Find out if the stone is real. Emerald: how to distinguish a real stone from a fake. How to distinguish from a fake

Almost all souvenir shops selling stones have these fakes. This is not about passing off cheap minerals as more expensive ones, as is the case with dyed "turquoise" from howlite or "citrines" from burnt amethyst, but about artificial imitations of semi-precious stones. The undisputed leaders here are cat's eye, aventurine and "moonstone".

Fake cat eye

Most souvenir stalls sell this particular borosilicate glass.

Choice - for every taste and color!


In addition to glass, synthetic minerals such as ketsite and ulexite are used to simulate the "cat's eye".

In fact, "cat's eye" is not even a specific stone, but the name of the iridescence effect characteristic of some minerals. This optical effect really resembles a cat's eye.
Natural "cat's eye" chrysoberyl (cymophane) is very expensive, like diamonds and rubies. Naturally, such stones are not sold in souvenir shops. In magical terms, the "cat's eye" is considered a protective stone. There is no need to be upset because of its inaccessibility, because there are also other types of eye stones - tiger, falcon and bull's eye. They are not uncommon, they are inexpensive, so they are usually not faked. Products from the tiger's eye are available in almost all shops.

Natural "cat's eye" chrysoberyl

There is nothing wrong with glass "cat's eye" - it is a wonderful, bright and inexpensive material for jewelry. But if the seller calls it natural, this is already a hoax. Although very often sellers in souvenir shops themselves do not understand their product and sincerely believe in the naturalness of glass. But what can I say if fakes are used as illustrations in seemingly serious encyclopedias on minerals. This is what publishers save on copywriters and the laziness of the copywriters themselves, who do not know how to use Google normally, leads to.

Such sparkling golden sequins beads are usually sold under the guise of aventurine. This is not a mineral, but a special aventurine glass with a crumb of copper, cobalt, iron or chromium oxide.

"The modern glass industry has many compositions of aventurine glasses obtained in different years in different countries. Aventurine glasses are known with brilliant inclusions containing oxides of silicon, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, chromium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, titanium, nickel , silicon (SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, MgO, MnO, Fe2O3, Cr2O3, P2O5, Na2O), etc. As you can see, a significant part of the periodic system of elements is involved. and low hardness of the resulting glass (650-730 kg / mm2) This leads to a high cost of aventurine glass products due to high energy consumption and reduces their consumer properties, since the polished glass surface with low hardness quickly loses its quality due to abrasion.

Now technologists and chemists in this industry are faced with the task of obtaining aventurine glass of high microhardness and mechanical strength, expanding its decorative properties, as well as reducing the cost of the process and composition through the use of cheaper raw materials. This is a requirement of modern design art and increased industrial possibilities. Therefore, scientific institutes, together with factories, are developing in the direction of reducing the cost of aventurine glasses, and one of the options is to use raw materials containing up to 60% slag in the charge. Aventurine glass based on high-iron slags is being tested. Along with good decorative properties, it has improved physical and chemical properties: increased microhardness and alkali resistance, a softening point of about 650 ° C, and a refractive index of up to 1.596 units.

In recent years, our scientists have managed to obtain glass alloys of increased hardness and improved strength characteristics by introducing boron oxides, expanding the color gamut, and enhancing the aventurine effect by introducing oxides of copper, chromium, titanium, calcium and other various metals. Great achievements in the invention of aventurine alloys belong scientists of the State Research and Design Institute of the Nitrogen Industry and Products of Organic Synthesis, a worthy contribution was made by the inventor A.V. Kochanova from Lipetsk and many other scientists. These inventions are of worldwide importance and are protected by patents.

The technology for obtaining such glasses is rather complicated. First, the prepared charge is melted in high power furnaces at 1350-1400 oC for about an hour, then the temperature is somewhat reduced, and after a short exposure, annealing is carried out at 750 oC. To obtain glass, enrichment products of apatite-nepheline ores and feldspar mineral raw materials are used in the composition with granulated blast-furnace and converter, ferrochrome slags, selecting them in accordance with the required ratio of components. To increase the strength and stability of the composition, boron oxides (B2O3) are added, oxides of lanthanum, cesium, samarium, etc. (La2O3, CeO2, Sm2O3) are added to expand the color gamut, titanium, potassium and copper oxides (TiO2, K2O, Cu2O) mixed areas in all colors of the rainbow, which is fixed on the glasses in the form of frozen multi-colored patterns with sparkles of crystals of chromium, manganese and copper (Cr2O3, MnO, Cu2O). and in the mass - golden, pink, green sparkles ranging in size from 0.5 to 2.0 microns." link

Most often, brick-colored glass is sold in shops, but it can also be blue, black, green ...

This is what real adventure looks like

Natural aventurine is a kind of quartz, it really has small sparks - inclusions of lamellar or scaly minerals (green micaceous fuchsite, cherry red hematite, etc.) that cause the stone to flicker when it is turned. In aventurine glass, there are many sparkles and they are the same size, while in stone there are usually few sparkles, they are of different sizes and brightness. Aventurine stone is inexpensive, so it makes sense to look for a real one in specialized stores. In simple souvenir shops there is only glass.

"Moonstone" - frosted glass

Beautiful, right? But this is just glass, which our souvenir shops are filled with.

There really is something lunar in him...

"Moonstone" is a folk, not a mineralogical name. "Moonstone" is called the mineral adularia, and sometimes belomorite and labrodorite ("dark lunar").

It looks like a natural good quality adularia

Unlike real "moonstone" adularia, "moonglass" is uniform in color and does not have an iridescent effect.

Adularia is a type of feldspar with the chemical formula K. It got its name from Mount Adula in the Swiss Alps. Mined in India, Sri Lanka, USA, Russia. The price of "moonstones" of high quality is quite high and of course, they are not in most souvenir shops. You can buy natural lunar in a specialized store or at an exhibition of minerals. Do not confuse "moonstone" (feldspar) with selenite (gypsum plaster), on many sites they are lumped together.

Moon rock

Belomorite is an opaque "moonstone" mined in Russia

Labradorite - "dark moon"

The natural desire to possess beautiful jewelry makes many buyers easy prey for all sorts of scammers. And in this case, the coveted diamonds in earrings bought in a jewelry store turn out to be nothing more than cheap cubic zirkonia, and an amber necklace turns into a plastic fake. Be a vigilant buyer and don't let yourself be fooled. To buy jewelry with natural stone, it is not at all necessary to invite a venerable specialist. Our tips will help you make a successful purchase.

Amethyst

Synthetic amethyst is one of the imitations of natural amethyst, and it is very difficult to recognize a fake, since the physicochemical properties of artificial and natural minerals are very similar. Such synthetic analogues are now produced on an industrial scale and are used very often in jewelry. Even more often you can find colored cubic zirkonia, which can be detected by a very simple method. Put the stone on your cheek: natural amethysts do not conduct heat well, which means they will remain cool for a long time. Large stones are best checked in a gemological laboratory.

Aquamarine

Aquamarines are very easy to confuse with natural topaz, as both minerals have the same hue and structural inclusions and defects present in all natural stones. One of the methods for diagnosing aquamarines can be the so-called "chrysanthemums" in the structure of the stone (visible white inclusions), which topaz cannot have. Artificial spinel, ordinary glass and synthetic quartz, which have individual physical and chemical properties, can serve as imitations of aquamarine. For example, these fakes do not produce the changeable color that aquamarine is famous for. If you turn it at different angles, you can observe a change in at least two, or even three shades: bluish, blue, green and their variations.

Turquoise

Turquoise is one of the leaders in terms of the number of types of fakes. They can be either ordinary plastic or glass, which are quite easy to recognize upon close inspection, since they do not have the special porous surface of turquoise. In addition, a glass fake impersonates the presence of microscopic air bubbles, which are not found in natural turquoise. As for more skillful fakes, here it is necessary to mention low-quality samples of turquoise, which are ennobled by laboratory methods and presented as first-class minerals. Heat treatment, the application of special strengthening compounds, gluing turquoise chips and many other methods are involved. When gluing defective pieces of turquoise, it is likely that the stone will soon crumble into pieces and you will have to stock up with Moment glue.

Heliodor

The most valuable samples of this mineral are lemon-colored heliodors with a high degree of transparency, so immediately refuse to buy if you are offered not very clean and even cloudy stones. When buying, it will not be superfluous to have a glass with you in order to run a heliodor over it. The stone should scratch the glass surface, because its hardness is quite high - 7.5 on the Moss scale. Another distinguishing feature of natural heliodor is its yellow glow in the short wavelength range.

Rhinestone

It should be understood that rock crystal is not at all the same as the substance from which "crystal" glasses worth two hundred rubles are made. In fact, this is just a mixture of quartz, soda and lime, but quite good fakes of rock crystal are obtained from it. Sometimes ordinary glass is sold under the guise of this beautiful mineral, but it is not difficult to recognize a natural stone. Take a closer look at the structure of the mineral - even without a magnifying glass, you can see a light haze in it, which resembles frozen ice. Glass is transparent and not as cool as rock crystal, which remains cold even in the strongest heat.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate is not often faked. Firstly, the price of this beautiful mineral is quite democratic, and secondly, garnets have a number of specific features that are unique to them. These stones have a slight magnetism, so when buying, you should arm yourself with a magnet and a cork, which is needed to neutralize the magnetic field of the metal scales where you put the pomegranate. So, the pomegranate is placed on the cork, and the cork is placed on the scales. Then a magnet is carefully brought to the stone, and at a distance of ten millimeters, the grenades will begin to manifest their magnetic nature through the vibration of the arrows of the scales.

Moon rock

For a moonstone, you can easily take frosted glass or plastic, which is painted using a special technology in order to obtain a non-uniform color. Outwardly, such a glass fake is very similar to a moonstone, but there is no play of light and a myriad of multi-colored reflections in it when the mineral is brought to a light source. Moreover, these reflections are reflected each time in a new way, and in the glass the sparkles seem to be frozen in a vacuum. The same applies to white chalcedony and synthetic spinel, thermally processed to give them the specific luster of moonstone. Only X-ray irradiation of the mineral will help here, which will reveal the white-violet glow characteristic of the moonstone. You can also try to see the moonstone in a tenfold magnifying glass, through which you can see the multi-stage structure and layering characteristic of feldspar.

Topaz

There are quite a few methods for recognizing natural topaz. One of them is a simple tactile analysis: if, upon touching the stone, you feel a slippery and cold surface, it is most likely a topaz in front of you. You can also use a woolen cloth to check the authenticity of the mineral: if you rub topaz well with it, it will accumulate electricity in itself and attract the smallest objects, for example, hairs, a piece of napkin and other light debris. If possible, dip the stone in methylene iodide - real topaz will sink in this liquid, and fakes, such as quartz, will remain floating on the surface. Not only the stone itself can be faked, but also its quality parameters. Many jewelry topazs are characterized by color refinement by heat treatment. Refining traces can only be detected in a gemological laboratory. Golden topazes or Madeira topazes are also born, which are something other than amethysts heated to the right temperature.

Chrysolite

This bright green stone is often counterfeited with stained glass, making it difficult for the inexperienced buyer to tell the fake from the original. But this is very simple - in most cases, the glass fake is dyed unevenly and thickening and gaps can be observed in various areas of the glass. In the case of natural chrysolite, you will not see such metamorphoses: the stone has the same color and intensity throughout its structure. It happens that they try to pass off olive-green plastic beads as chrysolite (they can be easily scratched and even spoiled with an ordinary knife), as well as green tourmaline or chrysoberyl, which are outwardly difficult to distinguish even for an experienced jeweler. It is possible to recognize a fake only in laboratory conditions on special equipment.

Lapis lazuli

Anyone who has ever seen a mineral of natural lapis lazuli is unlikely to ever confuse this stone with something similar (lazulite, azurite, sodalite, dumortierite). The fact is that the shade of this amazing stone is unusually blue, you can say it "hurts the eye" with its blue. Fakes, on the other hand, cannot recreate such a rich blue tint, they are paler and more boring than the original. If you have never dealt with lapis lazuli, check the stone in the following way: put it in a glass of water and shake it. Counterfeits, such as jasper dyed with Prussian blue or synthetic spinel dyed with cobalt oxide, will immediately turn the water blue or blue, and natural lapis lazuli will leave clear water behind. There is another way to recognize lapis lazuli - the dissolution of a natural mineral in hydrochloric acid - but it can hardly be considered a diagnostic sign.

Citrine

Natural citrine is a beautiful bright yellow stone often used in jewelry. However, when purchasing a ring or earrings with citrines, make sure that you are not selling burnt amethyst or refined quartz, the cost of which is much lower, namely, natural citrine. It can be distinguished by a less saturated yellow color, which in ennobled amethyst or quartz is hauntingly yellow and even with an orange-red tint. Natural citrine can have several colors (amber, pale yellow, etc.), but they are all kept in a calm tone. The dichroism effect of natural citrines can serve as a diagnostic sign: at different angles of view, the color of the mineral changes from pale yellow to rich lemon. Fakes do not have such an effect and have the same and uniform color, regardless of the angle of view.

Which guarantees you 100% authenticity of stones and metal! Our exclusive products will become a worthy frame for your beauty!

It is impossible to be indifferent to the mysterious shimmer of natural stones: this is not just natural beauty, but the embodiment of the whole universe - they are charged with the energy of the earth, mountains and water sources. - A great gift for yourself or loved ones. At the same time, at present, when the market is simply full of jewelry with colorful stones, the issue of identifying and distinguishing a real treasure from a possible fake is of particular relevance. In this topic, we will discuss how to check your jewelry for authenticity at home.

The main signs of the naturalness of the stone

What makes a mineral precious? Of course, its beauty, rarity (uniqueness), wear resistance (hardness, strength). In the fashion world, it is believed that a talented model does not have to be perfectly beautiful, quite the opposite: her beauty lies in her uniqueness - she is original and unlike others. The same is true for gems:in nature, defect-free, impeccably pure minerals are extremely rare . If such samples come across, then their cost reaches a very high level. Laboratory stones, in turn, have better visual characteristics, and are several times cheaper.

There are 3 types of fake jewelry stones:synthetic (laboratory grown)fake (less valuable semi-precious stones, similar to expensive jewelry stones) andimitations from glass and plastic.

In nature, the formation of a precious stone takes several tens or even hundreds of thousands of years: it is not surprising that natural “traces” (various inclusions, dents, microcracks) are a completely natural phenomenon. Under special laboratory conditions, a stone can grow over a period of several hours to a maximum of several months. Synthetic stones look flawless, but the laboratory cannot recreate a process that completely repeats the natural one. Based on this,artificially grown stone does not have the magical and healing properties inherent only in natural stones . Therefore, the captivatingly bright Linda crystal cannot become your amulet and talisman.

What do professional gemologists study to determine the origin of a stone? First of all, these are internalinclusion , zonation (color distribution),growth microstructures , for the observation of which a magnifying glass or microscope is used, as well as a polariscope, a dichroscope and ultraviolet lamps.

There is one simple rule that is characteristic of most stones -natural minerals (except amber) are always cold . Fakes made of glass and plastic feel warmer to the touch. To understand whether the stone is genuine in front of you, you can, holding it with tweezers, bring the stone to your cheek - it should be cold.

Another feature -laboratory stones are always brighter than natural ones , they can even have an acid tint. Natural minerals have calmer, "not flashy" tones, and most gems are characterized by the effect of dichroism - the ability to change color depending on the direction of the light.

Ways to Identify Popular Minerals

Below we will give simple recommendations that will help you verify the authenticity of the most popular gems and, if not 100%, but still protect you from buying obvious fakes.

Ways to check the realdiamond enough. The diamond can be rubbed with sandpaper - it should not leave marks in the form of scratches. If you look through the diamond at the light, only a luminous point should be visible in the crystal. And when immersed in water, a real diamond will shine brightly. It is also known that diamond leaves a scratch on glass and on the surface of other stones, due to the fact that it has the highest degree of hardness.

Pretty professional fake. However, if you look at the stone through a magnifying glass, you should see a characteristic pattern in its structure - parallel lines of growth, but not spiral patterns. In addition, emerald almost always has defects and cracks. And remember: natural emerald must be cold.

On the left - earrings with laboratory emeralds, on the right - earrings with natural emeralds

Naturalruby extremely rarely clean, large and brightly colored. There are several methods for diagnosing ruby:

Distinguish the realsapphire from multiple "twins" in appearance is not easy, since the methods of its synthesis are constantly being improved. A sapphire offered to you is presumably natural if:

Easy to identify with the naked eyestar sapphires and rubies , in which the main feature is the optical effect: a multi-pointed star, whose presence on the surface of the stone is due to the presence of rutile, is characterized by mobility, i.e. it changes position depending on the angle of view. This effect has not yet been replicated in laboratory conditions.

Refers to minerals that have the power of magnetic attraction. There is a simple method for testing a pomegranate, for this you will need: a magnet, a metal scale and a cork. We put the cork on the scales, put a stone on it (to separate it from the metal pan of the scales). When the scales are balanced, we bring a magnet to the stone. If the pomegranate is natural, the balance will be disturbed - the arrow of the scales will begin to oscillate. If you look through the crystals of a real pomegranate into the light, you can notice small defects and uneven coloring. In jewelry, natural garnet rarely exceeds the size of a garnet seed.

Amethyst

The main feature of naturalamethyst are natural defects and inclusions visible in a 10x magnifier. Natural amethyst does not conduct heat well, and if you put it on your cheek, it will remain cool for a long time. And in the water, real amethyst turns pale at the edges, as if its color is washed out by moisture.

Beloved by many, sparkling mineraltopaz can be determined by touch by the characteristic "slipperiness": when touched by the skin, it should be smooth and cool. Although topaz is a transparent mineral, it is rarely perfectly pure in nature, so when examining a stone through a magnifying glass, you will notice small inclusions. If you rub natural topaz with a woolen cloth, it will accumulate electricity in itself and will attract small particles (a piece of napkin, hairs and other light debris). However, there are also high-quality counterfeits of topaz that even imitate the physical properties of the mineral. In this case, it is possible to reveal the authenticity of a stone only in a gemological laboratory.

Citrine

natural colorcitrine not as acid-bright as substitutes can be. When viewed from different angles, natural citrine changes color from golden lemon to sunny yellow. Imitations do not have such properties.

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How to distinguish a moonstone from a fake? What is this gem? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article. The enchanting brilliance of the moonstone attracts not only admirers of its magical qualities and beauty, but also lovers of profit. They are increasingly trying to fake a natural gem. But a fake will not cure a person's illness and will not help him in love. Therefore, it is important to know how to distinguish a real moonstone from a fake.

Properties

Many people ask: “How to distinguish a moon stone from a fake?” This gem has no direct relation to the satellite of our Earth and did not come to us from another planet. But if you take the mineral in your hands and turn it slightly, you will see light streaming from within.

The heterogeneous color of the crystal with a brilliance identical to that of a cat's eyes, stars and stains - all this fascinates. And it is not for nothing that the gem is known for its magical abilities, which are not found in synthetic counterparts. The second name of the mineral is adularia. A real moonstone builds relationships with a loved one, improves health and helps build a career.

Of course, you can add a fake adularia to your collection of jewelry, but it will not add joy.

Appearance

So how can you tell a moonstone from a fake? First, let's find out what a natural mineral looks like. Externally, the crystal may be light gray with a bluish tint or colorless. Sometimes there are yellow tones. The crystal casts a pearly sheen, transparent.

If you look at it under a man-made light, the light inside it will begin to flicker. This is one of the correct ways to recognize whether it is a real gem or a synthetic one.

A real sample can also be distinguished with a magnifying glass. The lamellar structure of a real mineral is always heterogeneous, with microcracks and possible inclusions of air bubbles. Reflection and glare inside a natural stone are transformed at a set angle of inclination, in contrast to an artificial counterpart.

Reasons for imitations

Everyone should know how to distinguish a moonstone from a fake. Adularia is often imitated due to:

1. The high cost of natural stones.
2. Gem depletion.
3. High demand for products from this magical mineral.
4. Large material and physical costs for the extraction of stone.
5. Complex processing of adularia (requires professional skills and painstaking work).

The appearance of a fake from the original is almost the same, but such an instance will not bring healing help.

Synthetic fakes

Few know how to distinguish a moonstone from a fake. A photo of a real mineral is presented in the article. Synthetic analogues are most often created from plastic or glass. They are carefully tinted to match the natural color of the gem. How to identify moonstone? It can be distinguished from a fake in several proven ways:

1. Water test. Submerge the sample in water. The color of a real mineral in the liquid will become much brighter, its internal glow will create additional glare, unlike a fake. An artificial gem will not change its appearance, it will become cleaner, but nothing more.
2. Pay attention to thermal conductivity. If you squeeze a fake stone in your hand, it will instantly heat up, and the original will remain cold. It will take more time to warm it in your hands.
3. Look at the color. You can distinguish a real stone from fiction by the brightness and color gamut. The structure of the lunar mineral is heterogeneous, and therefore its color is distributed unevenly throughout the product. An important feature of a fake gem is that it is too bright in color.
4. Reveal the ability to reflect light. Artificial minerals reflect light equally from all directions. A natural jewel reflects light only at a certain degree of inclination.
5. Is the surface smooth? The real mineral is known for its positive effect on the nervous system. If you run your hand over its treated surface, you will feel the softness of silk. Energy is especially noticeable when touched.

It is known that in India, for example, the production of artificial imitations of moonstone is put on stream. Tourists are happy to purchase these attractive products. It is important that they are inscribed that this is just a copy, even if it is of high quality.

Belomorit

So, you already know how to distinguish a fake moonstone from the original. The most important feature of a real mineral is its internal glow. It is very difficult to imitate it, so more sophisticated methods are used.

• They have the same hardness rating.
• The samples are very similar in heterogeneity and density of the internal structure.
• Belomorite has a more saturated, bright color.
• Both minerals have healing and magical qualities, but each of these qualities is special, inherent only to him.
• The variety of colors is similar.
• Belomorite is less translucent, differs in the level of transparency.

The moonstone that nature has created protects its owner, dims when a person with dark thoughts appears nearby. In order not to be disappointed when choosing a talisman, heed the advice of experienced jewelers:

• Buy natural minerals in special jewelry stores. These stores have their own brand, which they cherish. Here you will be provided with a quality certificate for the product, they will inform you in which deposit the mineral was mined. Usually in such salons there is a specialist who checks any piece of jewelry for authenticity.
• Buy goods only from a trusted seller. Responsible sellers will not slip a fake for a fleeting benefit, as they value their reputation very much. They will always talk about the qualities of jewelry, the specifics of caring for them, and even explain how to identify fiction among other samples.
• A natural mineral cannot be sold in a store next to jewelry.

Moonstone is a symbol of love and family well-being. Take your time and carefully select a real talisman that will bring peace of mind to your life.

Emerald is one of the most recognizable and expensive stones. Of course, criminals pay special attention to him. Many types of fakes have been invented, differing in materials, manufacturing technologies, and quality. Before buying, you need to learn how to distinguish an emerald from a fake, so as not to spend a considerable amount on imitation.

The natural mineral is a variety of beryl with impurities: chromium, vanadium, iron. The color is usually green, sometimes with bluish or yellowish tints. Under the guise of an emerald, unscrupulous sellers offer:

• imitations;
• doublets and triplets;
• synthetic stones;
• glass.

Sometimes people are misled by the names of minerals, products. "Emerald" in them is only part of the trade name, for example:

• "Eastern" - green sapphire;
• "evening" - yellow chrysolite of intense color, giving off light green in the light;
• "Pakistani" - pomegranate of a suitable shade;
• "Vilyuisky" - Vesuvian.

Some of the imitations are not minerals. The authenticity of the emerald is optional. Enough to know the features. For example, if "emerald" is called smaragdolin, then this is glass.

imitations

Fraudsters often give out one stone after another. Under the guise of an emerald, it is proposed to buy cheaper gems. The list of minerals that are similar in shades and other characteristics is large. For example, for imitations take:

1. Demantoid. Some stones are more expensive than emeralds, so for fakes they use copies of not the best quality.
2. Fluorite. The composition is similar to Colombian emeralds. It will not be recognized even with the help of a test under ultraviolet light.
3. Green garnet (tsavorite).
4. Tourmaline. This stone, faked as an emerald, does not shine as brightly as a real one. Contains fewer reflective particles.

Any kind of gems, even classified as the first grade, are of different quality. In some cases, a real, but not the best emerald is worth less than a good fake, for example, from a demantoid.

Doublets and triplets

Sometimes several records are taken to make a fake. Faceted beryl is often used. It is cut into two parts. To make the fake look believable and attractive, a spacer of a suitable color is placed between them and fastened with brightly colored glue or paste.

Instead of beryl, sometimes a real low-quality emerald is used. In other cases, combinations of plates from different stones and materials are used:

• natural emerald and beryl, quartz, spinel (low-grade or artificial);
• one plate is made of glass.

In doublets - two parts, in triplets - three. Similar fakes have been known since ancient Greece and Rome.

Synthetic stones

It is believed that the emerald became the second mineral (the first is ruby) that scientists managed to grow. The interest of researchers was fueled by the high price of jewelry.

It is currently impossible to establish exactly who was the first to receive a synthetic stone. The work was carried out by many scientists. The results of unknown scientists used large firms to continue research, obtain patents. Conventionally, it is believed that the first emerald was made in the 30s in Germany. Then the USSR and the USA achieved great success, which further developed the technology.

The production of crystals is based on hydrothermal synthesis processes. The following products are known:

1. Chinese. The cultivation technology is similar to the previous species. Chromium is used here only to obtain color.
2. Malossi. Invented at the beginning of this century by employees of the Russian-Thai company TAIRUS. The structure is more similar to a natural mineral than other artificial counterparts. Another plus is that Malossi retains the play of shades better, regardless of the size of the crystal. Contains no vanadium, only chromium. These synthetic stones were produced in small batches. They entered the market mainly through Italians.
3. Colombian color emerald. Also received TAIRUS. For a long time, Biron was considered the standard in color, until they received the Colombian color emerald. The color is formed due to the content of vanadium. The crystal is extremely transparent. It is not easy to detect a forgery: there is no luminescence, under the Chelsea filter the stone behaves like a natural one. A high-quality real emerald from Colombia does not differ from this fake in most characteristics.
4. Russian emerald- the world market leader among small and medium-sized artificial stones. Of the expensive options with a large cut, Colombian color emerald takes the first place by a huge margin.
5. Biron. The color is intense, almost like that of Colombian natural minerals. A similar color of the stone is obtained due to chromium, vanadium. Small pebbles look great, in large ones - the play of color is noticeably worse. Growing such crystals is expensive, so they are not common.

Glass

Many fakes are simple and inexpensive to manufacture, although they are inferior in quality. They are made from glass. The best quality is emerald valleys.

They tried to replace natural emerald with glass back in the Middle Ages in Europe. The quality of the fakes was unimportant. The Venetian craftsmen managed to change the situation somewhat. They took advantage of the knowledge of the ancient Syrian artisans. Although such fakes did not receive wide distribution.

Today, beryl glass is brewed to fake the precious mineral. Color is given to it with the help of chromium. It is sometimes difficult for a non-professional to distinguish products from natural stones, but an experienced jeweler recognizes a fake by eye.

Simple fakes are even made from bottle glass. Choose the right color, give a cut.

Sample analysis

It is sometimes difficult or even impossible to distinguish a real emerald from an artificial one without going to an expert. One way is to check in ultraviolet, although it does not always help.

This method screens out glass, various imitations. However, synthetic stones and some natural ones have almost the same colors when seen through. For example, fluorite will be red, like natural emerald, but a slightly different shade (softer). It is also difficult to distinguish the Colombian color emerald.

There are other verification methods that are not available at home. Common ones include the Chelsea filter. It helps to recognize synthetic Chinese, but is powerless against Colombian color emerald.

In laboratories, hardness, refraction, structure, the presence of impurities in the channels and other parameters are determined. Even in the Middle Ages, a fake and an original were distinguished by weighing. This method is still valid today. Although it is unlikely that anyone will have special scales at home.

One magnifying glass is not always enough. Analysis requires knowledge and experience, for example:

1. Natural inclusions are sometimes confused with air bubbles. An expert on the number and type of turbidity will not only determine the authenticity, but even tell where the emerald was mined or which stone was taken for forgery. For example, chrysoprase will have inclusions in the form of "feathers". These are special traces of growth.
2. If the mineral is mounted, it must be viewed from about two meters. Natural gem slightly shimmers from such a distance.

Natural quality emeralds usually have certificates from gemological laboratories. But due to the high cost of natural stone, the authenticity of documents will also have to be verified.

How to distinguish from a fake

There are ways that everyone can use. To distinguish natural emerald from artificial, it is enough to know a few things:

1. It is advisable to study trade brands so as not to fall for the word "emerald" in the title. You need to read the accompanying documents. Don't skip the fine print. The price of the "evening" or "Pakistani" mineral is lower than that of the natural one.
2. A common way to check is when the stone is immersed in a glass of water. Fake often casts red.
3. Emeralds in nature are not layered. If there is any doubt during the examination, it is better to play it safe. You need to consider the copy in the light. It is more difficult to identify doublets, triplets from low quality natural emerald. Need to find a place to stick. If one of the layers is glass, it is given out by bubble inclusions.
4. Synthetic fakes have parallel edges and regular growth lines. In nature, there is no such clear geometry.
5. Glass "emeralds" suspiciously shiny, large. Edges are indistinct. They heat up quickly in the hands.
6. Artificial (synthetic) and glass fakes are too clean, transparent. Inside there are bubbles, liquid inclusions. Natural minerals, as a rule, have turbidity, defects and inclusions: abrasions, cracks, scratches. Jewelers call this imperfection Jardin, from French - "garden". It is as unique as a fingerprint.
7. A fake crystal is sometimes distinguished by an overly flat surface, an ideal color. Natural emerald often has shades of other colors: bluish (Colombian), brownish, yellowish. In the untreated, the core is darker, the edges are lighter.
8. Natural minerals have different shades of green. The richer the color, the more expensive the copy, so you need to focus on the price. If there is a lot of yellow in the color, it may be garnet or peridot.
9. Natural crystals slightly "sparkle" (dispersion). Strong game gives, for example, zirconium.

Emerald is an expensive gem. In order not to throw money away, you need to take the choice seriously. Some fakes are easy to spot, others are not. If in doubt, it is better to contact an expert jeweler, gemologist.