Some Crystal Misconceptions

Some Crystal Misconceptions

Diamonds Aren’t Rare

actually true, they aren’t

BUT

gem-quality diamonds are rare. There are three main factors that contribute to rarity

SIZE - big diamonds are way more rare than little tiny ones

COLOR - colorless diamonds are more rare than brown diamonds, and fancy-colored diamonds are more rare than colorless diamonds

CLARITY - diamonds that aren’t full of crap are more rare than diamonds with lots of crap

I could go on for a long time about this so send me an ask if you want a full post

Fake Citrine/Burnt Amethyst

no

yellow/orange quartz = citrine, whether it’s natural or treated

it isn’t fake

citrine is often heated amethyst whether it comes from nature or a lab anyway

there are some citrines that were never amethyst, but many were

Copal Is Fake Amber

copal is young amber

amber is OLD, guys

1,000,000+ years old

they will both float in saturated saltwater.

amber is more resistant to chemicals because it’s gone through polymerization over time

don’t drop your amber/copal in solvents because chances are it’s copal

Don’t Clean Crystals With Soap

soap is good

most common crystals can be cleaned with soap

use gentle soap though, none of that orange gritty stuff that everyone’s dad had at one point

rinse off the soap when you’re done

check if your crystal is water soluble before cleaning though

and be careful with unusual and delicate specimens

Heating And Irradiation Are Bad

heating and irradiation enhance the color of your crystals

almost every sapphire and ruby in the lower to mid-range market has been heated

most other stones too

it doesn’t hurt the stone. I promise

it just makes them prettier

the earth does it to her crystals too

Treated Stones Are Fake

nope

treated stones are usually still whatever they were before they were treated

unless it’s a variety call based on color or something but y’know

heated topaz = topaz

aura quartzes are extra pretty because of their treatment

it’s cool if you don’t want to use treated stones but many people like them

treated stones are beautiful and not fake

but make sure the treatment is DISCLOSED unless it’s routine (and therefore assumed)

Blood Diamonds

it was a problem

but not anymore!!!!

there’s a fun international thing called the Kimberley Process (2003)

diamonds can’t be exported from their origin country without a clear paper trail back to the mine

diamonds are probably the most ethical gemstone purchase you can make today actually

there’s no equivalent process for colored stones

blood emeralds, anyone??

Garnet Is Corundum

Corundum has THREE MAIN VARIETIES

just THREE

ruby (red), padparadscha (orange-pink), and sapphire (every other color)

these have subvarieties (star ruby, yellow sapphire, etc etc etc)

emerald and garnet are not corundum

(garnet is a mineral group!!!! it’s not even a species, much less a variety)

not everything is corundum

I’ll add on to this in the future! Let me know if you have questions, I’m happy to expand on anything in this post or any other crystal info that you aren’t sure about :)