creates an iridescent effect because of its ability to interact with light.

A Chinese business posted these listings on a popular social media platform, but I've seen the same crystal balls being sold by businesses in the UK and U.S.A.

On one website I visited, the business states that it only buys crystals that have been ethically and sustainably sourced. Yet they've bought crystal balls, probably unknowingly, that have been coated to produce iridescence. And there's a good possibility they may not even be quartz. 
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The history of fake crystals can be traced back to ancient civilisations. Turquoise is believed to have been the first stone to have been imitated.

The ancient Egyptians placed great importance on burying the deceased with items of value. Tombs containing genuine and fake turquoise have been discovered. It was produced from materials including glass and faience. Faience is glazed ceramic.

Amethyst is also known to have been imitated by the ancient Egyptians, while the ancient Greeks and Romans produced fake rubies and emeralds using coloured glass and enamel.

In recent years, the demand for imitation gemstones has been driven by the desire for affordable versions of expensive stones.
This gemstone is being sold as 'natural' lemon quartz. Lemon quartz doesn't occur naturally. It's produced by heating low-grade citrine, amethyst or smoky quartz.

Labelling it as 'natural' demonstrates the seller is either unaware it doesn't occur naturally or is not being honest. That said, mislabeling a stone that's been heated to alter its colour is not the same as selling something fake.

Heat treatments, which are a commonly accepted practice, are generally considered to be an enhancement. Therefore, it's not deception to call this stone lemon quartz, but it is when you call it 'natural' lemon quartz.

Another company I found online is selling this citrine geode. On their website, the owner states they travel the world in search of the finest minerals and gemstones. 

Natural citrine, which is relatively rare, rarely occurs as a geode. One article I read on what appeared to be a trustworthy geology-related website spoke in great detail about citrine and its occurrence as a geode. All of their photos were heated amethyst.

Burnt orange-coloured crystals tell you immediately that it's amethyst that's been heated.

Almost all citrine geodes being sold, especially large pieces like this, are heated amethyst. Calling this geode citrine is acceptable, but labelling it as 'natural' citrine raises serious questions.

Three factors impact the accuracy of information published about crystals, rocks, and minerals. The first is a business's lack of expertise or knowledge, which can lead to a misunderstanding about the material being sold.

The second relates to those who deliberately choose to deceive by providing false or misleading information. The third involves those who are blatantly fraudulent. These people are actively seeking to deceive and scam you.

They'll tell you their shungite is the finest grade when it's actually rock that contains small amounts of shungite. They'll sell you lapis lazuli that's probably dyed sodalite, or fake turquoise that may be howlite or worse still, is something synthetic.

This is a good example of fake moldavite. It looks like green glass, but an even more obvious clue is the price. If a piece of moldavite of this size were to be found, which would be highly unusual, it would sell for a serious amount of money.  
In recent years, opalised fluorite has been sold as Tiffany Stone. Tiffany Stone is a rare opalised fluorite from Utah. The deposit where it's found has been closed for many years, so it's difficult to find and is highly sought after.

Heated amethyst is often sold as citrine, smoky quartz is often clear quartz that's been heated, and black onyx is mostly dyed agate or chalcedony. Natural black onyx is rare.

Most stones labelled as onyx are banded calcite. Calcite is more readily available, so it's cheaper and also softer, making it easier to work with.  

I recently found a stone being sold as lapis howlite. Lapis howlite does not exist, it's dyed howlite. Even after being reduced, these stones are more expensive than our grade A lapis lazuli from Afghanistan.
Sadly, the internet is full of examples like this. The problem has exploded in recent years because of vast amounts of merchandise coming from China. Another contributing factor is that it's now so easy for anyone to sell almost anything online.  

Many small businesses buy directly from overseas suppliers, which can make effective communication difficult due to language and cultural differences. Furthermore, finding honest and trustworthy people to do business with is not easy. 

The stones in this next photo are not blue tigers eye. They look like they could be dyed brown tigers eye.

Navigating the Maze of Misinformation

An attractive well-designed website can attract considerable traffic, but establishing who the business is and whether the content is accurate is not easy.

I recently discovered a website with hundreds of articles on various subjects. Although many were fairly accurate, some, particularly those regarding rocks and minerals, were not. This paragraph talks about minerals that can be submerged in water. 

 

The sole purpose of the Mohs scale of mineral hardness is to measure the scratch resistance of one mineral against another. While it's true that many soft minerals do not react well to water, the reason is not because of their hardness.

Most inaccurate information published online comes about because of copying and republishing other people's work, but there are several other reasons as well.

Lack of verification:
Many people don't take the time to verify the accuracy of information before republishing it, which means more of the original content is likely to be lost each time.

Social Media: Information published on social media often aligns with someone's beliefs or biases, and posts often lack accuracy.

Clickbait: People who create content solely to improve engagement may exaggerate or distort information to make it more appealing.

Plagiarism: Google has been trying to eradicate plagiarism for many years. Plagiarised content is usually rewritten to appear as if it's an original piece of work. It's common for information that's rewritten to be misunderstood or misinterpreted.

The following article, which discusses how to identify fake crystals, was published by a U.S.-based business. Due to its length, it ranks well on Google and receives a large amount of traffic. So much of the content is inaccurate that it's difficult to know where to start. 

The scale is called the "Mohs" scale because it was named after Friedrich Mohs. Real crystals do not score higher. Rocks and minerals are given a number according to their hardness.   

Diamond, the hardest mineral, grades 10. The softest is talc, which grades 1. Gypsum grades 2 and calcite grades 3. These three soft minerals are all natural.

What the author says about how to tell whether a crystal is fake is also incorrect.
While crystals with exotic names may raise suspicions about being fake, it's unreliable.  

Spinels are found close to San Carlos, Gila County, Arizona. Therefore, a spinel mined there may be called Arizona Spinel.

"Blue moonstone" is often used to describe moonstone with a blue hue. Moonstone is natural.

Historically, many coloured translucent gemstones were believed to be topaz. Only in the last two hundred years was it discovered that this was not correct. Today, it's not uncommon for smoky quartz to be mislabelled as smoky topaz, but this is usually an innocent mistake caused by a lack of knowledge.
This natural Strawberry Quartz gemstone is from Kazakhstan. The pendant is from our collection. Because Strawberry Quartz is relatively rare, a huge amount of fake material is produced. 

The website where I found this information has a vast reference section. In another article, they write that opalite is also known as opalised fluorite, ice cream opal, and Tiffany Stone.

Opalite and Tiffany Stone have nothing in common. The names opalised fluorite and ice cream opal are used, albeit incorrectly, as alternative names for Tiffany Stone. Tiffany Stone is a rock, opalite is glass.

On their product page for opalite they say, "This man-made version of opal is 100% natural. A one-of-a-kind stone with a letter of authenticity.

Opalite, which is opalescent glass, is manufactured mostly in China. How can a man-made material be 100% natural?  More worryingly, what does the letter of authenticity confirm?
This post from another crystal website says blue lace agate is unique to Ysterputs. Although the Ysterputs mine in Southern Namibia is where blue lace agate was discovered, it's not unique to that location because it can also be found in several other African countries.

Some sellers use misleading descriptions or make false claims about the origin, composition, and purpose of certain rocks and minerals. This may be done knowingly or due to a lack of knowledge about the product being sold.  

Stock photos are widely used to mislead buyers into thinking the crystals in the photo are from their collection.

Many people who sell crystals online do not publish a trading address. Many companies in India and China deceive potential customers by publishing a UK business address.

Technology has influenced the production of fake crystals, and it's now cheaper and easier than ever to create high-quality imitation stones. Although some fakes can be easily identified, others are not so obvious. 

 

How to Tell if a Crystal is Genuine?

Several tests can be conducted to establish whether a crystal is genuine, but most will cause some level of destruction.

A scratch test can evaluate hardness by comparing the scratch resistance of one stone with another. This is helpful when a natural stone has been dyed to replicate a different mineral.

Calcite and aragonite react to acid by fizzing and may even dissolve. Other minerals, including fluorite may fluoresce under UV light. Magnetite is magnetic.

A streak test can be used to identify minerals based on the colour of the streak. Streak is the powdery residue produced when a mineral is rubbed against a hard surface. It's not always the same colour as the stone.

Examining optical properties or lustre may also help with identification. The way light reflects or passes through a crystal can often be helpful. Think of the crystal ball that's been coated to produce iridescence.

Check for unnaturally vivid colours or patterns that seem too symmetrical. This is a good way to identify fake malachite. A natural crystal, rock or mineral will always feel cold to touch. Fake stones made from plastic or resin are likely to be lightweight. 

Heat the end of a pin and make contact with the stone. If it's synthetic, it will melt, or you may smell burning. Nail polish remover removes dye. Use a cotton bud to test a small area.

Verifying Authenticity: Use Trustworthy Resources

A trustworthy reference or resource can help you learn about a crystal, rock or mineral you're considering buying.

Alternatively, you could post a question on a platform like Reddit or Quora. Someone with geological experience will likely respond, and the answers you receive will, in most cases, be more accurate than if you posted the same question on Facebook or Instagram. 

Mindat is the world's largest open database of rocks and minerals. The website also has a comprehensive discussion area.

Another website I use often is Friends of Minerals Forum. The interface is not very user-friendly, but don't let that put you off.  

Geology.com is another site that's definitely worth exploring.

The Articles & Photos section on our website and our blog contain a huge amount of carefully researched information. Our articles also include photos that can be used for comparison.

Article Photos

All of the rocks and minerals in the pop-up photos in this article come from our collection. Except for the fake turquoise and fake malachite.