Crystals are beautiful natural formations that many people use for healing, meditation, and spiritual growth. However, with the rise in popularity of crystal healing, more and more fake crystals are entering the market. Some are synthetic while others are cheap replicas made of glass or plastic. So how do you know if a crystal is real?
There are several ways to determine if a crystal is genuine, including tests you can do at home. In this beginner’s guide, we’ll cover the key characteristics and tests to help you identify real crystals.
What Are Crystals?
Before we dive into spotting fakes, let’s start with what crystals actually are. Crystals are solid minerals formed from a repeating, microscopic molecular structure that extends in all directions. This internal arrangement is known as the crystal lattice.
When conditions are right, the atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystal lattice will continue growing, adding new particles to the surface. This creates the six-sided prismatic shapes that crystals are recognized for. However, crystals can form in many geometric shapes based on their atomic composition.
Crystals develop naturally over thousands or millions of years in the earth’s crust or on its surface. Each type of crystal has a unique molecular composition and crystal lattice structure. For example, table salt or halite crystals are made of stacked sodium and chlorine ions while quartz crystals are silicon dioxide.
Many cultures around the world have used crystals for [healing], [meditation], and mystic purposes throughout history. Today crystal healing has seen a resurgence, with people using crystals like rose quartz and amethyst for their reputed powers of mind-body healing and spiritual growth.
Why Is It Important to Know If a Crystal Is Real?
With the popularity of crystal healing, more and more artificially manufactured and imitation crystals are entering the market. Some sellers even pass off the glass as natural crystals.
It’s important to know if a crystal is real because fakes don’t have the same metaphysical properties. Natural crystals are believed to have a positive energy or vibration that can be harnessed for [healing] and [self-improvement].
Synthetic crystals may look identical but lack this beneficial energy. Artificial replicas like glass have no crystal lattice structure at all. Buying these counterfeits is not only deceptive but renders the crystal useless.
Physical Characteristics of Real Crystals
Real crystals have distinct physical properties you can test to help determine authenticity:
Hardness
Minerals differ in hardness, rated by the Mohs scale. Real crystals like quartz rate 7 out of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale. A fingernail is 2.5 and a stainless steel knife blade is 5.5 for comparison.
To test hardness, try scraping the crystal against a surface of known hardness like glass or unglazed ceramic. A fake crystal made of glass will get scratched.
Density
The density or heft is another indicator. Real crystals are much denser in weight than glass replicas due to their crystal lattice. You can get a feel for the difference by handling some known genuine and artificial crystals. Natural crystals also have a high specific gravity.
Transparency
Authentic crystals are transparent or translucent since they transmit light. Plastics and resins like acrylic used to mimic crystals are less transparent.
Hold a crystal up to a light source. Synthetic and artificial crystals will not pass light through as cleanly as real crystals. Lower-quality synthetics can also have air bubbles or flaws visible under magnification.
Visual Characteristics of Real Crystals
In addition to the physical tests, real crystals have certain visual tell-tale signs:
Color
Natural crystals have vivid colors in pristine clear, ice-white, pink, and purple hues. The range includes popular crystals like rose quartz, smoky quartz, citrine, amethyst, and clear quartz.
Artificial crystals are limited in their coloring. Synthetic rubies and sapphires for example can lack the rich red hues of genuine stones. Poor manufacturing techniques also lead to inadvertent coloring.
Luster
The way light reflects and refracts in a crystal produces its luster, described as glassy, pearly, or brilliant. Natural crystals have distinctive bright, dazzling lustrousness.
The luster of synthetic or lab-created crystals may be rated as good but not quite equal to a real crystal’s luminosity. Glass and plastic have a much lower luster than genuine or synthetic crystals.
Imperfections
An absence of minor flaws and inclusions is a red flag that a crystal may be synthetic rather than natural. Real crystals form with tiny natural imperfections as they develop over eons.
Artificial crystals will look perhaps too perfect, clean, and pristine without the expected fine lines, flecks, bubbles, or discolorations of a naturally occurring crystal.
Synthetic Crystals
Not all synthetic crystals are fakes trying to pass as natural. Synthetic versions of crystals like quartz and emeralds are created in laboratories. Recognizing these man-made crystals is also useful.
What Are Synthetic Crystals?
Synthetic crystals are fabricated crystals made in laboratories, for applications from semiconductors and lasers to gemstones. Industrial processes allow the arrangement of molecules to form a man-made crystal with specific properties.
Some synthetics are nearly identical at the molecular level to natural crystals. For scientific use, purity and perfection are desirable qualities. The manufacturers try to minimize flaws, striations, and inclusions.
How to Identify Synthetic Crystals
Synthetic crystals tend to be too flawless with no impurities or growth lines. Natural imperfections arise during a crystal’s formation in nature that will be lacking.
Other signs are machine-cut, beveled, and polished surfaces to shape synthetic crystals into stones. Naturals show rough, uneven, layered surfaces from their geological growth.
Lab-created synthetics also exhibit different reactions to light and temperature. They may fluoresce under ultraviolet lighting differently than their natural counterparts when observed by a gemologist. They feel cold to the touch when compared a real and synthetic crystals.
Testing Methods for Real Crystals
In addition to visual inspections, there are tangible ways you can test crystals at home to help discern real from fake:
Hot Needle Test
This test utilizes the heat conductivity of crystals. Hold the crystal securely or place it on a heat-proof surface. Heat up a needle, pin, or thin metal wire until red hot. Then touch it gently onto the test crystal for 2-3 seconds. Avoid heating decorative coatings or any surface cracks.
Genuine crystals conduct heat well and the spot the needle touched will quickly become warm. Glass and plastic are poor heat conductors so the heat doesn’t spread. Be very careful handling the hot needle. Also, flaws or impurities can impact conduction.
Streak Test
Find an inconspicuous spot and firmly scrape the crystal against a piece of unglazed porcelain tile. Real crystals leave fine streaks the color of their natural powder.
Synthetic crystals often do not produce any streaks since their structure is different. Or they leave an uneven or discolored streak compared to a natural crystal’s streak.
Scratch Resistance
Use a copper penny to attempt to scratch the crystal. Copper has a hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale. If a scratch appears, the crystal is likely soft glass or plastic. Authentic crystals will stand up to the penny.
Try to avoid scratching any crystals you wish to keep since this can damage their structure. And only test on a polished face, not a natural crystal surface.
Consulting a Gemologist
The most certain way to authenticate any crystal is through professional gemological evaluation by a certified gemologist. They have specialized knowledge and access to advanced tools and technology.
What Is a Gemologist?
A gemologist is a professional certified in gemology, the science dealing with precious stones. It takes years of study to become a qualified gemologist. They specialize in properly identifying and evaluating the quality of gemstones and minerals.
Gemologist Evaluation Process
A credentialed gemologist like one accredited by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has an array of techniques to definitively determine if a stone is real.
These include high-powered gemological microscopes to examine inclusions, advanced spectroscopes to analyze crystal properties, and x-ray diffraction to verify atomic structure. They also use immersion methods to observe the crystal in liquids of various refractive indexes.
The Metaphysical Properties of Real Crystals
Part of crystals’ rising popularity is the new age movement attributing healing, mystical and spiritual properties to them. While synthetic versions may physically resemble real crystals, many believe they lack the vibrational energies associated with natural crystals.
Healing Properties
Crystals are thought to promote healing through positive energy and vibrations, a concept known as crystal healing. Practitioners place crystals on parts of the body or surround individuals with crystals.
Certain crystals are linked to healing-specific issues. For instance, amethyst purportedly helps sobriety and addiction recovery. Crystals can also produce far-infrared rays and negative ions of benefit per crystal healing theory.
Meditation and Manifestation
Meditating with certain crystals is believed to promote spiritual growth, serenity, and clarity. Crystals like Clear Quartz and Amethyst are recommended for crystal meditation.
Manifestation, the new age idea of using focused thoughts and energy to fulfill desires, also involves crystals. Rose Quartz and Jade are crystals associated with opening oneself to abundance and prosperity.
Positive intentions are thought to program a crystal’s power, so authentic crystals are preferred to synthetics. The ideal manifesting crystals have strong clarity and vibrational energy.
Developing Crystal Powers
If you are drawn to crystal healing, take time to develop a personal relationship with crystals, getting to know the feel of their energies. Meditate with different types of crystals and see what resonates most with you and your intentions.
How to Avoid Purchasing Fake Crystals
While synthetic crystals have their purposes, make sure you are getting natural crystals when that is your aim. Here are tips to avoid inadvertently buying fakes:
- Examine crystals in person before purchasing when possible, don’t just rely on photos. Touch the crystals and look closely at qualities like transparency, inclusions, surfaces, luster, and hardness.
- Learn to recognize plastic and glass. These cheap fakes are especially prevalent in tourist shops and flea markets. But with a bit of practice, it’s not difficult to identify resin and glass imitations.
- Deal only with reputable and ethical crystal sellers who specialize in genuine stones. Many metaphysical shops stand behind what they sell. Avoid retailers without specialized knowledge that may unknowingly sell fakes.
- Ask questions about where the crystals came from and any treatments done to them to enhance properties like color. Disclosure laws require revealing treatments.
- Get in writing a guarantee that a crystal is natural and unaltered. Request a gemologist certification of authenticity for expensive crystals.
- Although pricier, look for a reputable brand when buying online like Crystal Allies to ensure genuine stones.
Scientific Tests for Identifying Crystals
While the tests in this guide help weed out obvious fakes, advanced scientific analysis provides definitive proof of real crystals. Below are some key techniques professional gemologists use:
- Crystallography analyzes the physical crystal structure, arrangement, and symmetry using microscopic, spectroscopic, and x-ray diffraction techniques.
- X-ray Diffraction measures how x-rays diffract through the crystal lattice to generate a unique diffraction pattern.
- Spectroscopy detects how elements in the crystal absorb and reflect light energy, creating a spectrum revealing the crystal’s composition.
- Fluorescence uses ultraviolet lamps to observe if the crystal emits a glow to help identify the type of stone.
These advanced methods provide a level of certainty about a crystal’s genuineness that goes beyond basic evaluation. But also take advantage of the tests and tips outlined here to be able to weed out obvious fakes.
Final Takeaways on Spotting Real Crystals
The demand for beautiful healing crystals makes it crucial to know what physical and visual cues to examine when determining if a crystal is real. Look for attributes like hardness, density, transparency, coloration, inclusions, surface quality, and heat conductivity when evaluating a crystal.
While a gemologist provides definitive authentication, you can avoid most fake crystals by becoming familiar with the tests and characteristics covered in this beginner’s guide. Synthetic versions have their place but don’t provide the same experience and metaphysical energies. With knowledge and care, you can spot fraudulent crystals being passed off as genuine.
Additional Resources:
- International Gem Society Guide to Identifying if a Crystal is Real
- Mind Body Spirit Wellness Guide on Authenticating Crystals
- Energy Muse on Testing if a Crystal is Real or Fake
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best methods for testing if a crystal is real at home?
Some of the best at-home tests are the hot needle test to check heat conduction, the streak test with porcelain, and the scratch test using metals like copper. Examining the crystal’s hardness, density, clarity, color, and inclusions, and examining any unnatural perfection are also good ways to evaluate authenticity without special tools.
How can you tell the difference between natural and synthetic crystals?
Synthetic crystals tend to exhibit flawless perfection without any impurities or growth lines that naturally occur in genuine crystals. Natural crystal surfaces will also show uneven, layered mineral formations rather than uniform machine polishing. Advanced spectroscopic, microscopic, and diffraction analysis can also identify man-made atomic structures of synthetics.
What are some examples of fake crystals commonly sold as real?
Some of the most common fakes are glass crystals, plastic crystals, acrylic crystals, and crystal beads or shapes made with epoxy resin. These inexpensive replicas lack the crystal lattice atomic structure of real crystals. Without proper testing, it’s easy to mistake their appearance as genuine.
Where can I buy authentication services to verify real crystals?
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) offers respected gemological evaluations by experts able to definitively determine if your crystal is natural or lab-created using scientific analysis. There are also independent gemological laboratories providing authentication.
Why buy real crystals when synthetic versions look the same?
While synthetic crystals may visually copy the appearance, many believe the metaphysical and healing properties come from the natural vibrational energy and structure of genuine crystals formed over eons in the earth. If you intend to use crystals for spiritual purposes, taking care to verify authenticity is key.