There's been a good deal of discussion in the community about stones and imitation Crystals. The panic is a whole lot more real than that I understood (or I'd have written this site article much sooner!) .

The first thing to do is relax. Take a deep breath and smile. You've come to the ideal place and that I guarantee you, it is way simpler than you think to avoid fake Crystals.

Just as a side note, I want to mention that I use the phrases'Crystals' and'stones' interchangeably within this article because lots of Crystal Healers really do.

Crystals work on higher vibrational frequencies upward toward light and love (if you would like to regularly learn more about these AND receive a completely free introductory guide to why and how Crystals work, consider signing up to my book by clicking here).

So with this in mind, let us let go of fear. Without even bringing anxiety into it at all, even when we goof 21, we can store smart and make purchases.

If you have ever bought a bogus Crystal just to figure out later, this is OKAY- it says NOTHING about you or how awesome you're (hint: you are pretty awesome). Take it by preventing that vendor, and proceed. Keep it if you need, no big thing! If the fake person no more brings you joy, present it to someone else (you can be fair that it no longer syncs with you but there might be somebody who would love it like an artistic expression of an Crystal).

Let's talk the term in hand here: FAKE.

Have a minute (and a breath!) .

I'll say it again- FAKE.

Notice that the feelings it brings up in you. Fear? Doubt? Unworthiness? Poser? You aren't the Crystal. You don't have to identify with this. You're an eternal spiritual being having a human experience that is temporary and you enjoy working to raise your vibrational frequency. Wonderful! Me too! We work to do this. We're not the resources. We are the conscious awareness working toward ourselves by dealing with a number of tools and experiences. When we detach from identifying with things that otherwise bring us fear (thereby lowing our vibrational frequency), we can search through a more objective lens and also make more informed decisions. Anxiety puts body and the brain 'fight or flight' mode and study shows us we do not know as easily or retain the data as well as if we aren't in that manner. So let's all exit the'fight or flight' mode subconsciously brought on by the anxiety associated with the term,'imitation', and continue in the realm of love and learning. (I know, I am a super nerd)

That all being said, let's learn more about just what the expression'imitation crystal' actually means...

I did a poll recently on Instagram asking my 44k+ followers what the term,'fake crystal', means to them. Here's what people mentioned:

Glass

Plastic

Dyed

Chemically Altered

Heated

Imposters (something more affordable being promoted as something expensive)

Homemade/synthetic/other

Whoa. That is a long list! However, I completely understand and these ARE exact concerns to learn more about. Fortunately, most are easier to dispel that you may think.

To Steer Clear of Crystals

Buy from a reputable seller. This would be someone who's not a new vendor. Somebody who has plenty of positive testimonials, followers, and expertise. Find the answer.

Elect for stone. You can literally see the growth structures in rough/raw Crystals and stones which are a huge determining factor in identification. Tumbled and polished are a whole different scenario. The Moh's hardness scale (discussed later in this article ) doesn't work also on tumbled/polished stones and crystals and it is almost impossible to ascertain whether a tumbled/polished rock is dyed.

Let us talk about man made real Crystals...

'Crystal' actually refers to the extremely coordinated atomic growth constructions - many things are genuine crystals like snowflakes and salt (however these are extremely fragile and would not make great impersonations in my personal view ).

What about home made Crystals and stone?

The sole actual Crystals the ordinary individual (because many Crystal sellers are real people, not big businesses ) can MAKE or GROW in their residence are potassium alum or borax Crystals (to my understanding ). Have you made them? Search for the diy on youtube and attempt it yourself. It's a fun little job BUT the final result is a very special Crystal formation that's often EXTREMELY fragile. I honestly doubt it might even survive transport, let alone be a fair impersonation (it would definitely not have the same chemical makeup as the actual thing). That being said, this would be a practice to sell crystals as, as an example, Quartz. Become knowledgeable about potassium alum and borax Crystals and their particular crystalline formation by doing this diy your self and comparing the result to other Crystals in your group.

Growing or making Crystals at home beyond the approaches I mentioned previously is simply not something that is happening. Nobody is climbing Quartz Crystals inside their house (to my own understanding! What a feat that could be!)

Constant fakes to avoid:

There are a number of Crystals and stones that are ALWAYS glass since that's just what they are and they do not form naturally - goldstone, cats eye, and opalite (different than Opal) ARE NOT Crystals or stones and are most commonly made of glass (or occasionally plastic).

Glass and plastic

This leads me to the Moh's Hardness Scale. Everything comes with a hardness that rates on this scale in 1 (talc) to 10 (diamonds). Glass is a 5.5, the fingernail is a 2/2.5,vinyl is 3-4, borax crystals have been all 2.5, Quartz is a 7. The concept behind the hardness scale will be that any item higher on the scale could scratch any surface which is lower. As an instance, Quartz will scratch both glass and plastic but can scratch the Quartz.

This doesn't work as well with tumbled or polished stones as you would have to possibly scratch a number of the end off and harm the stone. Another reason to stay with raw/rough Crystals and stones.

Another consideration that is relevant to glass and plastic is the price (cheaper is better), location of the seller (for some reason, a lot of the polished stone from China are glass), and if the crystal is realistic to have been made from these types of mediums. Developing a raw/rough Crystal from glass is unrealistic (think about how glass is shaped ) and could be seen fairly easily as such. Crystals are like stone - they have sharp, sharp edges, along with an assortment of textures. Glass is much more uniform (hence the usage of glass if impersonating a shiny Fluorite tower, by way of example).

Plastic in the kind of resin could also be poured into a mold, dyed, and shaped using a Dremel tool to look just like a genuine rock - much a raw/rough one. Luckily plastic is really light weight and that will certainly expose it along with readily checking it on the hardness level. In addition, producing resin ore isn't a simple process. Time consuming for SURE and though a lot of individuals do not value their time as they need to, I still think that selling resin ore because impersonations of the real thing would not be a solid business model which could last long. Stick to avert this. Paying attention is in preventing this a huge deal. Most people who make Crystals from resin are doing as an reflection of a Crystal, maybe not actually attempting to fool you. They dried flowers, or super vibrant powders or include glitter. Be sure to communicate your queries. Any vendor that is legit will be happy to respond to your questions. I've been promoting Crystals and stones for six decades, I've over 13,000 sales and 70,000 followers around societal websites but I STILL thankfully answer queries.

Dyed, chemically altered, or heated

Because not all of minerals can hold on the dye, these concepts do not possibly apply to ALL Crystals and rocks or are altered by heat/chemicals. Quartz will be the primary concern here because it is the most colored rock. Quartz is an umbrella term that covers so many Crystals and rocks with the exact same chemical composition. A few examples of Quartz are Smokey Quartz, Amethyst, Citrine, Aventurine, Rose Quartz, Lithium Quartz, Amphibole Quartz, Agates, Chalcedony, Carnelian, and much more.

Agates are very quite often dyed. If it was inexpensive and contains bands (sort of like stripes but not in straight lines per se), it's likely an agate. When it isn't some variant of reddish, brown, yellow, or white (you are aware, natural Earthy colors), it is likely dyed. For whatever reason, its value reduction is made by perishing a rock.

The other Crystal is Amethyst. These would be clusters that are a sort of ailing vibrant colour (cough syrup colors!) . Once you see a one that is dyed, you will get what I mean. Again, the price is lower than natural. It dyed if you find a strangely Amethyst Crystal that is big for like $10-20. Natural Amethyst clusters go up in price quickly from that point and price approximately $ 6-10 for a 1-2 inch bit. If you'd like a display Amethyst (natural), expect to pay $40-300 for something in the selection of 5-10 inches. The cathedral Amethysts? Several thousand bucks!

While we're discussing Amethyst, let us touch on Citrine (both are varieties of Quartz). Everyone likes to despise poor Citrine. Natural Citrine is warmed in the Earth over long periods of time and contains a smokey yellow/green colour that was uniform. It's pretty rare (even more infrequent in cluster formations) and contains a high cost point that reflects this. Commercially marketed Citrine is Amethyst that is warmed with high temperatures at a lab which affects the Crystals from purple into yellow/orange. They are common and cheaper. Easily recognized by their base. Organic Citrine is a colour with a tint. Heated Amethyst includes got the base with much more vivid yellow/orange/red Crystals. Both are Quartz and both are connected with the reduced Chakras for healing. The gap here comes down to taste. Because reiki healing crystals I locate that the mood to be sunny and pleasant the only stone I sell at my store is warmed Amethyst Citrine. I like working together personally and professionally. I'm also reveal this and also frank about it.

Not many realize that there are so although I hear a great deal of people taking issue with Citrine. Including Aquamarine, Tanzanite, Rubies, Sapphires, Topaz, Zircon, Tourmaline, Amazonite, and more. Heat them at high temperatures enhances clarity and enhances colour. Many diamonds in jewellery were heated and could otherwise be insanely expensive. You can ask your seller but I doubt they would know, as it is such a frequent practice. It does matter. What matters is whether you resonate with this. If you don't move on and prevent. I would advise digging, if you're so fearful of purchasing Crystals and stones online on account of the potential of heating. There are in fact quite a few areas where the public is able to cover a little fee along with rockhound Crystals and stone right from the Earth. Some folks even strike it rich from this!

Some Crystals and stones have been made in a lab. Often referred to as'synthetic' or'lab grown'. Malachite is commonly artificial such as (compare prices and ask questions). And all Rubies.

Turquoise is EXTREMELY generally NOT Turquoise. Almost all the Turquoise available on the industry nowadays is ceramic dyed Howlite, or plastic. Price point is a teller here. Natural Turquoise is pricey rather than a uniform colour throughout. Whereas Howlite is still a 3-4, natural is a 5-6 in the Moh's hardness scale. Compare costs, look at the coloring, and ask questions.

Other forms of chemically altered Crystals isn't something I am conscious of. To my knowledge there isn't a compound which may be poured onto some Crystals that will alter them in such a way as to boost their worth.

The last stone I Wish to touch on is Aura Quartz

This one gets tricky because the more popular something is more (rainbows and shimmers- no wonder!) , more the likely it's that tricksters come out of the woodwork to get their cut of possible sales. This is the unfortunate truth. Even though Aura Quartz Crystals are not natural, they're (in their'genuine' form) real Quartz Crystals. The procedure is really quite neat (but maybe not something just anyone can do at home). Aura Quartz Crystals are genuine Quartz Crystals which were set in a vacuum chamber and layered with precious metallic gasses (gold, platinum, silver, titanium, etc). The different metals/combinations produce a variety of rainbow effects, colors, and beauty fit for a unicorn. They are not fake but they are sometimes coated in something besides precious metals. Good Aura Quartz Crystals are expensive. Fakes are at which a Quartz Crystal coated within an iridescent plastic sheet or is painted with iridescent paint. The ones are fairly evident since the rainbow effect will probably come super simple off. Buy those with a huge budget from a reputable seller.

The takeaway:

-Get informed. Growth structures to be aware of according to the unique stone you're looking for, colors to prevent, normally synthetic/altered, etc.. Knowledge really is power.

-Be familiar with the Moh's hardness scale. Do not do a scratch test unless you've already bought it without asking .

-Understand your personal preferences. Follow your bliss and try to not be absorbed by the fear that invades our society. Maintain it, if you want it. Do not keep it if you don't. Your identity does not rest on the validity others place in your own collection. As it was too difficult to ascertain the validity By way of example, I stopped buying jewelry. No big deal! And if I find a piece of Turquoise jewelry (sold by a reputable seller at the anticipated high price) that contrasts with me personally, you bet I will still purchase it! (Ahem, impending my wallet's approval!)

-Buy from a respectable seller. Take a look at their reviews. How long have they been selling? Do they have a decent amount of history and followers to show that they just take their business seriously? Ask questions.