Did you know that this crystal is FAKE? Wait – or is it? Here’s a set of questions to ask to find out. You can make up your own mind! Read on for some common crystal fakes – explained!
In our previous article, we took a look at common processes that crystals undergo between coming out the ground and landing on the shelf. Knowing this helps us to better understand what ‘enhanced’ crystals are. Now, let’s look at some common ‘FAKE’ crystals. But… are they fake? We’ll give you a set of questions to ask to find out! You can use these questions on crystals you’re dubious about going forward, too!
What Is A Fake Crystal?
fake1/feɪk/
adjective: not genuine; imitation or counterfeit. noun: a thing that is not genuine; a forgery or sham.
A fake crystal, by definition, is a product proclaiming to be a certain crystal when it is not. Examples of this include: selling a piece of coloured glass or a synthetic product (resin/plastic) and calling it a ‘crystal’; dyeing or treating a crystal and selling it as another (more expensive) crystal.
A fake crystal, by definition, is a product proclaiming to be a certain crystal when it is in fact NOT.
It is up to you to know what it is you are buying AND it is up to reputable sellers to be transparent and educate customers about where crystals come from, and how they are formed. As we discussed in the first article of this series, ‘Is This Crystal Real or Fake‘, KNOW THY SELLER!
When looking into a crystal’s authenticity, these four questions will help you:
IS THIS CRYSTAL FAKE OR ENHANCED?
- Did the finished product form naturally in the earth?
- Does it consist of real, natural crystal/mineral – or is it synthetic (glass/plastic/resin)?
- Is it imitating something else that does occur naturally (pretending to be something it’s not?)
- Is it a natural crystal that has been enhanced and sold as itself? Or is it being sold under a different name? Does its name give you any information?
Common Fakes Explained
Here are a few crystals that are often called “FAKE”. Let’s see how they are made, and decide if they are in fact FAKE or ENHANCED. It’s a fine line, and you can make up your own mind. The more you know, the more empowered you are!
AURA QUARTZ
Personally, I LOVE this group of crystals. They are just so beautiful! Are they fake? This is a great example of the “fine line” – you decide!
Aura Quartz does not form naturally under the earth. HOWEVER it is real, natural, from the earth, clear Quartz crystal that is then bonded with real, natural, from the earth precious metals, like Titanium, Silver and Gold. It undergoes a special heat and pressure process that results in the absolutely stunning rainbow effects on the surface of the Quartz.
Aura Quartz doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not, or imitate a naturally occurring crystal. There are no other crystals that look like Aura Quartz.
Let’s apply our FAKE OR NOT Questions:
- Did the finished product form naturally in the earth? No. It does NOT form naturally under the earth (although the Quartz and the metals DO form naturally, separately).
- Does it consist of real, natural crystal/mineral, or is it synthetic (glass/plastic/resin)? Real. It consists of real natural Quartz and precious metals, no synthetics.
- Pretending to be something it’s not? No. It is not imitating something else.
- Is it a natural crystal that has been enhanced and sold as itself? Or is it being sold under a different name? Does the name give you any info? The name does give some info – it is Quartz, and the “Aura” refers to the group of crystals enhanced by precious metals. The “Aura” part of the name also references the pretty metallic rainbow hues associated with this group of stones.
So what do you think?
DYED HOWLITE / TURQUENITE
Howlite is white Magnesite with grey to black veins running through the stone. Howlite is widely available and inexpensive. It is a common practice to dye the stone blue. This is what Howlite looks like without dye:
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Howlite Crystal Tower 18cmR820.00 -
Howlite Crystal Tower 17.5cmR580.00
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Howlite Crystal Tower 17.5cmR780.00
Turquoise Facts:
- Turquoise is not widely available.
- It is very expensive.
- Turquoise occurs in a range of colours and shapes depending on the location it is from.
When Howlite is dyed blue, it can look VERY much like Turquoise. Often, dyed blue Howlite is sold as Turquoise – sometimes by shop owners who themselves don’t know any better. It’s really very hard to tell the difference! Both are real stones, and their feel and weight are similar.
In fact it is so hard to tell the difference, and the market has become so flooded with these imitations, that I personally haven’t bought Turquoise to sell in the shop in over 5 years. There are a few tests you can try, but none are definitive unless you’re willing to break the stone.
HOWLITE VS TURQUOISE TESTS:
- HARDNESS: Howlite (hardness approx 3.5) is softer than Turquoise (hardness approx 5-6), so in theory, it would by easier to scratch the surface of Howlite than Turquoise. Unless you have genuine Turquoise in front of you to compare it with, and you don’t mind accidentally scratching the real deal, it’s a tricky test.
- INTERNAL COLOUR: If the stone is dyed, it would imply the surface of the stone is dyed and the middle of the stone would still be white. Happy to cut it open to have a peak?
- SURFACE DISTRIBUTION: In general, Turquoise will have darker and lighter patches/areas and natural colour variations across the surface of the stone, whereas a dyed stone will be one solid colour throughout. Sometimes this is an easy tell – the stone just looks too perfect and all over one colour. However, I’ve seen variations on fakes, so again it’s not a perfect test.
When Howlite is dyed and sold as Turquoise it is definitely a fake – there’s no two ways about it. It is imitating something else, of a far greater value. But what if it is sold under the name “blue Howlite”? It’s a natural crystal, it is being sold as itself, but it has been enhanced with dye.
Sometimes, it’s sold as “Turquenite”. Now it really gets a little grey-area-ish, because the term ‘Turquenite’ has been used by the jewellery industry to refer specifically to dyed blue Howlite since the 1970’s. So the name ‘Turquenite’ literally means ‘dyed blue Howlite’. Ok, let’s do FAKE OR NOT.
Let’s apply our FAKE OR NOT Questions:
- Did the finished product form naturally under the earth? No
- Does it consist of real, natural crystal/mineral – or is it synthetic (glass/plastic/resin)? Real (but the dye may be synthetic).
- Is it imitating something else, that does occur naturally? Yes, when sold as Turquoise….but no, not really, when sold as Turquenite.
- Is it a natural crystal that has been enhanced and sold as itself? Or is it being sold under a different name? Does its name give you any information? As Turquenite, it can be considered to be enhanced, but sold under a different name.
So what is your verdict?
CITRINE
Citrine is the name given to yellow Quartz crystal. It forms when the Quartz crystal contains certain iron mineral inclusions and is exposed to heat. As the material reaches thermal stability, the heat causes a fine distribution of the included iron minerals (mostly Hematite and Goethite) present in the Quartz, and this creates the yellow shade that we call Citrine.
When Quartz is in the earth and conditions are just right, the earth’s geo-thermal heat from within the mantle does the trick. Heated Citrine is when Quartz is carefully heated at the mine to match this process.
Natural Citrine is actually considered to be rare. We are extremely lucky to get as much stock as we do here in South Africa, mostly because we’re close to areas where it is mined, such as the Congo.
Natural Citrine has more of a ‘dirty’ appearance in general, since the process is natural and uncontrolled. Sometimes it’s almost clear, and other times it can be quite smoky, with just a hint of pale yellow colouring. It is easy to spot the difference once you know what you’re looking for.
Natural Citrine Polished Points Natural Citrine Cluster Natural Citrine ‘Kundalini’ Natural Citrine double terminated points
Heated Citrine rough points Heated Citrine tumbled stone Heated Citrine drusy cluster Heated Citrine crystal pendant Heated Citrine polished point
A large portion (perhaps, most) of Citrine that is sold on the market is in fact heat treated.
Generally speaking, heated Citrine is more affordable than naturally occurring Citrine (due to the latter’s rarity), and has a brighter, clearer yellow gold or orange gold colour.
Ok, you’ve got the facts. Is Citrine that is heated by the mine and not by the earth’s geo-thermal heat REAL or FAKE?
Let’s apply our FAKE OR NOT Questions:
- Did the finished product form naturally under the earth? No
- Does it consist of real, natural crystal/mineral – or is it synthetic (glass/plastic/resin)? Real
- Is it imitating something else, that does occur naturally? Tough question. Not really – it IS Citrine by all chemical definitions, but the HEAT SOURCE was not natural…
- Is it a natural crystal that has been enhanced and sold as itself? Or is it being sold under a different name? Does its name give you any information? Usually it is sold as Citrine without any name difference. Some shops (like us) say “Heated Citrine” to differentiate.
Personally, I like both. I like gridding with the bright yellow heated Citrine AND I love the earthiness of a natural Citrine point. But is heated Citrine fake? What do you think?
Also in this series:
