Fake Gemstones, Fossils and Minerals

A synthetic form of corundum, given the trade name 'honeycomb ruby'. This material is brightly fluorescent, a hot pink - much like true ruby. This is lab grown, and is chemically a corundum - just not gem grade, so should not be considered ruby. The bubbles are a...

Fake 'watermelon' Tourmaline slices - these are technically triplets. Essentially, they're a printed (yes, printed) piece of paper or plastic with a watermelon tourmaline pattern on, sandwiched between two slices of glass. If you look closely, you can actually see the...

I... yeah. New one on me. These are likely a variant of the 'open smile phosphate' balls, but these are a little more insidious as they're not quite as obviously fake. These tend to be stuck on an actual real matrix - one or two of the pieces I saw seemed to be on a...

I actually find these quite pretty, although I don't think I want one of them anywhere near me. The most common name I can find for them are "open mouth spheres" but there are also towers, cathedrals, and 'meteorites' in this... er... style? These are sold as a range...

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...