Aqua Aura

Back in the early 1980's, someone figured out that the same plating process used on industrial grade quartz could also successfully be used on quartz crystals and clusters. Thus the popular treated quartz called "aqua aura" was discovered. The process involves placing the quartz specimen inside a vacuum chamber and introducing a metallic element which is vaporized with high heat. The vaporized metal clings to the quartz crystal surface creating a very fine coating of color that is near impossible to remove.

The most popular elements used are gold (which creates a blue color), titanium (which creates an opal like rainbow effect) and indium (which causes a violet hue). While most people might turn up their noses at this treatment of quartz specimens it is interesting to discover some facts about why this is a useful thing for the mineral community! First of all, a little known fact from Si and Anne Frazier: some forms of twinning in quartz crystals is very hard to detect unless the crystal is coated with this treatment. the chamber.

The layer of element makes the twinned faces stand out where they didn't before. In addition in order for quartz to survive the brutal pressurized element treatment it must be a strong quartz point to begin with. If there are any inclusions or flaws the quartz will explode inside. So each piece of quartz must be hand-selected and put under a pressure test to make sure it isn't going to fall apart during the process. After the treatment the clusters tend to be a little brittle, so be careful when handling your treated clusters! Other treatments are known to produce a rose color, a gold color and a funky brightly rainbow iridescent hue that was very popular in the 80's.

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Azeztulite

This is one of the simplest scams out there. Azeztulite is just plain old, ordinary, common quartz. Scraps of quartz, often milky, dull, and broken, are proclaimed (often by the metaphysical crowd) to have some special properties. Justin tells the story on FakeMinerals.com Read the Wikipedia Entry about Azeztulite

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Bismuth

It is hard for any novice to look at one of these specimens and not be impressed. Of course, when you flip them over and see the post hole in the bottom you might get the notion that these are not what they seem to be. Bismuth does occur in nature, but usually as amorphous ("without crystal structure") lumps with dull grey color and often accompanied by yellow or green oxidation products.

Sometimes they can be found as casts after quartz crystals like in Australia, or as tiny (3 mm) crystals. However, the more common, large, iridescent, hoppered crystals are manufactured in labs (or even on a kitchen stove) by allowing "supercooled" liquid bismuth to crystallize. Many of them are labeled as being from Belgium or Germany. The reason for this is that the Germans have the technique down so well that they can grow large specimens that are lighter in weight than other samples made elsewhere. The more they weigh, the more they are sold for, so the thin, lightweight clusters from Germany and Belgium are very popular, as bismuth isn't terribly cheap.

If you want to buy these popular gift items be sure to check around for the best price. They are man-made so they are very common. Use Google to search "bismuth crystal" and see just how plentiful they are. Laboratory-grown bismuth crystals, illustrating their characteristic hopper shape and irridescent coloration.

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Carborundum

This spikey, irridescent material is not natural. Most specimens are man-made silicon carbide, manufactured for use as an abrasive, or when gemmy, as a diamond simulant. It occurs naturally in meteorites, where it is called moissanite. The localities for these "specimens" may be Mexico, Schenectady (New York) or others. Do not confuse carborundum with corundum (aluminum oxide) or its colored varieties ruby and sapphire. Man-made carborundum has a distinctly spikey appearance.

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Cermikite or Tchermigite

This is not a natural mineral, but instead is probably laboratory-grown chrome alum (aluminum chromium sulfate) or (less commonly) regular, colorless alum (aluminum potassium sulfate) which has been crystallized in the presence of a dye. Crystals are deep purple, usually octagonal, sometimes with edge modifications. Other laboratory grown specimens of different colors have also been called cermikite. Usually ascribed to Poland or Romania. Not a common fake, but appears to be growing in popularity, especially on eBay.

Cermikite (alum) crystals, grown in the lab on rock matrix.

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Chalcanthite

Striking, deep blue crystals of "chalcanthite" (copper sulfate) have been a popular scam on eBay in the past year or two. While chalcanthite does occur in nature, it is usually as a blue massive or crusty material.

Lab-grown chalcanthite

Well-formed crystals of more than a few millimeters are exceptionally rare. On the other hand, it is quite easy to grow these "chalcanthite" specimens in a lab. (The owner of this web site has done this many times.) Under the right conditions the crystals can reach several inches in size. The "chalcanthite" specimens are ascribed to locaties in Brazil, China or Poland. Avoid dealers who cannot or will not provide more details.

Natural Chalcanthitie

Lab-grown chalcanthite

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