Have you ever seen a crystal that's too good to be true? Me too. But sometimes they’re just too beautiful to miss!
Some crystals can be dyed or heat treated to change or enhanced their features. In spiritual terms, some people feel less connected to altered crystals, and geologically, less authentic. But that does not make then any less beautiful than any other natural crystals.
This post will cover some man-made or altered crystals, explain how they're enhanced, and why you shouldn't necessary avoid a 'fake' crystal!
Spirit Quartz
Spirit Quartz is a form of silicon-dioxide quartz that grows in unusually shaped finger, or candle-like shapes, with tiny little quartz crystals using the main body as a matrix to form on. This crystal can occur naturally, often purple-ish or yellow-ish in colour. However, frequently these crystals can be dyed to enhance their features! They are such dreamy crystals, and so they are coloured to come in colours that match!
The specimens pictured above shoe a variety of spirit quartz. The first is heat treated to give off a smoky effect. The second and third are dyed to enhance their beauty. You can find pieces like these with one of my favourite crystal sellers, which you can find on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JosiesCrystals?page=4#items
The value of the clusters often increase once they have been dyed, and you can buy spirit quartz in clustered like the one pictured above, or in individual fingers! Nonetheless, this crystal is definitely a showy specimen piece, and an amazing piece to work with spiritually.
Agate
It is true - agate does not need to be enhanced! Agates are so intricate, with delicate bands swirling around like little waves. You can find them across the UK looking somewhat unremarkable from the outside (although some pieces are just plain stunning!).
However, frequently agates are dyed to enhance their striking bands. My slice has been dyed purple and pink (somewhat quite subtle actually). I also have a little tumbled dyed blue agate. Agates consist of chalcedony and quartz and are commonly found in the UK as nodules!
Natural agate in neutral coloured - pinks, browns, creams, blacks and whites. And you can find agates in all different shapes and sizes, from big points, to tumbled stones, to slices, to geodes.
Citrine
Citrine, like the others, comes in a beautiful, natural form, ranging from super light yellows, to dark, smoky, honey colours. However, the most common citrine on the market is bright yellows to burnt orange. It is quite well known that citrine can be faked, and most shops will sell 'citrine' and 'natural citrine'. Both, however, are beautiful. Man-made citrine is made of the same chemical composition as amethyst, silicon-oxide, but it is heat treated, baked at almost 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, often by the miners themselves.
It is key to note that the earth naturally does this process, over thousands of years. And because citrine is rare, it has a high price tag.
Despite the obvious colouration differences, there are other ways you can tell the two apart. Firstly, man-made citrine often has an opaque white layer, a sign of amethyst. Citrine also does not come in clusters, like amethyst, but instead larger points. Natural citrine is of higher value, despite it's duller colour, but both are simply beautiful.
Aura Quartz
An extremely attractive stone, yet not entirely authentic. Aura quartz is characterised by it's stunning rainbows all across the surface of the crystal. It is often made with clear quartz, yet can be made with rose quartz, and less frequently, amethyst. Rainbows are natural in quartz, yet aura quartz is actually treated with a mixture of metals, sometimes including silver, gold and platinum, to give a coating of rainbows under 1,600 degree Fahrenheit heat.
These are very unique pieces and definitely a statement. In spirituality, they are excellent for connecting with spirit guides and angels, as well as the higher self.
Desert Rose
Despite most desert rose on the market having that signature white cresting on the ends of it's formations, this is not actually how desert rose looks naturally, and is in fact a cosmetic process, through heating.
Desert rose naturally forms when gypsum or baryte mixed with sand deposits, which form crystals during the evaporation process. In history, desert roses have been use as protective talismans, with the belief each one hold it's own guardian.
Desert rose actually looks somewhat dull when natural, they don't have their signature white 'petals'. That's because this is caused by heat treatment.
Dyed Quartz
Lots of crystals can be dyed, and quartz is no exception. The piece pictured above is a piece of pink dyed clear quartz. There is nothing wrong with buying and selling dyed crystals, as long as the seller states that it is dyed. Sometimes, dyed agates and quartz can be really pleasant. Dyed crackle quartz is often admired, and considered beautiful. A dyed piece is not necessarily a bad piece, by any means.
You can tell if your piece is dyed by looking at where the dye has been distributed. Dye often tends to sit between cracks within the quartz, and that is where it is most concentrated, as you can see above. This is a telling sign of a dyed quartz. Dyed quartz can often be referred to with a fruit name, like strawberry quartz, or mango quartz.
Other types of quartz can also be dyed. Amethyst, for example, can be dyed to enrich the purple colour of the druzy. You can tell an amethyst is dyed, because the white quartz near the matrix will be dyed purple, and the entire crystal is likely to be one rich, deep purple, with little variation.
Dyed quartz is not bad, especially if you know that's what you're getting! Sometimes it can even be incredibly beautiful, and highlight unique impurities and cracks that maybe you wouldn't notice without the dye.
Learn more about quartz: https://ellegeogblog.wixsite.com/geogblog/post/some-rocks-that-aren-t-just-rocks
Opalite
Opalite is a very loved and cherished 'crystal' among collectors for it's opalescence. However, opalite is not actually a crystal, but a man-made glass. It is made with similar properties to common opal, silicon dioxide stacked into a pyramid shape, however, it is man-made and not technically a crystal.
However, it's decorative charm definitely promotes opalite being a favourite among many collectors, and cheaply sold in many crystal and mineral shops across the world. My pieces were bought from Crystals in Totnes.
Learn more about Totnes: https://ellegeogblog.wixsite.com/geogblog/post/case-study-transition-town-totnes
In spirituality, opalite is valued for aiding spiritual communication and improving self esteem.
Malachite
Some crystals, however, are just plain fakes. And malachite is the perfect crystal to fake. It looks like a sea of swirling green, or a forest laced with vines and ivy. It's beauty is astonishing, and expensive. So many sellers fake malachite, particularly on jewellery.
Malachite is a copper mineral, and it is mainly found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been used throughout history, the Egyptians mentioned malachite in their hieroglyphs as being essential to their gods, traders wore malachite to attract more prosperity and Italians wore malachite to ward off the evil eye.
Natural malachite is full of swirls with colours between green, so dark it's almost black, and light greens.
Fake malachite can be easy to spot. The colour variation is usually more stark, with bright greens to literal black. The swirling pattern may also be a lot less intricate. Fake malachite is often used in jewellery, mainly for safety reasons, since when wet, malachite is toxic!
The last word on 'fake' crystals
There is nothing wrong with crystals which are enhanced by man, whether they are heated, irradiated, coated or dyed, as long as they buyer is made aware of it. Often times, these 'fakes' can be very desirable and simply enhance the look of the original crystal. Opalite is an exception, since it is entirely man-made, however, it is still enjoyed for it decorative character. If you take away anything from this post, it is that treated and man-made crystals don't have to be bad, and in fact can be very beautiful and desirable, and maybe you would even like to add some to your collection.
That being said, what is bad is selling a man-made 'crystal' as the real thing. Often when you buy quartz, it is just glass or plastic, and malachite is often made from resin. Deceiving customers is not okay, and selling fakes without informing your customer is cruel, especially if they use crystals as part of a spiritual practice.
It is fun and important to know where your crystals have come from, and what they are made from. Understanding both a physical and spiritual perspective of these amazing creations from our earth is eye-opening. As I cannot mention enough man-made or enhanced is not always bad, but, depending on the circumstance can be malicious.
Do you have any man-enhanced or man-made crystals? And have you ever bought a crystal, only to receive a fake?