There are many methods of identifying crystals online, such as visual inspection, licking with the tongue, testing hardness, observing double images of hair using the refractive property of crystals, etc. However, in practical situations, these methods are often not operational. For the specific unreliable operations, you can ask Baidu. I won’t go into details here. There is also some false popular science full of loopholes. I won’t give examples and post pictures here because there are too many to enumerate.
What are the common crystal fraud methods? Donghai crystals are renowned worldwide. Now, when it comes to crystal fakes, consumers often associate them with Donghai. To be honest, the space for faking Donghai crystals is getting smaller and smaller. As mentioned above, crystals are a very common mineral resource in nature. Due to the rich mineral resources, their status in the crystal and gemstone industry is relatively low.
The physical properties, composition, and crystal structure of synthetic crystals are basically the same as those of the corresponding natural gemstones, and the crystals are very pure and transparent. In the last century, the former Soviet Union synthesized citrine and amethyst, officially introducing synthetic crystals into the jewelry industry. If you want to know how synthetic crystals grow, you can click on the video below to watch.
The large synthetic crystal bricks at the Donghai Crystal Fair. Synthetic crystals often appear as hexagonal tabular prismatic crystals, and the crystal faces often have “fish scale-like” growth lines. The seed crystal plate can be seen, and stress cracks often appear near the seed crystal plate. Common colors include colorless, purple, yellow (lemon yellow, tea yellow), green-yellow bicolor, purple-yellow bicolor, and blue (this blue does not exist in natural crystals). Irradiation of synthetic citrine can produce purple. Under magnification inspection of synthetic crystals, “bread-like” inclusions, acicular inclusions (perpendicular to the seed crystal plate), color bands parallel to the seed crystal plate, and stress cracks (perpendicular to the seed crystal plate) can be seen. In addition, synthetic crystals and natural crystals can be distinguished by infrared absorption spectroscopy. (This paragraph is selected from the “Colored Gemmology Tutorial”) The fish scale-like growth lines of synthetic crystals. The above text details a series of characteristics of synthetic crystals. Each synthetic crystal has “fish scale-like” growth lines on its outer skin and a seed crystal plate in the middle. However, when synthetic crystals are processed into bracelets or other finished products, the material in the position of the seed crystal plate visible to the naked eye in the large synthetic crystal brick and the “fish scale-like” outer skin will be avoided to prevent people from seeing the flaws. There must also be crystals that are flawless to the naked eye in natural crystals. Just in terms of crystal purity, it is impossible to directly and accurately distinguish synthetic crystals from natural crystals with the naked eye. Natural crystals have uneven colors and have straight or fan-shaped color bands, while synthetic citrine and amethyst only show a set of color bands parallel to the seed crystal plate. Using this as an identification method still has certain errors. First of all, rock crystal has no color and no color bands; and it is said that the technology of synthetic crystals has advanced now, and color bands of different colors can also be made. Just in terms of crystal color bands, it is also impossible to accurately and directly distinguish synthetic crystals from natural crystals with the naked eye. Therefore, to accurately determine whether it is a synthetic crystal, it is still necessary to rely on relevant equipment such as microscopes, polariscopes, and refractometers. However, we ordinary people do not have these professional equipment. Even with these equipment, sometimes it is impossible to determine whether it is a synthetic crystal or a natural crystal. I have encountered the situation where the sample was returned by NGTC because there were no typical characteristics of synthetic crystals and natural crystals in the crystal, and they could not issue a certificate and had to return the sample. As consumers, consider comprehensively from all aspects. When encountering crystals with highly unified colors, be vigilant. The colors of natural crystals can be similar, but there are generally still certain differences.The glassy body inside a crystal is so clean that even with titanium alloy eyes, one cannot find any flaws. In situations where you cannot judge for yourself, it’s better to spend a few dollars on testing rather than trusting the certificates provided by the merchants (certificates can be counterfeited).
Synthetic amethyst bracelets have a uniform color throughout, with no flaws, and a white seed plate in the middle of the flawless amethyst. Did you see that? Green and yellow bicolor synthetic crystal facets are sourced from the internet, to be removed upon request. Natural crystals contain cloud-like/flocculent inclusions. Recrystallized crystals (rebirth of natural crystals) are made from natural crystal fragments and small pieces, melted in a special high-temperature, high-pressure crucible. Since they do not grow naturally, their molecular structure is different from that of natural crystals. The crystal coffin of the great leader was made from recrystallized natural crystals. Strictly speaking, recrystallized crystals lack mineral crystal characteristics and cannot be called ‘crystals’; they are more accurately referred to as man-made glass. Recrystallized crystals are very easy to identify; their colored versions have a dull, garish color, lacking the spirituality of natural crystals, and they often contain many bubbles inside. Have you ever carefully observed bubbles in a pot after boiling water? It’s the same with recrystallized crystals, except that after cooling, the water remains a liquid and the bubbles disappear. However, when crystals are melted into a fluid under high pressure and then cooled into a solid, the bubbles remain trapped inside the crystal. Recrystallized crystals can be customized to various colors according to personal preference. These strangely colored crystals are usually recrystallized. What is crystal optimization treatment? Apart from cutting and polishing, all methods used to improve the appearance and durability of jewelry and gemstones, such as color, clarity, transparency, luster, or special optical effects, are divided into two categories: optimization and treatment. What is optimization? Traditional and widely accepted methods that reveal the potential beauty of a gemstone. Optimization methods for crystals include: heat treatment and irradiation. What is treatment? Non-traditional and less accepted methods of optimization. Treatment methods for crystals include: filling, dyeing, assembling, and coating, etc. From the above, although we often say ‘optimization treatment’ together, they actually represent two different concepts. To put it figuratively: optimization is like makeup, while treatment is like plastic surgery. The purpose of optimization treatment is to make an originally unattractive gemstone more beautiful and marketable, turning someone unattractive into a beauty. The key point is: gemstones that have been optimized can be sold as natural gemstones in the market without declaration; gemstones that have been treated must be declared as having undergone artificial treatment when sold in the market. Heat-treated crystals (optimization) can completely or partially restore color centers caused by irradiation damage, thereby changing the color of the crystal.Most of the citrine on the market currently is obtained by heat-treating amethyst. When some amethyst is heated, part of it turns yellow while some remains unchanged, resulting in the appearance of bicolor ametrine. Lemon yellow, commonly known as heat-treated crystal from Donghai, has a stable color and is not easily detectable. It has been widely accepted and is considered an optimization method in the national standard. The citrine obtained after heat treatment is regarded as natural citrine.
Irradiated crystal (optimization): When citrine is irradiated, amethyst is produced; when colorless and light-colored crystals are irradiated, smoky or yellow colors are generated. The color of rose quartz can be deepened after irradiation. The color of irradiated crystals is very stable and not easily detectable. Irradiation treatment is only considered an optimization method for crystals. Dyed crystal (treatment): Color-causing substances (such as colored oils, dyes, etc.) are infiltrated into the interior of the crystal to improve or change its color. It is rather difficult to dye crystals because they are single-crystalline with a tight internal structure. Just like a piece of glass, it is impossible to dye it because the dye cannot penetrate into the interior of the crystal and can only adhere to the surface of the glass, and the color will fade with a wipe of the hand. Dyeing treatment can only be carried out when there are cracks inside the crystal (if there are no cracks, cracks can be artificially created; crystals will burst when they are heated and then cooled) or when inclusions are exposed. Dyed crystals are very easy to distinguish and can be detected with the naked eye. Dyed crystals generally have extremely gaudy and dull colors, and there is often a phenomenon of dye accumulation at the crystal cracks. Fractured crystal: Fractured crystals can be made into any color, and some of these colors do not exist in natural crystals. Of course, fractured crystals are not limited to imitating crystals but also tourmaline, aquamarine, garnet, etc. For some fractured crystal bracelets with very small bead diameters, such as those about 3 mm, you need to observe carefully against the light and look at the holes. Only by opening your sharp eyes can you see the internal fractures. Fractured crystal is a very low-level forgery method. Now, in order to save costs, most of them are glass beads with fractures and dyed. The color is distributed along the cracks or fracture lines. Fractured crystals can imitate aquamarine, tourmaline, garnet, etc. Dyed phantom crystal: Phantom crystal can be said to be a major area of crystal dyeing treatment. Now it is very difficult to buy a string of uncolored four-season phantom crystals. The colors are uneven, with some being deep and some being shallow. The dye accumulation in a single bead is particularly obvious. A large bag of dyed four-season phantom crystals. Dyed rabbit hair crystal: Rabbit hair crystal means that the inclusions are like rabbit hair. Rabbit hair is very delicate and compact, not hair-like. A basin of dyed red rabbit hair, and some of these are also dyed blue. Natural red rabbit hair has a pure color and extremely delicate hair. Composite treatment (treatment): Two or more crystal materials are artificially combined to make crystal finished products.This green phantom egg facet features excellent crystal quality and true color. Is there any issue? Upon closer inspection from the side, it appears as a thin layer, which is ground green mudstone powder adhered to it. Such composite egg facets are often set in a way that conceals the joined area when made into rings or pendants.
Coating treatment (treatment): Crystals with coating treatment exhibit a colorful iridescence that can be easily distinguished by the naked eye. Some crystals have a surface coating with a blue reflection, visually resembling moonstone. Coated crystals imitate tourmaline, with extremely vibrant colors. Filling treatment (treatment): Crystals are filled with materials such as resin to fill surface cavities and cracks, thereby improving the appearance and durability of the crystal. 00:50 Crystal counterfeiting case images: Dragon scale phoenix blood black flash spirit laser carving white ghost artificial hair crystal cluster composite ghost ball dyed blue hair dyed rabbit hair dyed ghost.