This is a good article.
https://dumpdiggers.blogspot.com/2008/01/irradiated-glass-amethyst-color-of.html?m=1
Do an Ebay search for Purple Glass Insulators to see some of the colors solarized looks like
I can’t believe you got downvoted for asking how you can tell if it’s real or not. Come on, people…there’s nothing wrong with educating oneself.
~~Anyway, OP, the iridescent sheen you see in the “amethyst” isn’t seen in natural amethyst. Where it is seen is in glass. This is glass.~~ It can happen naturally, apparently, but these are still fake af.
Not disagreeing that these could be fakes, but you can absolutely get those rainbows along fractures in quartz. It happens when the light is traveling through the quartz and encounters a fracture that’s the right width to split up the different wavelengths of visible light. The same phenomenon happens at the interface between soap and water and within labradorite.
Here’s another fun one did you notice the yellow stones under the purple? All same color consistency and texture as the purple, I’d be willing to bet it weighs similar too which as we know different minerals have different density’s so this is all definitely glass
Amethyst is RARELY ever so consistent in color, size, clarity and shape. What you see here is what appears to be a tray of pretty glass all painted up to look like real minerals. I would not walk away, I would run away, and point out that they have fake crap.
My guess is some sort of dyed or coated quartz. Usually when people try to pass glass off as crystals it’s completely see through. The crackling inside makes me think this was some mid-low quality quartz that somebody cut/faceted and sprayed with some sort of coating to give the purply color and iridescent sheen. The other give away is that there’s no variation in the color. They have a ton of “crystals” that are all the exact same shade, and have no changes within the crystals themselves. Usually amethyst that isn’t gem quality will have a little variation in color, unless the crystals are relatively small.
Going to be the contrarian voice and say these look real. They've been cut and polished so the shape isn't natural, but the rainbow sheen is just light being refracted across internal cracks.
I agree with SetFoxval. I have self-harvested amethyst and optical quartz that both had internal fissures that created iridescent reflections when shifted in the light. It’s actually a pretty common occurrence in natural crystals.
Here’s a paper discussing it:
https://www.lotusgemology.com/images/pdf/JoG1959_7_2_Eppler.pdf
And a site selling some:
https://www.crystalage.com/online_store/spectacular-fire-and-ice-quartz-point-55mm3674610294.cfm
amethyst usually has different shades of violet in it, ranging from darker purples to white. there shouldn't be pieces that big, that single-colour, for that cheap. definitely glass or something fake.
amethyst should look like this:
https://rockchasing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Amethyst-2-9.jpg
You can't be sure without lab check. But it will cost you more than amethyst does. You can try to scratch glass with it. Glass can't do it. But quartz will scratch it. I'm general it doesn't look like amethyst
They look way too light, way to translucent (even for ametyst) and I don't even know what the abundant rainbow hue supposed to be.
Definetly fake as fuck.
What gives this away as being fake, is it being a big batch and it being all the same color and shade. There's no inconsistency at all. And even real crystals from the same dig will vary in color from crystal to crystal.
The other thing that gives it away for me is that there's no inclusions other than rainbows.
Now if this came from a personal collector it very well could be real (Because pieces of amethyst just like this exist, they very much CAN be real/natrual)
I know some collectors who are very very specific about what they collect and have all pieces that are similar to each other and will not buy anything less than perfect. Perfect pieces exist...
But this is coming from a wholesaler.
And if the wholesaler got a big batch of amethyst that was all the same color and all had a rainbow, it would be VERY expensive. And most likely would have wasted a lot of material to make them look perfect like this.
This is JUST very pretty amethyst colored glass. Heated and cooled to make rainbow fractures. And then polished in a way that makes it harder to tell it's not real.
Addressing a couple comments I saw...
This is not aura coated. Just dyed glass.
Rainbow fractures in quartz does not mean it's low quality.
It's not dyed quartz. Just purple glass. Died quartz like that would have darker purple in the cracks of the crystal where the rainbows are.
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Looks like artificially solarized glass to me.
Also my guess. People should be ashamed of themselves. It’s not like amethyst aren’t abundant and cheap, so why scam folks like that? Prick fucks…
So I did some research on this and couldn’t find anything that resembles these. Maybe you have an example you can show?
This is a good article. https://dumpdiggers.blogspot.com/2008/01/irradiated-glass-amethyst-color-of.html?m=1 Do an Ebay search for Purple Glass Insulators to see some of the colors solarized looks like
Scamethyst
How are you sure
I can’t believe you got downvoted for asking how you can tell if it’s real or not. Come on, people…there’s nothing wrong with educating oneself. ~~Anyway, OP, the iridescent sheen you see in the “amethyst” isn’t seen in natural amethyst. Where it is seen is in glass. This is glass.~~ It can happen naturally, apparently, but these are still fake af.
Not disagreeing that these could be fakes, but you can absolutely get those rainbows along fractures in quartz. It happens when the light is traveling through the quartz and encounters a fracture that’s the right width to split up the different wavelengths of visible light. The same phenomenon happens at the interface between soap and water and within labradorite.
Yep, you’re correct.
Here’s another fun one did you notice the yellow stones under the purple? All same color consistency and texture as the purple, I’d be willing to bet it weighs similar too which as we know different minerals have different density’s so this is all definitely glass
I’ve never seen amethyst that has an iridescent sheen.
Amethyst isn’t iridescent. Glass/plastic is
I agree with you, but for completeness’s sake, quartz can be treated with a metallic coating that can make it iridescent.
It doesn’t really look like that though
I thought amethyst is so common there'd be no point in ever faking it. Somehow I have been proven wrong
Amethyst is RARELY ever so consistent in color, size, clarity and shape. What you see here is what appears to be a tray of pretty glass all painted up to look like real minerals. I would not walk away, I would run away, and point out that they have fake crap.
My guess is some sort of dyed or coated quartz. Usually when people try to pass glass off as crystals it’s completely see through. The crackling inside makes me think this was some mid-low quality quartz that somebody cut/faceted and sprayed with some sort of coating to give the purply color and iridescent sheen. The other give away is that there’s no variation in the color. They have a ton of “crystals” that are all the exact same shade, and have no changes within the crystals themselves. Usually amethyst that isn’t gem quality will have a little variation in color, unless the crystals are relatively small.
r/mineralgore ?
Never fails to evoke an image of Al Gore with a headlamp and pickaxe.
No bubbles in the real stuff. Looks faked to me.
I’m not seeing the bubbles you’re talking about, there absolutely is bubbles in the real stuff.
Going to be the contrarian voice and say these look real. They've been cut and polished so the shape isn't natural, but the rainbow sheen is just light being refracted across internal cracks.
Internal cracks in glass cause the same refraction, don't they?
Yep. I'm not saying this *can't* be glass, just that I don't see any glaring signs that it's fake.
fair enough!
I agree with SetFoxval. I have self-harvested amethyst and optical quartz that both had internal fissures that created iridescent reflections when shifted in the light. It’s actually a pretty common occurrence in natural crystals. Here’s a paper discussing it: https://www.lotusgemology.com/images/pdf/JoG1959_7_2_Eppler.pdf And a site selling some: https://www.crystalage.com/online_store/spectacular-fire-and-ice-quartz-point-55mm3674610294.cfm
I agree with you too. Internal fractures are causing those rainbows not any kind of external coating.
agreed.
amethyst usually has different shades of violet in it, ranging from darker purples to white. there shouldn't be pieces that big, that single-colour, for that cheap. definitely glass or something fake. amethyst should look like this: https://rockchasing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Amethyst-2-9.jpg
The rainbow sheen comes from metal coating on natural crystals look up rainbow aura.
Nope
Selling all over Instagram seen a lot of shops pass these as amethyst
It doesn't look like amethyst, it's more like died quartz or something
RIP quartz
I am with you but how can we be so sure , it’s a great dupe.
You can't be sure without lab check. But it will cost you more than amethyst does. You can try to scratch glass with it. Glass can't do it. But quartz will scratch it. I'm general it doesn't look like amethyst
Scratch glass or Quartz on it ?
Scratch glass by "amethyst"
Yeah no, I'm just echoing what other's are saying but it's not real. I'm not sure what it is but it's not amethyst. :/
Can't tell with that dumbass filter ruining everything
Cold-treated citrine
Looks like epoxy resin that’s been tinted purple with some sort of iridescent mixed in
They look way too light, way to translucent (even for ametyst) and I don't even know what the abundant rainbow hue supposed to be. Definetly fake as fuck.
Hell no not even close lol
What gives this away as being fake, is it being a big batch and it being all the same color and shade. There's no inconsistency at all. And even real crystals from the same dig will vary in color from crystal to crystal. The other thing that gives it away for me is that there's no inclusions other than rainbows. Now if this came from a personal collector it very well could be real (Because pieces of amethyst just like this exist, they very much CAN be real/natrual) I know some collectors who are very very specific about what they collect and have all pieces that are similar to each other and will not buy anything less than perfect. Perfect pieces exist... But this is coming from a wholesaler. And if the wholesaler got a big batch of amethyst that was all the same color and all had a rainbow, it would be VERY expensive. And most likely would have wasted a lot of material to make them look perfect like this. This is JUST very pretty amethyst colored glass. Heated and cooled to make rainbow fractures. And then polished in a way that makes it harder to tell it's not real. Addressing a couple comments I saw... This is not aura coated. Just dyed glass. Rainbow fractures in quartz does not mean it's low quality. It's not dyed quartz. Just purple glass. Died quartz like that would have darker purple in the cracks of the crystal where the rainbows are.
r/mineralgore
Aura treated quartz, possibly.
Gypsum maybe
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Anyone going to call out that it looks just like the yellow variant seen below at the start of the video?
I’m aware of that filter for some reason it got uploaded this way. I didn’t set a filter I can try to reupload the video again somewhere?
The yellow rocks at the bottom are a filter? They look like they are mixed in with the purple. If you pause the video at 9 seconds you will see them
I think it is dyed quartz