Look at the little fractures and crevices on the crystal’s surface. If you see darker colors there, it means dye pigment has accumulated in the cracks.
The bubbles might not be noticeable right away—hold the crystal up to your eye or use a magnifying glass to look deep inside.
Glass imposters will have super sharp, clear angles and look highly polished (natural crystals are rarely cut as precisely as glass). Hold your suspicious crystal up to some writing. Real crystals will distort the letters in many directions, but glass will just magnify them. [7] X Research source Compare the price of the crystal to its clarity. If you see a large, perfect emerald that isn’t thousands of dollars, for example, then chances are it’s synthetic. [8] X Research source
This test won’t work for soft crystals like selenite or fluorite, which are below 5 on the Mohs scale. Alternatively, try the drop test. Hard crystals like quartz (a 7 on the Mohs scale) will not break, but glass will shatter or partially break inside its walls. [10] X Research source
This trick is great for exposing plastic, but won’t work if your crystal contains glass. Do this test at home on crystals you already own (most shopkeepers won’t appreciate torching their products in the store!). Plastic crystals will also feel lighter than real ones and scratch more easily.
If a name strikes you as odd and the crystal looks suspiciously clear, sparkly, and perfect, then it’s most likely an imposter.
Look at the number of rare crystals the shop has. If there’s a massive stock of an uncommon stone, chances are that at least some of them are imposters. Real crystals have an energy you can sense. Trust your intuition if you feel like the shop isn’t supplying genuine crystals.
Energetically, heated crystals are almost as vibrant as the stones you’d pluck from the ground and are used by professional healers with great success. [16] X Research source Natural heating in the earth and laboratory heating after mining produce nearly identical results. Even professional jewelers label gems and crystals as “probably heat treated” since it’s so hard to tell!
Synthetics are a great option for attractive, affordable, and ethically-sourced jewelry. Research the average price for the crystal you’re interested in. If the price seems low, you’re probably looking at a man-made crystal. Natural crystals get energy from the unique and rare combination of chemicals, heat, pressure, and luck found naturally within the earth.
Moldavite is popular on TikTok and it’s hard to spot the real thing since it’s a natural glass. Other glasses like obsidian are easily faked, too. [18] X Research source Any quartz can be convincingly faked, especially clear or rose quartz. The imposters are usually made of glass. [19] X Research source Colored glass is also commonly passed off as amethyst, and it can be difficult to tell the difference. Lapiz lazuli, citrine, turquoise, carnelian, agate, and pink or purple jade are commonly faked by dyeing less valuable stones to look more high-quality. [20] X Research source Other common fakes include malachite, fluorite, larimar, and peridot.
