How to Tell if Your Clear Quartz is Real

Buying crystals online can be a real gamble! I have been fooled myself, even after years of studying them. From being a crystal collector to owning my own shop, I have purchased thousands of crystals from hundreds of shops. So I have become pretty savvy at determining which crystal stores are reputable online. It can be frustrating at first trying to learn how to tell if your clear quartz is real or fake! I mean, they can look a lot like glass!

However, I will say this - fake crystals are not quite as common as Social Media and TikTok make it seem. In fact, I see a lot of small businesses on TikTok make it seem like finding real crystals is super hard and fakes are all over the place. 

It's simply not true. But it makes for a great marketing tactic doesn't it?

If you're buying a crystal from places like AliExpress, Amazon etc. you definitely have to be careful and know that you might get a fake. But sometimes, the price is so alluring to new crystal collectors it's hard to resist! A genuine crystal shop and metaphysical store will likely be very cautious about what they sell. I have a whole blog post on how to buy crystals online (safely) which you can find here. 

If you have bought a clear quartz crystal online, you might be wondering if it's fake. There's a lot of misinformation out there on how to tell if your clear quartz crystal is real or not - so I am going to clear that up for you!

How to Tell if Your Clear Quartz is FAKE

There are a few ways to tell if your clear quartz crystal is real, genuine and authentic. There are also some pretty easy ways to tell if it might be glass!

Let's start with one very common misconception I see online ALL THE TIME. 

 "If your clear quartz magnifies the object behind it, it must be fake." This is FALSE. 

A common mistruth I have seen about clear quartz (or crystals in general) is that it should not magnify the writing or text behind it. This is not an accurate test and will not tell you if the crystal is real or fake.

Real Clear Quartz (and any other crystal that is see through) will magnify and distort writing, based on the shape of the crystal. When a crystal has a concave shape, and a curve in the formation, the light bends through the curve and changes what you see behind.

So let's throw that "test" out - it will not tell you if your crystal is real or not. 

The Mohs Scale

The Mohs scale is a scientific way to test the hardness of minerals and was developed in 1812. German geologist, Friedrich Mohs invented the hardness scale used for testing minerals and other materials.

Minerals all have different scores, and this is a test to tell you whether your crystals are real or not. 

Clear Quartz for example, should have an average score of 7. Glass on the other hand, would have an average score of 5.5 -7. 

So here's what you can do. 

Take your clear quartz, and try to scratch a piece of glass. If it's genuine, it will scratch the glass. If it's a fake clear quartz, it will not scratch the glass. Of course, this will be difficult with a polished tumble/pendant etc., but if you have a clear quartz point or rough clear quartz this test should work very well!

Fake Clear Quartz Has Air Bubbles

A real clear quartz will not have air bubbles inside, but glass will. It's really that simple.  Air bubbles in glass will look like tiny spheres that don't move around. This is caused by the way glass is formed, which is very different than the way quartz is formed naturally in the earth. 

Take a close look at your clear quartz - do you see bubbles? The bubbles would be perfectly round in shape.

Real Clear Quartz May Have Inclusions, but not ALWAYS! 

I recently splurged and bought some superior high-quality clear quartz tumbled crystals from my wholesale supplier. They took my breath away and I knew I had to buy them, even though they were double the cost of regular clear quartz tumbled crystals. But here's the thing - they were so clear, people thought they were fake! Yikes. 

If you look closely at a clear quartz crystal, you may see tiny lines, cracks and inclusions. But sometimes, crystal shops will sell superior, high-quality clear quartz that is very clear it's almost completely see through. This does not mean they are fake! If you looked closely enough, you would likely still find some tiny cracks and inclusions, but they may not be abundantly visible to the naked eye. 

Real Clear Quartz are Cool to Touch

Real Clear Quartz crystals will often feel cooler to the touch than glass. Glass will feel room temperature, while quartz will be slightly cooler in your hand. Leave your clear quartz crystal on the counter for a few hours and pick it up - what is the temperature? If it's a bit cooler, it's likely authentic!

How to Spot Fake Crystals

Spotting fake crystals becomes easier the more you learn about them. My suggestion is to do your research before you buy, so you can try to avoid it as much as possible!  What do natural stones look like? View lots of pictures on the internet, visit your local shops if you want to, and always ensure you buy from a reputable business.  You can purchase a crystal book at your local book store, and you can learn a lot about the formation of the crystal. This will help you identify the fakes! 

Also, be aware that some crystals are treated, or man made. Opalite is an example of this. Opalite is man-made stone created from glass, intended to resemble natural opals. This can be disappointing to some, as they may have been looking to purchase a healing crystal with natural properties. If you aren't sure, do your research first! 

After you have done your research and you have bought from a reputable business, you will need to see the crystal in person to determine if it's real or fake. Each crystal has unique properties, so you will need to look up what those properties are and compare it to the crystal you have. 

In my shop, I will very rarely (if ever) sell made-made crystals. They are beautiful, but not really my jam. If I did decide to sell them, it would be clearly stated so everyone knew what they were buying. I think that is the ethical thing to do! 

If you've bought your crystals somewhere else and think you might have been duped, send us a DM on Instagram. We are happy to help you determine if it's real or fake. If it's a fake, we'll give you a discount code to our shop so you can get your hands on some REAL high-quality crystals. 

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