Informing, you — our Crystal Family, on this topic of crystal fakes and misrepresentations has been a passion of mine for some time now and I’m HONORED to be given the opportunity and privilege to serve in this way.
My goal here is to educate our community on what mineral fakes are currently making their rounds so we can all make intelligent buying decisions.
Keep this in mind: Always use your common sense. The best protection from crystal fakes is to be well-informed yourself.
And if you feel passionate about this topic too, please share this post in any way you prefer. (***There are some handy “SHARE” buttons you can use at the bottom of this post***).
Let’s dig in!
Pruskite
I’ve seen Pruskite along with a number of other lab-grown crystals (usually at gem shows) and they’re normally labeled as being lab-grown.
Great.
No problemo.
These are all lab-grown crystals on display at a recent gem show I was at. The circled dark red crystals sitting on top of yellow “matrix” are Pruskite.
However — recently I’ve had a number of my students ask me about this “crystal’s” healing properties; stating that they saw pruskite being sold online… being passed off as a natural mineral; a very “scarce yet powerful root chakra crystal found in Poland” and making it sound as if this was an all-natural find.
Please don’t be fooled on this one. It never occurs in nature. It only exists because someone has grown it in a lab!
As I write this blog post, I do see a turn in the right direction. I see many online crystal sellers moving this crystal — but most of them are doing right by us by at least prefacing their descriptions with something like,
“Not found in nature.”
GOOD! I think we’re starting to have an impact here, Crystal Family!
Is the tide turning?
Our collective growing knowledge is causing the tide to turn and sellers are realizing we’re becoming more and more educated about this stuff.
Now as far as being found in Poland, for whatever reason, it seems Pruskite is often LAB-GROWN in Poland. So, there’s that. :/
Now, can a crystal be a lab-grown AND great for root chakra work? Possibly. You have to try that out for yourself.
My personal choice is to not work with synthetics for personal and spiritual work.
But, really, what’s more important to me is that the seller is being UPFRONT about how/where the stone really came from and not trying to dupe or confuse us with lingo like this that I found on one site today:
“Very beautifully crystallized mineral in bedrock, very rare root chakra energy. Only found in Poland.”
While they didn’t straight up say it’s NATURAL, that description sure makes it sound like it is. Doesn’t it?
Please note: Pruskite can be grown as bright yellow or (more often) red. Keep in mind, since it’s water-soluble, pruskite can easily be damaged and lose its luster if it gets wet.
Purple Turquoise
This turquoise dupe is also known as Mojave Purple Turquoise. And it looks so gorgeous. Too good to be true — and it is.
Purple “turquoise” is the result of reconstituted turquoise which gets stabilized then mixed with a red-colored synthetic resin (oftentimes plastic) then pressed into a gemstone shape for jewelry.
Purple “Turquoise” earrings. Photo Credit belongs to Crystal Family Member, Kara L Baas. Thanks so much for sharing, Kara!
“Reconstituted” means that small amounts of authentic turquoise (that would otherwise be wasted) are recycled by grinding it up into a fine powder. Then resins, fillers, and adhesives may then be added and then pressed into a mold, carved or shaped.
I understand the need for this, but just keep in mind that this means that these are mostly synthetic chemicals mixed in with your turquoise powder.
If you’re OK with that, then go for it.
Purple “Turquoise”. Photo Credit belongs to Crystal Family Member, Sue Chadwick Mutschler. Thank you for sharing, Sue!
FYI: Sometimes people refer to sugilite as purple turquoise (which they really shouldn’t do because it just adds to the whole naming confusion… we have enough to contend with already without adding to the confusion, right?)
If you want to know more about REAL turquoise, check out my blog post here.
Diamonds from Ashes of Your Loved Ones
This part of my blog post may seem a bit morbid but I’m writing it anyway because I think it’s quite sad that this sort of fraud is being pulled on the grieving!!
You may have heard of this process before: a loved one dies and one option post-cremation is to have some of their ashes turned into a diamond or other “gemstone” (a synthetic “ruby-like”, “emerald-like”, etc. “gem”) that you can wear.
Sounds lovely right? I thought of doing this until… I really thought about it.
One company that offers this service claims something to this effect:
“your loved one’s remains are fully transformed into a gorgeous crystal gem.”
This article set me off to add this part to this blog post. *shakes head* Mr. Cuban should have talked to me first.
So let’s dive in here and pick this process apart.
- Diamonds are made of pure carbon.
- We’re carbon-based beings. In fact, about 18% of our body is composed of carbon.
So, what’ the problem you ask? Seems like this would work just fine.
Well, here’s the rub that NEVER made sense to me and that I’ve mentioned to you several times in the past:
Although we’re carbon-based beings, once we’re cremated, no carbon is left behind!
Why?
See, naturally occurring carbon burns off and changes state becoming a gas between 1200 F and 1400 F. So whatever ashes are left behind do not contain carbon!
Wait a minute — diamonds are said to be strong and indestructible. Indeed they are but carbon has a relatively low burning temp.
Fire investigators know that although other gemstones can be recovered, diamonds will often be damaged or even completely burned away precisely because they’re made of pure carbon. Most house fires burn hot enough to destroy them (they can get up to 1600 F).
Cremation of a body is done between 1400 to 1800 F. And we already stated that carbon burns off and changes state becoming a gas between 1200 F to 1400 F. Sooooo… that means ANY carbon will be completely burned off.
All you’re getting is a lab-created diamond or other artificially colored “gemstone”, most without even one atom of your beloved.
So what the heck are these companies using to make your precious memorial diamond with?!
Apparently, if you dig deep enough and do some research into the fine print or if you DIRECTLY ask, they’ll sometimes admit; there isn’t enough IF ANY carbon left at all after the cremation process and that the gem you’ll be given will NOT contain the carbon of your loved one. They’ll add in alternate carbon to create your diamond. Some, sadly, won’t admit anything at all.
If you’ve ever grieved… I ask: are you in ANY state of mind to go research this type of stuff? I know I wouldn’t be.
All you’re getting is a sentimental memorial piece. So save yourself the money and go get that memorial gem at your local upstanding diamond dealer and save yourself the HUGE mark up on this scam.
Such a shame.
Do your Thing
Now, if you CHOOSE to work with man-made (synthetic or altered) crystals and you enjoy them or it’s been working for you — as I always say:
“keep on ‘truckin'”. Don’t change a thing!
I just want you to have the geo-knowledge first. Then you can make an INFORMED decision regarding how you choose to work with these “stones”.
And as always, the moral of the story here is…
Buyer Beware: Who are you buying from? Are they reputable? Do they know what they’re talking about? Are you doing your own due diligence and research? The best way to protect yourself is through education.
We all love the beautiful jewels that this planet creates and you don’t know what you don’t know… until you know better. I hope you’ve learned something new here today.
Have you seen any of these or new crystal fakes or misrepresentations recently? Please share in the comments below!
Crystal Blessings,
Thank you for your work and sharing your findings
namaste
Susan
Always my pleasure, Susan!
thanks for shedding the light on the sham of our loved ones
Yeah, I feel that one needs to have more people shouting about it from the rooftops.
Thank you for this article.. I recently lost my dad and they had offered my mom a diamond memorial for him and I told her not to do that one. I did not know why at the time but just did not feel right… I did however agree with the fingerprint pendant instead because they take a thumb print of the lost one and then they have it etched into silver or gold for you. I told her that would be her best option
Naomi, I’m so sorry to hear of your father’s transition. ((HUGS)) I love the idea of the fingerprint pendant!
Thank you for all you do for us. I have a purple turquoise. Bought before I knew. Is pretty but… will stick to my Sleeping Beauty.
Also when my hubby died we had rings made. His birthstone sits atop a cylinder of his ashes. And daughter also has a necklace with his thumb print. The gems are authentic Emeralds too. Glad we weren’t duped by that. Got lucky.
Us 3 girls did get tattoos with his ashes also. Mentioning as an alternative to fake anything. Go to a reputable artist though.
Thank you for giving me the platform to do it, Rene. What an amazing idea to do the tattoos! Love that. ♥
I recently saw a couple on “shark tank” presenting their company to be invested by the panel. The panel declined to invest in their company.
Yep, that Mark Cuban article I linked to above referenced that company I think. 😉
My kids got me a beautiful purple turquoise necklace 4 years ago for my birthday..,I won’t tell them it is fake. The guy at the Indian store, well I don’t know what to say about him. Putts! I would love to have your “fake” info in a booklet. Is it available? Thank you for all you do…aaammmmaaaazing!
Deby, I actually DO have such an ebook that I give out free to those who take my Crystal Savvy Class Elective. If that sounds interesting to you you can take a look here: https://hibiscusmoon.com/shop/crystal-savvy-elective/
Wow I was wondering how we suddenly had purple as an option in turquoise. So many scammers it’s very daunting to shop for Crystal’s now. I’ve been to five major shops selling only natural stones to find only baked amythiest. The last one told his wife oh she wants real citrine… I was like Yeah! So sad how things have changed. Thank you sooo much for sharing your knowledge with everyone at least I found an honest soul to help me and so many!! Crystal blessings but time!!
Thank you so much for posting these “fakes” articles! It’s refreshing to know that most people are on the up-and-up when selling and promoting their crystals for sale, but it’s a buyer-beware world and it definitely helps to read things such as this and stay informed by a reputable person such as yourself. Namaste~
Soooo .. the carbon burns off & changes to a gas at 1400 degrees. What happens when/if it cools back down? Does the gas become carbon particles once more & slowly drop back down to earth?
What a fascinating article.
I’m working on committing to memory the sciencey info (the various temperatures which explain the whole scam so clearly) so that I can explain it to others.
Awesome work, Crystal Goddess, thank you! Blessings
Would like to know more about Herkimer Diamonds.
Thank you Hibiscus Moon! I love your crystal fakes articles. I learn a lot from you and am so appreciative of you sharing your knowledge!
Thank you!????????
Sherry Loyd
This was such a wonderful and informative article! I hope someday to be able to take one of the crystal courses. Until then you always keep me well informed and still learning. Thank you so much! I learned so much about your post on citrine a while back, I immediately went through my collection and did a much closer inspection. Thank you so much for what you do. You impact people’s lives every day that you don’t even know about and make such a positive influence! Kudos!
Well, I would like to thank you for drawing to our attention about the diamonds made from ashes. My hubby died in October and I have the ashes and was tempted by this idea a couple of days ago not knowing that they were fake. I had heard of the other ones you mentioned, but not this. I am a bit shocked that people would do this. I could so easily have fallen for this too. So grateful to you for saving me.
I love reading / listening to all of your information that you share and am especially grateful for this.
Many thanks.
Namaste
HB, this is the type of teachings I wish everyone would share!!! Thank you for your continued commitment to truth-seeking and sharing what you find.
My granddaughter was watching an educational program this afternoon that was talking about some cultures that cremate their deceased relative’s bones. The program pointed out that the ashes were pure carbon. Was my granddaughter given some false information?
If I can ask a question, I now understand why a memorial diamond makes no sense, but what about when you put those ashes into like a glass blown or? Would it still been off? Maybe it’s too off subject. Thank you for any ideas
Glass Blown ORB*
Dear Hibiscus Moon, I live in Poland and I love crystals and I’ve never hear about Pruskite:)) It’s not popular here. Thank you for your posts on fakes. You are wonderful! Hugs from Warsaw:)
Thank you, Hibiscus Moon for sharing that information with us. This will make me think twice before I buy any shiny “crystal”. Also, it has made me be more careful with all new stones that have miraculous properties. Also, it makes one wonder why so many new stones have appeared on the market in the recent years.
Thank you so much for the information you have given it has been most informative I have learned so much in your last few posts and I look Ford to seeing your name in my mail box special blessings Sheila (Africa)
Very unique and different gemstone I really like it so much. And the healing properties are also so attractive.
As always your articles are informative this article on fakes is helpful I’m waiting to enrol in one of your crystal courses ????. It’s sad to hear of some unscrupulous sellers of crystals , especially if you want to use them for healing shame on them . I’ve actually seen crystal making jewellery kits on sale and moulds Ect it did come to mind that these pieces could be sold as actual crystal ????☹️ To unsuspecting buyers . They include colour powder to Urm it’s sad to think how we can be easily duped ????.
Hopefully following your U.Tube vids Ect & doing one of your courses will help I don’t like the thought even some of my own crystal bought for crystal grid work may be fakes ???? this will hamper crystal work .
Thank you for keeping your followers informed .
Thank you for all the great information. I enjoy learning about the science and how to spot fakes.Now when I go to gem shows I don’t just buy. I buy with knowledge.
As a Ph.D. chemist, research scientist and former professor, I have been for many years lso an avid mineral collector. When I recently saw an auction for a mineral called pruskite, I did a little research to find out its chemical composition. Discovering that it’s potassium ferricyanide, a compound that does not occur naturally, I knew immediately that these crystals were grown in vitro.
People should be aware that these are not natural, but atthe same time, they should understand that there is no such a thing as “crystal healing”. It is pseudoscience and falls under the category of “magical thinking”.
I love magic, but as any magician will tell you, it’s not real. I hate to see people throw money away buying common minerals the prices of which have been exhoritantly increased because the have supposed “healing properties”. If you want to be healed, go to a real doctor.
The only healing that some minerals can do is to quiet a troubled soul because of their intrinsic beauty. If you buy them for tht purpose, more power to you. But if you think they are going to cure ou of some disease, you’re being duped.
Hi. I am busy catching up on your very informative blogs. I am disappointed though that there is no warning about very radioactive (a sort of heat treatment) crystals. I know that all stone emits different levels of radioactivity but I have seen photos of radioactive burns after handling ‘healing’! crystals. What are your thoughts on these?
I have some Pruskite. My piece has about 50 blood red crystals on a quartz matrix. It is very pleasing to look at. Yes it is man made and I was told it was when I bought it. As far as crystal healing and buying crystals for there energy well…..
No doubt since this marketing method was created the general public have an interest in minerals and crystals and buy a lot more
Everything in this world has energy at a sub atomic level so who knows!