Fake Gemstones, Fossils and Minerals

I'm sure some of you, if you're familiar with me and my business, will know I have a little collection of just... bad fakes. Some of the inventive things created to make a fake mineral or gemstone - half the time of a material so cheap it couldn't possibly be worth...

Don't get scammed! What is 'Agni Manitite'? Following on from the recent explosion in popularity of Moldavite, a new material has reared its somewhat mysterious head. There are posts on every mineral sales group I'm a member of offering "Agni Manitite". The sellers...

The tektite known as Moldavite has been a frequently faked item for years - and recently, the prices have risen further.To be perfectly clear - there is genuine Moldavite; it is a green tektite glass from the Czech Republic. The largest mine in Czechia is currently...

Rainbow Calsilica is one of the more insidious fakes on the market today. It exists in a range of colours, shapes, and styles, and is intended to mimic genuine minerals and stones. The material was originally introduced to the public at the Tucson mineral show of 2002...

Another post to begin with a preface - there are genuine 'Trapiche' included stones. Trapiche stones are uncommon - and could be easily confused with 'star' stones. However, a 'Trapiche' included stone has visible inclusions formed in a radiating pattern, either from...

The first thing to point out is that genuine Rutile in Quartz and Tourmaline in Quartz are relatively common minerals. Inclusions in Quartz are hugely popular - I personally love them. Lower end pieces are not particularly expensive. However... I do like to hunt out...

This isn't one I expected to ever write. There are some stones where you can see why they might be faked, but Snowflake Obsidian typically isn't one of them. For reference, the cabochons in this article, both real and fake, measure in at 14x10MM. I sell genuine...

This one has been coming for a while. I see it on Facebook groups on an almost daily basis... the posting of a picture, a request for identification, and the stream of "onyx" "Mexican onyx"... a misidentification and commonly used 'trade name' for banded Calcite from...

I'm going to preface this post by saying that this does not appear to be common - and that Pyrite does naturally occur with Amethyst.  This post is written as a reminder to look a little closer.  This could be an art piece, a one off. I just don't know. I saw it...