I have been collecting Stones and Crystals since I developed much fondness and attraction to them... From the tons of articles that I have read from the Google,
I learned that each carries different vibrations and has metaphysical properties
aside from healing.....
Well....honestly..., I am actually more drawn to its metaphysical side...
I love those that are pertaining to Prosperity, Abundance, Love, Beauty,
Third Eye and Psychic enhancements , etc...... These are the main reasons why i am drawn to them....But for some, i am simply attracted by their BEAUTY, colours, shapes, designs and other of their aesthetic values
I have collected some interesting stones and crystals and I decided to post them and their uses here for record's sake...
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=774682519295681&set=gm.965087156855459&type=1&theater
I wanna share this article from Spirit Science
CRYSTAL TIP: Cleansing/Charging by Breathing
(by Patrick Banag )
Breathing is enlivening, and the human breath is a testament of life of willpower.
The Yogic scriptures present an unfathomable link between the breath and the mind,
and this implies that the breath can contain the qualities of the mind
just as thoughts can contain the quality of breathing.
The mind is silenced by proper breathing, and breathing is sustained willfully by the mind.
An analogy of this truth begets the idea that the breath can be a medium of purification and empowerment when the mind is in a pure and energized state.
Knowing the power of the human breath, one may use it to his/her advantage
if s/he wishes to cleanse or charge crystals without relying on Solar, Lunar, or elemental forces.
As the Universe contains an infinite supply of vital force, we can harness such abundance
to impregnate our body with the forces of Light and Life and imbue crystals with such energies.
With every inhalation, our body and mind are flooded with Cosmic energy,
and the same energy can be imbibed by the crystals from our very own exhalation.
To enter into a state where your breath can cleanse and charge your crystals,
begin by emptying your lungs of air.
As soon as they are empty, retain the empty state of your lungs for 4 seconds,
then inhale for a span of 4 seconds.
Retain this state of fullness for 4 seconds, then exhale for a span of 4 seconds.
This creates one cycle.
Do inhale and exhale ONLY through your nose and NEVER through your mouth.
Do this 7 times.
After this and done correctly, it is normal to feel a tingling sensation throughout your body.
This is the precious state.
Upon entering this, inhale and visualize your intention (thought of purification or empowerment)
being "loaded" into your breath.
Upon loading, with absolute conviction and focus of will, exhale unto your crystals.
This act can purify and energize your crystals effectively when done properly.
Do not be frustrated if you don't get it right at first.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=774682519295681&set=gm.965087156855459&type=1&theater
I wanna share this article from Spirit Science
Top 10 Ways to Build Relationships with your Crystals
Throughout the internet and the bookstore, there are plenty of brilliant and informative resources
about crystals.
While
there are many authoritative voices to be heard,
I will suggest to you
some practices and perspectives that will lead you into enriching
relationships with crystals rather than giving you definitive rules or
how-to’s.
This is because I believe that if you can embrace the basic
nature of the fantastic and very loving kingdom (or queendom, whichever
you fancy!) of minerals and crystals
you will have your own unique and
meaningful experiences that will be perfectly tailored to you and
whichever marvelous crystal beings happen upon your path. Enjoy.
1. Acknowledge that they are living beings:
Nikola Tesla said,
“In a crystal we have clear evidence of the
existence of a formative life principle, and though we cannot understand
the life of a crystal, it is nonetheless a living being.”
He was right.
Embrace that. Crystals and minerals are a form of life
and are
conscious living beings.
They are not tools to be used, but rather,
ALLIES
to be partnered with.
While the organizational groupings within
the mineral kingdom are useful for understanding basic characteristics
of crystals types (i.e. rose quartz is for the heart, amethyst is for
the third eye), each individual crystal has had its own unique
evolutionary process,
comes from its own unique location, has a unique
vibrational signature,
and ultimately has its own autonomous purpose for
existing.
This is exciting. It means that 100 different quartz
crystals, for instance, are 100 totally different potential lessons,
types of medicine, etc.
Be open to that.
2. Put them in your mouth:
Yes,
you heard me right. Put them in your mouth.
Have you ever been in a
crystal shop and seen a table full of bowl upon bowl of glittering
brightly colored tumbled stones and crystals?
They almost look like
fruit or candy.
I have had many people tell me they want to put crystals
in their mouth.
My suggestion is: DO IT!
Why? Because your tongue is a
highly sensitive organ capable of communication and information transfer
(think of eating, speaking, kissing, etc.) Because of this, when you
put the stone in your mouth, a natural interaction will occur whereby
you can learn a lot about the stone and it can communicate freely to
you.
Listen.
See how it makes you feel, what imagery you may get, if you
feel more focused, etc.
As an example, when I am performing rituals,
doing healing work,
or meditating I will often put my tumbled moonstone
in my mouth and I find that
it heightens my openness and my intuition.
The other important reason this works is because
the energy of the
crystal is absorbed by your saliva,
which you then swallow and ingest.
I
Will explain more about this phenomena in tip number 4. Before you put a
stone in your mouth make sure it is physically and spiritually
cleansed.
You can find any number of ways to cleanse crystals online.
(Disclaimer: not all stones are safe to put in your mouth, some stones
are water soluble and will break down. If in doubt please check This List First and
understand that I am primarily referring to tumbled stones because they
have no sharp edges. Please don’t start gnawing on a delicious looking
quartz point.)
3. Be a good listener:
This ties into tip
number 1. With the understanding that crystals are living beings, listen
to them. Obviously I don’t mean “listen” in the sense that you are
hoping the crystal is going to bust out some spoken word poetry or a
monologue in the English language.
I mean tune in with your intuition
and with your heart.
Some people hear music coming from crystals,
some
crystals quietly whisper their story to a tuned-in listener,
some
crystals transport you elsewhere,
some crystals reflect yourself to you
like a mirror.
Realize that any one crystal may reflect different energy
or information
from day to day- just like a person.
They are infinitely
multifaceted.
Respect them and be open to what they have to teach.
4. Put them in your water:
Many people have caught onto this practice.
Placing crystals and
gemstones in your water is a basic yet powerful alchemy practice. The
basic idea is that each stone carries a certain vibration that can
benefit and help balance, uplift, and heal us.
Water is a substance
which is easily imprinted with the information and energy it is
subjected to. When you place a crystal in a glass of fresh spring water
overnight or for a few hours,
the energy from the crystal is imprinted
in the water.
Then, when you drink the water, the water and the cells
that make up your body are informed and transformed by the information
in the water.
Try this: If you have a few crystals, pick one that calls
to you. Trust your gut. Put it in some clean spring water overnight and
drink when you wake up in the morning. Focus your gratitude towards the
water and crystal, and all of life.
Understand that a simple focused
ritual such as this can totally shift your state of being. (Please
exercise the same caution I suggested in #1- make sure the crystal will
not dissolve In water.)
5. Carry them with you:
When you carry a
stone with you its vibration is added to your overall vibration.
Crystals have complex and perfectly geometric molecular makeups called
crystal systems.
If you were to look at them under a microscope, you
would see that there is complete cohesion in the patterns of interacting
molecules and that, depending on the crystal,
there are repeating
geometric shapes.
This is a brilliant example of sacred geometry- and
that’s a whole other article for another time. We as humans as well have
a crystalline structure. When we carry a crystal with us all day, it
will shift the rate at which we vibrate, and help bring us into
alignment with a greater state of well-being. This is particularly true
for gemstones worn in jewelry.
Putting crystals and stones with metals
like silver, copper, or gold increases their effects. This is because
crystals transmit electromagnetic energy and metal is electrically
conductive.
The metals help the energy spread and circulate in and
around our body and energy field.
6. Keep them visible:
Crystals and
gemstones come in a mind-boggling variety of colors, formations, and
types.
They are aware that they have incarnated in beautiful physical
forms and like to be appreciated.
In many ways, their appearance and
form is their medicine.
I have found in the past that crystals kept in a
box or a dark place will regularly find their way back into visibility
soon enough.
Place them on your altar, next to a photo of a loved one,
in a plant, near where you cook, beside your bed, or somewhere out on
display. This serves a few purposes
For one thing, crystals all possess
their own energetic field- just as humans have an aura. Wherever they
are they clarify energy, raise the vibration, provide protection,
increase the attraction of positive energy and abundance, harmonize, and
beautify.
Of course different crystals give different benefits, but you
get the picture. The other main reason it is great to keep your
crystals and stones visible is because
it will make it easy to
communicate and interact with them.
You will suddenly feel a crystal
wanting to be relocated, or you’ll find yourself picking them up and
rolling them around in your hands while you think or talk, you’ll feel
inspired to put one in your pocket for the day, you’ll remember to put
it in your water, etc. The more you see them, the more you think of them
and hear them, the more love and benefit you will enjoy.
7. Sleep with them near:
Sleeping with a crystal under your pillow or next to your bed
is a
great way to benefit from them because when you are asleep you are in a
state of non-resistance.
When you are non-resistant, the high vibration
and healing qualities of crystals and stones can be more easily
assimilated. Furthermore, sleeping with crystals may enhance your dream
experience. Certain crystals especially can aid with connecting to the
other side, remembering dreams, etc. Sweet dreams!
8. Give them away:
While many crystal
lovers and enthusiasts may cringe at the thought, I am not suggesting
you give away your favorite crystal.
What I am suggesting, however, is
to yes, give crystals away from time to time.
I always keep a large
variety of crystal points and tumbled stones and I frequently find
myself giving them away for birthdays, ceremonies, or just to someone
who is ill or down in spirits. Frequently a stone will ‘tell’ me that it
should go with this or that person.
This is a common occurrence with
crystals. Sometimes they are with you for a time and then suddenly break
or go missing.
Do not resist the movement of crystals, they have an
innate knowingness of where they need to be.
9. Have fun with them:
I remember seeing a
very inspiring video which recently went viral of young boy (6 or 7
perhaps?) who had created an amazing crystal grid and perfectly
explained in the video how each crystal had told him where it needed to
be placed. It is amazing, give children crystals and they just GET IT.
They understand the magic and the medicine. It will benefit us
collectively to approach crystals, and indeed many things in life, from
the spirit of a child. If you have a few stones get them out, lay them
on some nice fabric, see how it feels to arrange them in different ways.
Bring them to the ocean or the woods with you, tune in to how they seem
to interact with other elements.
Watch the magic that happens.
In my
experience the most active and energetically powerful crystal grids and
arrangements that I have co-created, came to be while just playing with
the stones and next thing you know one thing leads to another and you
have a fantastic grid or a beautiful spiral with fresh flower and
candles- energy art. Add them to a sand castle on the beach or in the
hollow nook of tree.
Not only does putting them in the elements cleanse
and re-charge them, it’s a great way to interact with them.
10. Treat them with respect:
The whole idea with crystals and minerals is to develop a real
relationship through experience. Any good relationship is built on a
foundation of love and respect. The mineral kingdom is no different.
There is not one being in existence who does not want love and respect.
I
can guarantee you, when you open your heart to the energy of the
crystal beings, you will be absolutely amazed at the energy and love
they have to offer.
So there you have 10 practical ways to connect with the
healing and transformative personalities of the mineral kingdom. All of
these tips will hopefully help you get a lot out of your relationships
with these particular beings. Yet if I could offer you one more tip, it
would be this: Take that brilliant, multi-faceted, seemingly perfect,
high-vibrational, gorgeous crystal in your hands, gaze into it, and see
it as your reflection. Because you see, for every moment of beauty you
experience with another being, every layer of depth and fascination, you
are actually exploring another facet of the indomitable multiverse that
you are.
You are the universe and within you is infinite creation.
source: http://thespiritscience.net/2014/09/19/top-10-ways-to-build-relationships-with-your-crystals/
PICS SOURCE: Tina Love
From the Krysvox PAGE, here's the basic cleansing techniques that they recommend in cleansing the crystals:
PICS SOURCE: Tina Love
From the Krysvox PAGE, here's the basic cleansing techniques that they recommend in cleansing the crystals:
CRYSTAL TIP: Cleansing/Charging by Breathing
(by Patrick Banag )
Breathing is enlivening, and the human breath is a testament of life of willpower.
The Yogic scriptures present an unfathomable link between the breath and the mind,
and this implies that the breath can contain the qualities of the mind
just as thoughts can contain the quality of breathing.
The mind is silenced by proper breathing, and breathing is sustained willfully by the mind.
An analogy of this truth begets the idea that the breath can be a medium of purification and empowerment when the mind is in a pure and energized state.
Knowing the power of the human breath, one may use it to his/her advantage
if s/he wishes to cleanse or charge crystals without relying on Solar, Lunar, or elemental forces.
As the Universe contains an infinite supply of vital force, we can harness such abundance
to impregnate our body with the forces of Light and Life and imbue crystals with such energies.
With every inhalation, our body and mind are flooded with Cosmic energy,
and the same energy can be imbibed by the crystals from our very own exhalation.
To enter into a state where your breath can cleanse and charge your crystals,
begin by emptying your lungs of air.
As soon as they are empty, retain the empty state of your lungs for 4 seconds,
then inhale for a span of 4 seconds.
Retain this state of fullness for 4 seconds, then exhale for a span of 4 seconds.
This creates one cycle.
Do inhale and exhale ONLY through your nose and NEVER through your mouth.
Do this 7 times.
After this and done correctly, it is normal to feel a tingling sensation throughout your body.
This is the precious state.
Upon entering this, inhale and visualize your intention (thought of purification or empowerment)
being "loaded" into your breath.
Upon loading, with absolute conviction and focus of will, exhale unto your crystals.
This act can purify and energize your crystals effectively when done properly.
Do not be frustrated if you don't get it right at first.
This takes practice and
practice bestows proficiency.
Do not do this when you are tired as you
will normally feel drained.
At first you will use your own vital force,
but through practice you will be able to draw from the Universe's
infinite supply
and channel through your breathing such life force
effectively.
Here's something to look forward to:
the fact that the mind
is in itself a powerful medium,
you can actually replicate Solar,
Lunar,
and even elemental forces
by transmuting Cosmic energy with your
mind
and then impregnate the resulting energy into your crystals.
Experiment and see for yourself.
(source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/charmsphils/633220033454363/?comment_id=633681710074862¬if_t=group_comment_reply )
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source:
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(SOURCE: http://www.the-vug.com/vug/vugfakes.html)
This page is a list of scams, fakes, forgeries and misrepresentations
that appear in the mineral collecting market. Some of these fakes are
well known classics; some of them are very recent. Nearly every
purchaser of minerals, from the collector to the dealer, falls for a
fake at some point in time.
It could be an Emerald crystal glued into a Calcite matrix and covered with mica at the base, or a green colored Glauberite/Calcite that is colored that way from a dip in a vat of copper solution.
The-Vug.com has been devoted to showcasing the best assortment of fake minerals online, nay, compiled anywhere. In fact, we are the people behind FakeMinerals.com and the Fakes issue of The-Vug.com Quarterly Magazine, which can be bought in the hardcover collection of all the issues of The-Vug.com Quarterly on THIS PAGE.
Questions or leads, email Justin(at)the-vug.com – We Love Photos!
For up to the minute info on fake minerals currently on eBay & the internet, make sure you check out our award winning website, FakeMinerals.com!
<
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Stones That Are Unsafe For Ingesting or Water heart emoticon
Amazonite - use with caution, the color is a result of traces of copper, which is toxic)
Atacamite - poisonous (copper)
Auricalcite - Poisonous (zinc and copper)
Azurite - poisonous (copper)
Boji-stones - unfit - (contains some sulfur) There is some secrecy re it’s contents - which means you really should not drink it. (Would you take a pill you did not know the contents of?)
Bronchantite - unfit and poisonous (copper)
Chalcantite (AKA “blue shit”) - poisonous (copper)
Chalcopyrite (peacock stone) - poisonous (copper and sulfur)
Cinnabar - poisonous (mercury/quicksilver)
Conicalcite - poisonous (copper)
Copper - poisonous
Crysocolla (AKA Venus-stone) - poisonous (copper)
Cuprite - poisonous (copper)
Dioptase - poisonous (copper)
Gem Silica - poisonous (copper)
Galena/ Galenite - poisonous (almost 90 percent lead)
Garnierite (AKA Genthite/ Falcondoite) - Contains nickel
Halite - will dissolve in water ( Halite is Salt)
Hematite - will rust
Lapis Lazuli - poisonous (the pyrite inclusions, that is.)
Magnetite - unfit (Iron, will rust)
Markasite - poisonous (sulfur) (marcasite has the same chemical make-up as pyrite)
Mohawk - poisonous (copper, ARSENIC etc.) (Keep away from children!)
Psiomelan - poisonous (barium)
Pyrite (AKA fool’s gold; Inca-gold) - poisonous (sulphur)
Orpiment -an arsenic
Realgar - poisonous (sulfur and ARSENIC) (Keep away from children!)
Stibnite - (has Lead, Antimony)
Smithsonite - (AKA Galmei/Zinc spar)- poisonous (zinc (may also contain copper))
Ulexite - The rock will loose its luster when in contact with water
Vanadanite - Poisonous (lead)
Wulfenite - Poisonous (lead and molybdenum)
Malachite is also toxic when ingested, and can irritate the skin if not polished well enough.
Amazonite - use with caution, the color is a result of traces of copper, which is toxic)
Atacamite - poisonous (copper)
Auricalcite - Poisonous (zinc and copper)
Azurite - poisonous (copper)
Boji-stones - unfit - (contains some sulfur) There is some secrecy re it’s contents - which means you really should not drink it. (Would you take a pill you did not know the contents of?)
Bronchantite - unfit and poisonous (copper)
Chalcantite (AKA “blue shit”) - poisonous (copper)
Chalcopyrite (peacock stone) - poisonous (copper and sulfur)
Cinnabar - poisonous (mercury/quicksilver)
Conicalcite - poisonous (copper)
Copper - poisonous
Crysocolla (AKA Venus-stone) - poisonous (copper)
Cuprite - poisonous (copper)
Dioptase - poisonous (copper)
Gem Silica - poisonous (copper)
Galena/ Galenite - poisonous (almost 90 percent lead)
Garnierite (AKA Genthite/ Falcondoite) - Contains nickel
Halite - will dissolve in water ( Halite is Salt)
Hematite - will rust
Lapis Lazuli - poisonous (the pyrite inclusions, that is.)
Magnetite - unfit (Iron, will rust)
Markasite - poisonous (sulfur) (marcasite has the same chemical make-up as pyrite)
Mohawk - poisonous (copper, ARSENIC etc.) (Keep away from children!)
Psiomelan - poisonous (barium)
Pyrite (AKA fool’s gold; Inca-gold) - poisonous (sulphur)
Orpiment -an arsenic
Realgar - poisonous (sulfur and ARSENIC) (Keep away from children!)
Stibnite - (has Lead, Antimony)
Smithsonite - (AKA Galmei/Zinc spar)- poisonous (zinc (may also contain copper))
Ulexite - The rock will loose its luster when in contact with water
Vanadanite - Poisonous (lead)
Wulfenite - Poisonous (lead and molybdenum)
Malachite is also toxic when ingested, and can irritate the skin if not polished well enough.
source:
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(SOURCE: http://www.the-vug.com/vug/vugfakes.html)
Fake Crystals, Minerals, Gemstones, Lapidary and Fossils Guide
It could be an Emerald crystal glued into a Calcite matrix and covered with mica at the base, or a green colored Glauberite/Calcite that is colored that way from a dip in a vat of copper solution.
The-Vug.com has been devoted to showcasing the best assortment of fake minerals online, nay, compiled anywhere. In fact, we are the people behind FakeMinerals.com and the Fakes issue of The-Vug.com Quarterly Magazine, which can be bought in the hardcover collection of all the issues of The-Vug.com Quarterly on THIS PAGE.
Questions or leads, email Justin(at)the-vug.com – We Love Photos!
For up to the minute info on fake minerals currently on eBay & the internet, make sure you check out our award winning website, FakeMinerals.com!
Man Made Crystals
Man made crystals are wonderful teaching tools, often made of elements that are not found in nature, or rarely as exciting as crystals created in a controlled environment. Alumium and magnesium from refining operations are often sold as natural crystals, as well as the supposed smokestack, but truly, lab grown, zincite crystals. Sulfur stalactites are sometimes sold as natural occurrences, yet, form on the side of pipes, precipitating out the element. Lab grown crystals of Zircon, Emerald, and Ruby are often sold as the real thing, embedded in matrix in some extremes. Gemstones known for a rare source for desirable hues find labs searching for ways to duplicated them, such as “Siberian” amethyst or “russian” ametrine. Some specimens, like the crafted Malachite stalactites from the D.R. Congo, contain copper wires inside, with a layer of malachite produced by man, with druzy malachite glued to the outside.
Cermikite, a chromium alum, like many other lab grown crystals, are typically are labeled as such. The big bold colors and shapes of simple crystalized elements are what makes them desirable. |
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Magnesium, Nickle and many other elements are quick to crystallize under heat leaving samples that can be sold to uninformed buyers. |
||
Zircon Crystals were showing up for sale on eBay, labeled as natural crystals. See how the material they are grown with matches the color of the crystals? |
||
Chalcanthite is perhaps the most common lab grown mineral sold to unsuspecting and uninformed buyers. It is a natural by-product of copper mining, but also, rather easy to create. |
Coated Crystals
Coatings or treatments of crystals are common as a way to create new items to market. The world can only take so many quartz crystals, geodes, danburite crystals and zeolites. Years ago it was discovered that you could take a somewhat tough mineral and place it in a vacuum chamber and fuse it with an element in gas form. The result is a durable bond of elements such as gold, titanium, indium and iron oxide, to the surface of the crystal, giving it a beautiful sparkle and color. Gold creates blue, or Aqua Aura, indium produces a violet hue, titanium produces a opalescent white coating and iron oxide colors the quartz a predictable orange, with a vibrant sparkle. Most dealers are very up-front about the origin of these specimens and most buyers are not turned off by this fact. The crazy colorful sparkle is something that could not be found in nature for such a price! The other treatment of quartz was a Teflon coating, which created “jelly quartz” in all sorts of bright colorful hues. Electroplating and similar treatments can be used to fuse quartz with chromium and produce bright green quartz clusters.
Fusing vaporized elements with quartz and other minerals produces this unremovable coloring that is very popular. |
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Poor quality quartz clusters were found to be the perfect vehicle for elemental bonding, as these clusters show chromium and iron, for green and yellow. Purple clusters mimicing Amethyst are also found for sale. |
Chemical Reaction to Crystals
Chemical Reactions create all sorts of colorful results in crystals. The most common would be the results of Copper Sulfate, which makes colorless carbonates turn bright blue and green. The result is “pseudomorphs” of malachite after calcite and malachite after aragonite.
Soaking calcite in copper sulfate can turn the crystals green, as to mimic a pseudomorph of malachite after calcite. |
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Alfredo Petrov showed Justin Zzyzx a specimen of Aragonite soaked in copper sulfate, which Justin obviously was overjoyed to witness first-hand in Tucson |
Mechanic Alteration of Crystals
Mechanical alterations are when someone takes a natural specimen and uses a tool to alter it in a completely un-natural way to produce a fake that is intended to be a natural find. Fluorite is often the victim to this, as the material is very soft and can be made into fluorite octahedrons by cleaving, then sold as natural crystals, or carved into spheres or crude crystals and sold as natural formed specimens. In the 2000’s there was a batch of galena crystals which were found to be the product of creative, aggressive, micro-abrasion. Some people unscrupousially take minerals from some locations and glue them onto matrix from other locations, or many times, their own local matrix in attempt to increase value.
Fluorite cubes can easily be trimmed to make nice clean fluorite octahedrons. It is also easy to carve, like this rounded cluster that was a popular scam in Europe around 2010. Galena is soft enough to sandblast and create semi-natural looking formations that were sold for a premium price. |
Irradiation of Crystals
Irradiation of mineral specimens is a fairly common thing, as it is simple to turn colorless quartz into deep black smoky quartz or take pale aquamarine and turn it into a vibrant golden helidor. With Quartz, the source of natural smoky coloration comes from radioactive sources in the formation and host rock. These natural smoky quartz crystals tend to retain their color when exposed to sunlight, where as irradiated crystals will fade fast when exposed to sunlight. People who sell Helidor from Tajikistan will swear on their mother’s good name that the material is natural, but many of the examples have been textbook representations of aquamarine deposits in Pakistan. Most blue topaz that is seen on the jewelry market is irradiated to bring out the deep blue colors.
Both of these samples are natural smoky quartz. | ||
This illustration shows how radiation excites the aluminum molecules and causes them to produce the smoky coloring in Quartz. | ||
These two quartz clusters are from the same location in Europe. One of them is natural and the other has been irradiated. Notice how the color contrast between the dolomite and quartz is much more attractive on the irradiated specimen. | ||
The scam is simple. Take an aquamarine from pakistan, irradiate it, it will turn this rich cracked out yellow color and then you can sell it as a "natural" heliodor. The photo next to it is a natural heliodor/aquamarine crystal from Brazil. |
Heat Treatment of Crystals
Heat Treatment causes changes in crystal color that are sometimes necessary to make a mineral valuable as a gemstone. Tanzanite is a perfect example of heat treatment in a gemstone, as most of the crystals out of the ground have lots of brown hues in the crystal, which turn violet and blue when exposed to heat. The most common heat treatment of a mineral is Citrine, where the common purple quartz of rio de sol is cooked in a kiln to produce a rich reddish orange citrine color. These specimens can be found in examples all over the world as one of the most common treated specimens found at museum gift shops, truck stops, gem shops, mineral shows, metaphysical store, interior design stores and any other imaginable place you could find a brazilian agate or an amethyst geode. This photo is the perfect example of this in heat treatment in action, as half of the plate was broken in half, one side heated and the other side left natural. Together again, they show what heat can do to some minerals. Another quirky heat related fake can come from the heat applied to silver ore, acanthite, silver wires will precipitate out, and sometimes in a way that looks an awful lot like natural silver wires. The roasted specimens have a tail-tell roasted soot tarnish at the base of the crystals. The glut of Moroccan silver wires on matrix were seen to have these signs of roasting.
This photo shows a plate of amethyst that has been split in two, with one side being heated to produce the orange color change, then, placed back together. The plate is quite eye opening with the two colors of citrine and amethyst. | ||
These silver wires very well may have been formed by simply heating the raw acanthite ore, causing the natural silver to form into wires and emmit forth from the mass, creating these man made heated silver specimens. |
Dyeing of Crystals
Dye plays a role in mineral fakes, as many rocks would not sell readily en mass as drab clear, colorless and light brown/gray rocks. With several ways of processing, agates from Brazil can be dyed to green, blue, red, black and purple quite readily. One of the main reasons for coloring a mineral can be the lack of contrast. In the case of the uncommon mineral Okenite, the white puffballs on white quartz matrix did not have much contrast, but the okenite would draw in food color willingly, making colorful blue and yellow okenites a common sight on eBay. Howlite was a very common material from southern California, commonly dyed blue to mimic turquoise. Now, as howlite has become scarce, magnasite from Africa is being marketed by Chinese lapidaries as howlite.
Dyed agates are very common, making these various shades of blue, orange, green brown and pink to grace bookshelves and windchimes the world over. |
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Okenite clusters are popular for their fluffy white crystals, however, the matrix is typically white, providing no contrast. |
The simple solution is to add a bit of food color dyed water to the okenite, coloring it any shade of the rainbow! |
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The white mineral Howlite is popular for dyeing, as it mimics turquoise with the black webbing. |
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Turqouise from China is a risky purchase, as much of it is clumps of gypsum plaster dyed to the blue color that often passes for turqouise. |
Misrepresentation
So many other fakes can fall into the category of misrepresentation. The most common of all would be switching localities, saying that a specimen comes from a more desirable or uncommon locality. A classic example from the early 1900’s notes that Amethyst from Maine were labeled as coming from Brazil, in order to make it more valuable, when quite the inverse would be true now. Misrepresentation comes in the form of items labeled as things that they are not, such as brightly colored glass being sold as obsidian. Simply put, obsidian comes in earthy colors, dark in nature. Colors such as blue, green and red are simply not available because the earth did not produce them in any form suitable for lapidary use. Jade is seen as a valuable gem stone, so gem serpentine minerals such as antigorite, are often labeled “New Jade” and passed off as a replacement for jade. In the world of jade beads, all sorts of plastic, green quartz and serpentine are sold as jade. A lapidary stone called “Cal-Silica” has been sold as a natural stone, but it is clearly comprised of car paint. Chinese stone factories are often sending out stones that are not what they are labeled. A purple, white, orange and black fluorite/quartz/iron mix is being marketed as “chinese charoite” and red glass is being sold as polished red quartz.
Chinese fluorite is being sold as Charoite, weakly mimicing the swirly natural purple material only from Russia. |
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Colored glass is often passed off as natural obsidian. | ||
Rainbow Cal-Silica is simply car paint. Layer by layer it dries and forms a mass that can be cut and polished into beautiful cabochons. |
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Now that the supply of Howlite is coming to an end, a replacement had to be found and it was in the form of this boring magnasite from botswana, sold as Howlite. |
Hoax
Another form of fakery in the mineral community comes from outright hoaxes. Diamond scandals always used to either be about fake salted locations used to swindle investors out of money for a mining project that would never materialize, to a diamond stimulant or topaz being passed off as a diamond. But, a more complex hoax involved the taletell diamond crystals of the Crater of Diamonds state park and their unique look. One person figured out that diamonds from the Panna Mine in India looked SIMILAR, so, he ordered a bunch of raw diamonds from India and took them to the Crater of Diamonds state park, pretending to find them and get them certified as real Arkansas diamonds, worth 20x the price of diamonds from India. He would have gotten away with it if someone had not contacted the original vendor of the diamonds from India for photo comparisons. You can read all about it on FakeMinerals.com or in the Fakes issue of The-Vug.com, reprinted in hardcover along with 15 other issues of The-Vug.com, available on this page. Another hoax similar to the diamond scam is when people take gold leaf and apply it to the outside of some quartz rocks, selling it as gold ore. The biggest forgivable hoax would be the entire metaphysical market, with the needle going towards the unacceptable when it comes to trademarked minerals. On one hand, they are simply woven stories, told to entertain. You certainly can not read the things that are said about Azeztulite or Atlantispar with a straight face, the real problem is that you are taking a mineral, like Quartz, with a value that is negligible, and selling it for the price of fine gem stones. Named metaphysical stones are priced at a premium for the sole reason that they have a story attached to them.
The Arkansas Diamond fraud is too crazy a story for this few words. Read about it on FakeMinerals.com |
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Metaphsyical studies are not what we considert to be fraudulant, yet, the sales of stones that have a value only based on the story that is attached to them puts them in the realm of hoaxes, like this azeztulite and this "white moldavite" |
Artisian products
And finally, the most unique kind of “fake” is the artesian products of miners and people living in mining towns around the world. Cemented quartz crystals in a flowery cluster, pyrite chispas piled on top of flower pots. One of my favorites was a tower of brown tourmaline crystals stuck in a towering stalactite of black tar matrix. It is a unique difference in cultural perception that fuels these items, making them, perhaps, the most desirable of all these items listed.
These calcite clusters were put together from loose calcite crystals found, glued into the matrix. |
I have a lot of crystal or smokey stone, I take this from Saudi desert
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