As with everything else in life, there are always people who want to scam you.  And crystals are no exception.  If you’re looking to buy your first crystal, Buyer Beware.  Make sure you’re not buying a fake or man-made one. 

So, how to tell the difference?  

If you’re buying online, you need to do your research.  There are a lot of articles on how to spot fake crystals with just a simple Google search. But the main thing is, real crystals will cost more than a fake.  Usually.  And stay away from Amazon.  There are some real crystal sellers there, but there are a ton who sell fake.  If you aren’t knowledgeable enough, yet, don’t buy from them. You might want to go to a local crystal shop and at least look at them up close.  Still, even they can get scammed by fakes.  

You finally broke down and bought that yummy crystal you just had to have.  How can you tell if it’s real?

1: Touch.  If it doesn’t feel cold, or cool, to the touch, it’s not real.  When I pick up some of my bigger Clear Quartz spheres, no matter how long I hold them, they never really warm up.  Glass will warm up in a matter of seconds. 

2: Weight.  Crystals are a stone / rock, therefore, they should have some weight to them.  If it feels too light, it’s probably a fake.  Some crystals have pyrite or iron inclusions, so, yeah, they should be hefty, even a smaller piece. 

3: Color. Some crystals are very bright and colorful but they are natural looking colors.  People who sell fake ones, know that bright, brilliant colors catches the buyer’s eyes.  So, if you see some with vivid, brilliant colors, they are dyed.  In most cases, the dye is placed in a REAL crystal, so they aren’t actually fake, but you aren’t getting what you paid for either. 

4: Bubbles. A naturally occurring crystal will usually form with cracks, scratches, or inclusions embedded in them.  They will not have bubbles.  If you see a crystal with bubbles, then it’s glass and a fake. 

These are just a few ways to look for a fake crystal.  You can find out more HERE.

Malachite is a very popular crystal and everyone wants to own one.  Not just as a tower, or sphere, but people love wearing it as jewelry.  Sadly, most of what you see on Amazon is fake.  

What to look for in REAL Malachite.

First, the color bandings.  Malachite is made of various colors of green.  From very dark to lighter greens.  You will NEVER see black bands on natural Malachite.

Second, the banding isn’t uniform.  Natural Malachite is formed with bubbles, or circles, in the banding.  It’s one of the most faked crystals on the market.  So be sure to check the banding of any item you want to buy.  

This necklace came in after I made the above video but I wanted to include it as it’s a great example of a real Malachite piece of jewelry.  Notice the banding isn’t uniform and that all the colors are a variation of green.  

One of my all time favorite crystals is Citrine, and I’ve spent a lot of money of them.  Here again, you have to keep your eye out for the natural occurring Citrine. This also takes us to crystals that have been altered by man to imitate something else. 

Citrine is part of the quartz family, just like Amethyst and Smoky Quartz.  In fact, Citrine and Amethyst are known to form together.  I’m not sure of the different stages of formation between Citrine and Amethyst, but Citrine comes from the longest exposure to heat and pressure.  Amethyst and Smoky Quartz are a few steps above it.

Because Citrine is in high demand and there is less natural Citrine, they will take Amethyst, or Smoky Quartz, and man-make them into Citrine by heat treating them.  These ae called heat-treated Citrine.  Yes, they are formed from a real crystals, but it’s not what you’re paying for. 

If you look at the above video, you’ll see examples of some of my Citrines, that I know are man-made.  Unfortunately, this practice has been going on for generations, so sellers do not have to tell buyers that it is a heat-treated product.  

Another crystal on the market that’s 90% fake is Turquoise.  Yes, Turquoise.  Keep that in mind.  90% of what you see is Howlite dyed blue to disguise it as Turquoise.  The one on the left is dyed Howlite.  The one on the right is gorgeous Turquoise.  How can you not tell the difference?  Real Turquoise is very expensive.  Keep that in mind, too. 

As I was doing research for this post, I ran across discrepancies when it comes to Strawberry Quartz.  Is it even real?  I’ve heard about Strawberry Quartz since I started collecting crystals, so I was surprised to find out that maybe it isn’t?  🤔🤔

Turns out, the term Strawberry Quartz is used for marketing.  And the pieces I have in the above video are FAKE.  They re red-dyed Aventurine.  Noooo!  😭😭😭

I was consulting with my crystal group, and I just found out that my K2 Jasper is also a FAKE.  My sphere looks like the picture on the left.  😭😭

I think I need to stop researching otherwise it will ruin my day.  🤣😂  And this is why some people prefer collecting specimens instead of polished pieces.  At this point, the scammers haven’t found a way to fake them. 

At least I hope this helps you figure out what’s real and fake with your crystals.