How to distinguish real rose quartz from a fake

Currently, quartz is one of the most common minerals on Earth. However, they also learned to imitate and fake it. How do you know if the stone is real in front of you and not fall for the tricks of scammers who very often pass off plastic or glass as rose quartz?

Signs of natural stone

Natural rose quartz has a sufficient number of features by which you can determine its naturalness:

1. Hue. A natural crystal always has a non-uniform color. For example, in the middle, its color may be a little more saturated, and at the edges a little pale, or vice versa.
2. Inclusions. There are practically no natural minerals in the world that would be perfectly pure. The presence of microcracks, chips, cloudy areas, imperfect transparency - all these are signs of a real stone.
3. Hardness. A natural gem will easily leave a scratch on glass or a mirror.
4. If you hold the mineral in your hand, it will not heat up, but remain a little cool. This can be checked by leaning it against your cheek.

There is also a little trick that will help determine the naturalness of the stone. If you hold the gem for some time in the sun, it will turn a little pale. It is for this reason that a natural mineral is rarely put on display, fearing that it will fade from interaction with lighting.

Signs of counterfeiting

For rose quartz can issue:

• glass;
• plastic;
• synthetically grown crystals.

If in the first two cases it is considered a complete fake and such frauds are prosecuted by law, then in the case of artificially grown rose quartz, there are no problems. Synthetic minerals completely repeat not only the structure and color, but also all the physico-chemical characteristics of a natural pink gem. The only difference between natural quartz and artificially obtained is only that the first was created by nature, and the second by man. In addition, synthetic minerals do not have any healing or magical properties that all natural crystals are endowed with.

Signs of synthetic rose quartz:

• perfect structure and transparency;
• shade uniformity;
• clear edges;
• rich and even color;
• heats up quickly and retains heat for a while.

As for fakes in the form of glass and plastic, the first thing you should pay attention to is the weight of the stone. A natural gem weighs more and, therefore, will be heavier than a glass fake. Also in such "stones" the smallest bubbles of air or gas are clearly visible. Another distinguishing feature of a fake is precise and even edges, as if under a ruler.

When buying jewelry with a pink gem, pay attention to the mineral itself. If there are through holes in it, then you have a 100% fake, since the natural crystal is very fragile and any attempt to drill it will cause the rose quartz to crumble.

If you decide to purchase a product inlaid with rose quartz and doubt its naturalness, then it is better to contact professionals who, using special equipment, will check the gem for authenticity.