how to tell if a stone is real or glass

This article has been viewed 27,955 times. Glass is a very consistent, smooth material whereas Clear Quartz contains waves, lines, or cracks. A single lens loupe is generally cheaper but of lower quality. If you're unfamiliar with these terms, you can mistakenly buy a stone you thought was "real" but turned out to be a human-made imitation. Heat the stone over a lighter for 30 seconds and immediately drop it into a glass of water. Gemstones are labeled as either natural, genuine, synthetic, simulated, treated—or a combination of those terms. To examine the stone you will need a jewelers loupe (x10) (magnifying glass). Place the gem against your forehead. It can be difficult to tell the difference between semi-precious stones (any gemstone that isn’t a diamond, sapphire, ruby, or emerald) and imitations made from glass. You should also look for scratches on the gemstone. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. References. These illustrate how the density of gemstones exceeds the density of glass. Even quartz gemstones, the gemstones chemically closest to glass, are distinctly different from glass. Find a Stone Based on Intention. International Gem Society: A Guide to Gem Classification, Saddleback College: Geology Laboratory: Mineral Properties, Texas Education Agency Career and Technical Education: RI of Glass by Submersion Lab Key. Scratch the surface of your ruby with a key or coin, and look for any scratch marks. Aquamarine will always feel cool against your forehead. Refraction occurs when light bends as it passes from one medium to another. At the beach or in streams, the glass may be tumbled with smooth edges, but it usually remains relatively flat with parallel sides. Among the best-known gemstones are what were once known as the "precious" stones: diamonds, sapphires, topaz and emeralds, which are a variety of beryl. If it floats underneath or at the surface of the water, you have a fake on your hands. Rub the stone against your teeth. There are 22 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Borosilicate glass, RI 1.47, disappears in vegetable oil. By learning how to avoid fakes when purchasing semi-precious stones, how to test for fakes at home, and how to find a competent jeweler capable of identifying imitations, you can grow your semi-precious stone collection without fear of forgeries. If you notice bubbling inside the gem itself, it is definitely glass. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. One other thing to consider is that chalcedony gem stones are so common and found in so many colors that making glass paste imitations of them would hardly be cost effective thus creating little desire to duplicate the substance in glass. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. The refractive index measures the degree of refraction. Last Updated: March 12, 2020 Emeralds come in a range of green shades with pale to dark tones. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. By using our site, you agree to our. The density of glass ranges from 2.18 to 2.40 grams per cubic centimeter. Step 1, Look for flaws through a magnifying lens or jeweler's loupe. You can then identify other beads by matching the sound. Karen earned her Bachelor of Science in geology. Place the stone against your front teeth and rub it back and forth. Every … Many other gemstones like garnets, peridots, tourmalines, iolites, spinel and zircons fall between 6 and 7.5 on the hardness scale. Keep the focal length (distance between the loupe and gem) in mind. Other gemstones, including aquamarines (another form of beryl), tourmalines, zircons, spinels, peridots and garnets, give jewelers an amazing palette. Jewelers with the highest possible credentials should be able to test your stone on the spot. Still, to tell if an amethyst is real or fake, you need to check whether the gem in your hand is actually a glass piece or real stone. Telling the difference between glass and these many gemstones can be challenging. Varieties of quartz also may be found mounted as gemstones. The most likely glass found in nature is soda-lime or window glass, which has a hardness of 5 to 5.5. Chemically, glass is made from sand that is almost pure silicon dioxide with a few additives to lower the melting point of the silica sand and to add, when desired, color to the glass. The apparent bending of a pencil when placed in a glass of water illustrates refraction. Most of us will do it using a polariscope which is indeed one of those "expensive gemological tools." Quartz, with its Mohs hardness of 7, can be found in a wide range of colors, from purple amethyst to clear rock crystal to yellow citrine. Amethysts are comparatively tough and can scrape some solid surfaces. Examine the gem under magnification, ideally through a 10x triple-lens jeweler's loupe. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Tell-Glass-from-Semi-Precious-Stone-Beads-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Tell-Glass-from-Semi-Precious-Stone-Beads-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Tell-Glass-from-Semi-Precious-Stone-Beads-Step-1.jpg\/aid10174370-v4-728px-Tell-Glass-from-Semi-Precious-Stone-Beads-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"