Precious and semi-precious natural stones. Emerald: how to distinguish a real stone from a fake How to identify a gemstone from a fake

06.04.202127.05.2017

Contents of the article

Natural stones have been valued at all times. Man attributed to them magical and healing properties, and often kept his savings in natural stones. They, like gold, do not depreciate.

This statement is still relevant in our time, especially considering the size and speed of inflation. In addition, precious and semi-precious stones - great gift, so dear to the heart of any woman, among whom
Jewelry with alexandrite is especially popular.
Perhaps any of us can easily list the names of a dozen gems, but do we know how to determine whether the stones are real? Most likely not.
Therefore - go ahead! Let's learn together.

The most popular gems

Diamond

Let's start with the most expensive stone on earth - a diamond. By what signs can you tell whether this stone is natural? Of course, only a specialist will give you a guaranteed accurate answer. And our advice will help you decide “by eye”. Below we present several “tests” that can be called a “primary” check.

Sandpaper test. As you know, a diamond is a hard stone, this is one of its main advantages, for which it is so valued. Therefore, trying to scratch a real diamond with sandpaper will not harm it at all.
Glass test. A common fact. If you run a diamond or diamond (rough diamond) across the glass, it will leave a scratch.
Water test. Contrary to popular belief, a diamond will not disappear in a glass of clean water. You will continue to see him because... The refractive index of a diamond is still higher than that of water.
In a glass of water you can see how pure your diamond is, i.e. are there in it dark spots, air bubbles and other imperfections. It sparkles in the water under the candles - the stone is dirty. Doesn't sparkle in water under candlelight - the stone is clean. Five centuries ago, people noticed this pattern, hence the common saying about “a diamond of pure water.”
Light test. Take a stone, or jewelry with it, and look through it. If the stone is real, the most you will see is the light in the center (culasse), the rest of the surfaces of the real diamond will be mirrored.
Perspiration test. Breathe on the stone. If you see sweat on it, alas, it is not a real diamond.

Ruby

Next in value after a diamond is a ruby. Of course, a lot depends on the purity of the stones, their carat content and history. Large rubies are rare; natural stones are most often small in size.

The main feature of a real ruby is its brightness and color saturation. To determine this, experts suggest comparing the red color of a ruby with the red color of a traffic light.
Ruby is distinguished by its hardness - it cannot be scratched with a sharp object, but the ruby itself can scratch glass or ceramics.
A real ruby must have small defects, otherwise it would cost an exorbitant amount and be sold at auctions. Arm yourself with a magnifying glass and check for minor bubbles, scratches, or cracks in your ruby.
A clear glass glass – ruby makes it look a little reddish.

Emerald

One of the most favorite precious stones of all times. Determining whether it is real will not be easy. There are several reasons for this:

They learned to synthesize artificial emeralds back in the 19th century. And since then, technology has only improved. You will be able to distinguish an emerald (both real and synthesized) from other green stones, which very often give off emeralds, under ultraviolet rays. A UV lamp will color the emerald or artificial emerald red-brown.
But you must admit that such a check will not suit us.
A more accurate test can be carried out using a refractometer. If this device shows a refractive index of 1.58, you can be sure that this is a real emerald.
If you are offered an emerald without cracks or other defects at a low price, you should know that they are offering you either a fake or a stolen stone. Pure emeralds (without defects) are extremely rare in nature, as are rubies.

Sapphire

“A frozen drop of the elixir of youth” - the ancients, who knew a lot about jewelry, called sapphire. It is a pity that in our age everything is counterfeited, including noble sapphire. In the story about sapphire, we would like to pay a little attention to the topic of composite stones, because... for some reason, sapphire is most often counterfeited in this way. Composite stone is a stone consisting of two parts. Its upper part is real stone, and the bottom one is a fake (and it is not necessary that the bottom stone be artificially synthesized. It can be natural, but less expensive). Typically, such stones are inserted into a piece of jewelry, where the “gluing” area is skillfully masked with a setting. Even the method of checking a stone with a refractometer will not give a guaranteed result, because... its upper part will display the required parameters.
You can be satisfied with a superficial check - lower the stone into water, where it will certainly sink due to its heaviness, or try to scratch it with a sharp object - this will not harm a real sapphire.
But if you intend to buy a guaranteed real stone, take it to an independent jeweler for inspection.

Alexandrite

The fifth most expensive stone in the line of jewelry stones is alexandrite. That is why there are so many fakes of this noble stone in the world. Even the original characteristic of alexandrite – pleochroism (color change under different lighting) – has been learned to be counterfeited. Therefore, we recommend that you purchase products with this stone only in trusted stores, with a mandatory quality certificate.

Pearl

Most likely, pearls were the oldest gemstone known to mankind. Moreover, until the late Middle Ages, it was considered the most valuable stone.
Pearls are often counterfeited, and “tastefully”. You can verify the authenticity of your pearls as follows:

Run the pearls over your teeth. If you do not hear a characteristic creak (the smallest mother-of-pearl scales will creak), then you have a fake in your hands.
If you don’t feel sorry for the necklace, and you are ready to cut the thread that holds the pearls to check, you can check whether they will bounce off the floor. Artificial pearls will not “spring”.
There is no such thing as a perfectly smooth and light pearl. The mollusk, which creates these unrivaled stones, builds up nacre gradually and unevenly. In addition, mother-of-pearl weighs a fair amount, so light natural stones do not exist.
Cheap pearls are also from the realm of myths. Even if you purchased jewelry somewhere on vacation, even in a country where pearls are not uncommon, do not get your hopes up. The market for precious stones was one of the first to become international. And a merchant in a distant country understands the value of a stone no worse than a jeweler in the center of Europe.

Topaz

Topaz jewelry is very common and has been known for many centuries. By the way, light-colored topazes are rarely counterfeited, because They are quite common and there is no point in counterfeiting them.

Real topaz is easily electrified, and if you rub it with a woolen cloth, it will begin to attract hair, tissue paper or newsprint.
If you hold natural topaz in your hand, it will remain cold for quite a long time.
Experts check the naturalness of topaz using methylene iodide (CH2J2), in which a real stone will sink, while an artificially synthesized one will remain floating on the surface.

Amber

Let many people consider this stone to be ornamental, and not worth attention– amber deserves its place on the list of common jewelry stones. In addition, you can find fake amber more often than real amber.

The most common test method is to set the stone on fire. The real one will smell like resin, while the fake one will smell like plastic. But not everything is so simple, real amber is a stone formed by nature over many thousands of years, and fake amber (also created from resin), with modern technologies, can be formed in a day.
Very often ordinary glass is passed off as amber. You can test your stone in two ways - by trying to scratch it, and in a saturated salt solution. Real amber (or resin fakes) can be scratched and will not sink in a saturated salt solution (2 tbsp salt per 300 ml water).
The naturalness of amber can be checked using a wool cloth, as is the case with topaz.

Pomegranate

Pomegranates are not often counterfeited, but there are still craftsmen who want to make money from naive buyers. Real garnets are similar in size and color to a pomegranate seed.

We check the naturalness of the garnet with glass. The grenade should scratch the glass, because... it's much harder.
If you have electronic scales in your arsenal, you can check the naturalness of a pomegranate in the following way. Place the cork backing and the stone to be tested on the scale. Remember the weight that the scale indicates. And then bring a magnet to the pomegranate. If the weight of the stone has decreased, you have a real mineral in front of you.

The final verdict on whether your stone is natural can only be made by a specialist - a gemologist. Only gemologists have full set knowledge and equipment for guaranteed accurate results.

October 28th, 2013 , 03:34 pm

When creating our jewelry, we think not only about the convenience and beauty of bracelets, but also, above all, about the beneficial properties, which gems possess. That is why we always choose exclusively natural stones, after first making sure and checking their authenticity.

Progress does not stand still, and nowadays imitation stones have become so common that sometimes even specialists find it difficult to distinguish a fake without special equipment. We will tell you a little about how you can check the naturalness of some stones. Let's first look at the most common methods of counterfeiting:

ordinary tinted glass or plastic is passed off as natural stone

cheap minerals are passed off as more expensive and rare

stone chips are pressed, painted and passed off as natural stone

Paradoxically, at first glance, fakes very often look more beautiful than real stones, and, in principle, if you just need a new and inexpensive beautiful piece of jewelry, then they may well fulfill this function. BUT... Just once, feel the cold heaviness of natural stone in your palm, which in a few minutes will be replaced by a warm weightlessness that warms you throughout the day; take a closer look at what bizarre patterns each pebble is covered with (but there is no second one exactly the same, there never was and never will be!); think about how many thousands or even millions of years it slowly grew in the depths of our planet, absorbing its natural strength, beauty and energy. And after all this, you most likely will not agree to a fake, albeit inexpensive, but stamped in thousands of copies, made in a few seconds at the factory. And needless to say that the above imitations do not possess those wonderful properties that people have endowed with gems all over the world since ancient times. And the durability of these imitations cannot be compared with natural stones. While pressed stones quite quickly begin to lose their original color from wear, crumble and peel, and glass imitations break, natural stones throughout for long years continue to please their owners and help them :)

Currently, quite rare, but most often counterfeited semi-precious stones are moonstone, malachite, turquoise, amber, aventurine, and rock crystal.

And now let’s talk about how you can try to distinguish natural stone from glass or plastic. What should you be wary of when choosing jewelry? Firstly, the lightness of the product. Plastic is much lighter than stone and becomes warm very quickly in the hand, while stone will heat up slowly enough that you will immediately feel its weight, even if it is just a few small stones (except for amber, more about that next time!). Secondly, the same color and pattern of each bead. Each natural stone is unique and has its own characteristics, this may be an external pattern or heterogeneity inside. And if all the stones in the product look like twin brothers, then most likely you are looking at glass or plastic. With glass, however, it is a little more complicated. Over time, you can learn to distinguish glass from stone by external signs, knowing the characteristics of minerals. However, in temperature it is similar to stone. But if, after all, the geologist in you defeats the esthete, then you can try to take extreme measures and split the bead. The edges of the glass will be very sharp, they can easily hurt you, unlike stone, the chips of which can easily be touched.

One of the most popular semi-precious minerals among jewelry lovers. It is very beautiful and much cheaper than expensive diamonds. Due to its strength and flexibility to any type of processing, natural stone mined from nature has found wide use among jewelers who modern stage subject it to any test. It is for this reason that such an expression as “artificial topaz” arose in everyday life - people know that there are technologies with the help of which it is possible to create synthetic analogues of natural minerals.

However, is everything really so simple and is every stone that is commonly called a “fake” actually a fake? Today we will try to figure this out.

A few words about modern technologies and frauds

Technological progress is constantly evolving. Today, experts actually master a technique that allows them to artificially grow topazes, which, at first glance, do not differ at all from the real ones. Below we will talk in more detail about what such a synthesis is. But I would like to immediately note that this labor-intensive laboratory process is worthy of respect, in contrast to real fakes, when ordinary bright glass, the cost of which is pennies, is disguised as topaz. Skilled scammers, unfortunately, often counterfeit glass with topaz and skillfully sell it to unlucky buyers.

There is also a more “noble” method of counterfeiting topaz, when the initial raw material for their production is quartz, which is much cheaper. It is a mineral closely related to natural topaz in structure and appearance.

This product is well worth purchasing. But it is important that sellers do not deceive buyers and honestly say that this is an imitation of natural topaz, without inflating the price beyond the limit. Of course, you can meet honest and competent sellers in the jewelry business, but, nevertheless, in this environment no one is immune from deception.

How processed topazes are obtained

In order to approach the purchase wisely, it is important to know about such a concept as the technical processing that most natural stones undergo before they go on display in a jewelry store. There are different technologies that can make the stone cleaner, discolor it, and remove unnecessary grayish tints.

Can be obtained from gray by applying radioactive irradiation to it. This is how different shades of blue are obtained from a nondescript gray stone. If the process is successful, and the pale pebble shines bright blue, it is immediately sent for sale. Its duller “brothers” will be processed further until the desired color effect is achieved.

By the way, the rainbow specimen beloved by many, which is called mystical topaz, can be obtained from pale blue minerals by sputtering a thin film on them using a special apparatus - a magnetron. there is no equal in shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, and it is also quite worthy of purchase. Fortunately, the price for it is quite reasonable. Of course, over time, such a handsome man may fade. But if you know that it really doesn’t like sunlight and treat it carefully, it will delight you with its beauty much longer.

Irradiation, heating, magnetron sputtering - all these methods of refining do not make natural stone “fake” or “artificial”. This definition is incorrect, and in this case It would be correct to talk about natural stones that have undergone one or another type of processing. They remain the same in quality. However, their color looks brighter and more saturated. Their structure remains the same; they can also become electrified, as before processing, without losing their natural properties.

No less famous topazes, which have long been called “,” in nature have reddish and orange colors. If they are thermally treated, the color will become more saturated. In this case, the price for both copies will be approximately the same.

Of course, the color shade of a stone is a matter of taste, and there is no point in arguing about how to determine the authenticity of topaz in this case. Treated stones were and remain natural; their only quality that changes after treatment is color.

Artificial topazes: an expensive pleasure

As is already becoming clear, processed stones should be distinguished from artificial ones on the basis that in the first case, man only partially took part in their processing. In the second case, the stone manufacturing process is created and controlled by specialists from beginning to end. This is how a synthetic mineral is obtained, in other words, grown artificially, under special laboratory conditions.

Based on its popular name, the disparaging word “synthetic” is often applied to it. People probably think that it is based on synthetic materials like plastic, but this is not true at all. The word “synthetic” should be understood as “obtained through a process of synthesis” - or, to be more precise, recreating the structure of the stone under conditions that are as close as possible to natural ones.

The stones are grown in several stages. The main material is an aqueous solution with a very complex chemical composition. The material is placed in an autoclave and heated to 500°C. Moreover, the heating process itself has certain subtleties and cyclicity. This technology was developed in the seventies of the last century and was successful in its application. In nature, the formation of topaz can take several hundred years, but in the laboratory, stones can be made in a few months.

However, it later turned out that there was no point in putting synthetic topaz into production: the financial costs of such production turned out to be too high. Much higher than the search and cost of ready-made natural stones on the market. Despite the uniqueness of this technology, it cannot bring commercial benefits.

Therefore, it is virtually impossible to find artificial topaz in retail sales. It is rightly believed that coloring, irradiating and heating natural stones is much faster and cheaper than a labor-intensive laboratory process, which requires constant monitoring by gemologists.

How to recognize a synthetic stone

Of course, jewelry lovers here too have the right to ask a reasonable question about how to distinguish real topaz from synthetic one. What if you have to deal with such an instance? Since the technology for producing topaz crystal has been brought to perfection by specialists, even experienced jewelers cannot always tell by its appearance whether it is a natural stone or one grown artificially.

It is possible to check it in detail and recognize man-made topaz only by conducting an examination using special equipment. Crystals of natural analogues always have small flaws and imperfections that are not visible to the naked eye. When tested, synthetic topazes look too ideal - which suggests that they were created by man, and not by nature.

These stones can be called unique - for the simple reason that they cannot be acquired so easily. Moreover, they have no visible difference with natural topazes. They are also subject to electrification and can fade in the sun; they have the same hardness and shine. Therefore, it is unfair to call them fake, especially considering that natural stones can be found much more often than man-made ones.

Unfortunately, people have not yet invented a less expensive technology for their manufacture. Therefore, artificial topazes can only be found at exhibitions, in museums or as exhibits in large gemological laboratories.

How to recognize a fake made of quartz or glass?

Based previous sections, we came to the conclusion that the word “fake” would be incorrect to apply to processed and artificially grown types of stones. The word “fake” can mean, for example, quartz, or, in worst case, a cheap but skillfully crafted piece of glass.

If you are a fan of “natural” coloring of stones and do not like bright “chemical” colors, choose transparent topazes, which may have no color at all. They look modest, but, thanks to their naturalness, they will serve as a noble and reliable decoration that will not fade in the sun or fade over time.

Remember that bright red or colored stones are almost never found in nature, are unique specimens and are very expensive. In jewelry stores there is a lot of jewelry with exactly these colors of topaz - without a doubt, they will be easy to recognize as processed stones.

In order not to buy ordinary glass or quartz instead of a natural stone, several recommendations will help you on how to distinguish topaz from a fake:

Natural stone has a good polish. Its surface glides by touch.
Natural topazes are heavier by weight than quartz, which is most often used for counterfeiting.
If you get caught a specimen that has a suspiciously ideal shape and structure, but its weight corresponds to the “category” of topaz , you are, to some extent, lucky. Perhaps you have come across an artificially grown stone, which does not come on sale very often. Be sure that it will be as electrified as the real thing, and gemological examination will help determine its exact origin.
You can distinguish a natural stone from a “cunning” quartz by running a natural analogue over it. Quartz will definitely get scratched because it is much softer.
When the direction of the light flux changes, the topaz should change its color. This phenomenon is called pleochroism and is especially evident in yellow and pink specimens.
If possible, test topaz using ultraviolet light . If a blue stone has a natural color and has not been processed, under the influence of ultraviolet it will glow yellow or greenish, and a natural one, like the sun, will sparkle with orange colors. This is called luminescence.
You can identify natural topaz at home or on the go by carefully listening to your tactile sensations. Natural stone will always be cool in your hands and heats up very slowly.
It has already been mentioned several times that a mineral of natural origin will always be electrified under certain conditions. For example, if you rub it on a thick piece of woolen fabric, it will immediately electrified. This can be felt tactilely. If you put it close natural stone small pieces of paper or thread, after allowing him to become properly electrified, he will begin to attract them to himself. In the case of glass or quartz, this phenomenon does not occur.

The question of how to distinguish a fake, if you want to be even more confident in the “naturalness” of the stone, can be solved by going to a jewelers laboratory. There is a simple experiment that is carried out in laboratory conditions, using a special chemical solution - methylene iodide. If you put natural topaz in it, it will immediately begin to sink and quickly sink to the bottom, and if it is glass or quartz, it will remain floating on top.

But remember that, in addition to glass and quartz, there is another “treacherous” stone - cubic zirconia, which craftsmen also often fake as topaz. He is so “disguised” as it that he can drown in an iodomethylene solution. It can be distinguished from topaz only by conducting a more in-depth analysis of the crystal lattice using special optical instruments.

How to determine real topaz by examining the name of a particular stone? At first glance, the question may seem strange, but it has its own meaning. The fact is that many people mistakenly consider the so-called “rauchtopaz” to be natural and buy it without understanding the basic subtleties.

The word “rauch”, translated from German as “smoke” and corresponding to the Russian name “smoky topaz”, has nothing in common with it. It simply means a gray variety of quartz, which can always be distinguished from topaz by its hardness and excessive lightness. Smoky quartz itself is very attractive and is also worthy of purchase, but from honest entrepreneurs it should be sold at a fair price that corresponds to it.

If you love topazes, are interested in the method of processing them and how they look in the natural environment, it will not be difficult for you to figure out how to distinguish topaz from a fake in the easiest cases - using visual inspection, electrifying the stone and paying attention to the brightness of its color and weight. You should also keep in mind that stones come in different colors both in nature and after processing. As already mentioned, their natural coloring looks much more modest than man-made ones. But both of them tend to fade over time. Especially if you do not take care of the jewelry and expose it to constant exposure to sun and light.

If you purchase an irradiated stone, keep in mind that it will unfortunately lose its brightness after a couple of years, even if cared for and stored in the dark. Treated stones do not have the ability to self-restore color, while natural topaz can "regenerate" if placed in a dark place. However, if you wish, you can take the faded mineral to a jewelry workshop and, depending on its condition, try to irradiate it again.

As for the cost, natural minerals of a more modest color are always more expensive than bright ones that have been processed. And this is understandable: such beauty often turns out to be short-lived. On the one hand, it is good if it can be restored for some time by subjecting the stone to repeated experiments. But on the other hand, it is impossible to maintain artificial brightness constantly, because regular irradiation and tinting will very soon negatively affect the appearance and the structure of topaz.

The concept of “artificial topaz” has nothing to do with plastic, synthetics, or processed stones. Man-made stone, made by man, is not found on sale very often, and this concept should be distinguished from the word “fake,” which can easily include glass, quartz, and even “tricky” cubic zirconia. Both synthetic and processed stone can safely be called natural. If you have some simple skills, this will allow you to distinguish real topaz from cheap glass or cheaper quartz.

As the song says: “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!” To be precise, then best friends girls are also topazes, rubies, sapphires, malachites, emeralds, garnets, etc. Among such a variety of valuable stones, today you can often find artificially grown, and sometimes simply counterfeit, minerals. How to distinguish a natural stone from a fake? Of course, you can take the gemstones aversvrn.ru to a pawnshop for an appraisal or contact an experienced jeweler with a request to identify them. However, specialist services are often quite expensive. This article will provide all known methods for determining authenticity expensive stones approximately.

How to distinguish a real stone from a fake

First of all, it is worth saying that the modern jewelry industry divides fake stones into three categories:

Synthetically grown stones - these stones are real minerals, but grown in a laboratory.
High-quality fakes are inexpensive natural stones that look similar to valuable minerals.
Glass or plastic imitations.

As is clear from the gradation of the listed fakes, synthetic stones are quite valuable, fake ones are not valued so highly, and imitations are even used only in costume jewelry.

Regarding the question of how to identify natural stone, professionals give several tips on what you need to pay attention to first of all:

Zoning – uniform color distribution
Inclusions
Microstructures of growth

Naturally, it is impossible to examine and identify a mineral according to these criteria without special equipment, experience and a certain amount of knowledge. Then how to distinguish real gemstones from fakes without all this?

In order to purchase an original in a store and not stumble upon a hack, you need to know a few nuances:

There are practically no ideal stones in nature.
Natural stones are rarely large, but growing a large mineral in a laboratory is a piece of cake.
Almost all natural minerals are cold to the touch. The only exception is amber. Glass and plastic imitations will feel a little warmer to the touch. You can find out by placing a stone on your cheek or tasting it with your tongue.
Natural stones, unlike imitations, are more durable.
Minerals grown under artificial conditions often have a brighter color than those created by nature.
The price of a natural stone will be many times higher than the price of a fake.
Anyone who values his reputation jewelry shop is obliged to issue a certificate for the stone confirming its authenticity.

So how to distinguish gem from glass by checking their heat is quite simple, the question remains open of how to distinguish natural stone from artificial. To do this, it is necessary to consider each type of jewelry separately. If you want to learn how to clean gold jewelry with stones, we advise you to follow the link

Diamond or diamond

If you look through a cut diamond into the sun, you will only find a white dot inside it.
Diamond is one of the hardest minerals, so it can leave scratches both on glass and on other (fake) stones. At the same time, if you rub sandpaper over a stone, it will not leave a mark on it. Other stones may cause scratches.
It is impossible to see through the skin of a diamond ring worn on a finger.
If you treat a diamond with hydrochloric acid, the stone will remain unchanged. At the same time, zircon similar to it will acquire a cloudy tint.
If you immerse a diamond in an aqueous solution of glycerin, monophthlene monobromide or methylene iodide, it will continue to play beautifully with rays of light. If a similar manipulation is performed with other stones, they will simply become invisible in this composition of the liquid.

Turquoise

Over time, dark spots form on the fake.
If you bring a hot needle to the stone, the original will remain unchanged. At the same time, the plastic imitation will begin to melt. True, sometimes synthetic minerals are also able to withstand heat.
In a low-quality plastic fake, the color is erased even when exposed to alcohol.
If you run a sharp knife across turquoise, there will be no mark left on it. If you have hack work at hand, then grooves form on its surface white, and it begins to crumble.
In general, natural turquoise is quite difficult to distinguish from fake.