You’re at the right place if you want to know if your moldavite is real or fake. Read on to find out more!
How to Tell If Moldavite Is Real
In this article, we’ll be answering some of the most frequently asked questions about Moldavite including:
- Is authentic moldavite rare?
- What’s fake moldavite?
- Why is this popular green stone popular?
What Is Moldavite?
Moldavite is a trendy gemstone on the market thanks to TikTok one of the major social media platforms. Currently, most videos are trending over moldavite’s healing properties and people are reporting their experiences after using the stone.
When there’s any surge in popularity, the amount of gem imitations and fakes is always on an upward spiral and moldavite isn’t an exception. Getting hold of natural moldavite online is no easy feat.
Real moldavite comes in a rich green color albeit in different shades. However, for the most part, the materials are usually olive green to deep forest green hues. Genuine moldavite isn’t a gemstone but a tektite or impact glass.
Just as the name suggests, an impact glass is a natural glass that forms as a result of impact. Tektites, on the other hand, are a larger variant of many different impact glasses.
Moldavite is one of the most popular tektites in the world. A tektite is a tiny bit of natural glass debris usually from one meteorite collision. You can find authentic moldavite across the earth surface in Southern Germany, Austria and Czech Republic.
South Bohemia produces some of the most famous moldavite pieces. Genuine moldavites are rare since they result from a single meteorite collision that happened more than a million years ago. There’s very little natural moldavite around the world with fake pieces galivanting all over the place.
What’s Fake Moldavite?
Fake moldavite stones resemble authentic natural moldavites. Both fake and real moldavite stones can be faceted or rough gemstones. All the fake moldavite stones available on the market are artificial glasses.
Green glass bottles are typical artificial glass that are always used as fake gemstones. Sea glass pieces are equally fake moldavites. A sea glass is a bit of glass bottle, dishes along with other different pieces of related materials that are brought in by tourists. They might have been washed ashore and tumbled by a large water body like an ocean.
Molten glass is the most common fake moldavite stone on the market. This involves taking glass and melting it in a relatively high temperature form of liquid. In this case, you pour the high temperature liquid in a mold with the same texture as that of an authentic moldavite.
Moldavite Trade Names
You’ll come across people selling white moldavite or African moldavite when looking for this popular green gemstone. The two are what we call trade names but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re real moldavite. African moldavite resembles white sea glass while white moldavite is similar to white calcite.
You should be careful when looking for gemstones since most of them usually have misleading trade names.
Key Differences Between Real and Fake Moldavite Stones
Most of the moldavite pieces available online are fake. These fake moldavite pieces come from different countries including India, Thailand and China. In most cases, the sellers say they’re from Czech Republic.
You can identify fake moldavite stones with your naked eyes. The piece is probably fake if you notice they have the same shape. However, other small details that will help you tell if the moldavite piece is real or fake needs an up close and personal observation.
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Texture
Texture will help you know whether or not the moldavite piece is real or fake. It would be best to feel the texture with your bare hands although you can see it clearly online. Thankfully, the fake pieces cannot replicate the etched texture of authentic moldavites.
However, people are getting smarter by the day in their quest of replicating genuine moldavite from Czech Republic. There are molds that imitate the etched texture of real moldavite stones in its natural glory. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t see the seams of the molds on fake pieces.
Bottom line – you can quite replicate the texture of a real moldavite. Fake moldavite pieces have rough surfaces but have a shiny and wet look from typical molten glasses.
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Inclusions
For the most part, people tend to look for raw moldavites. However, there are those that prefer their faceted counterparts when it comes to jewelry or instead go for moldavite beads. These moldavite pieces usually have incredibly smooth surfaces that’s quite different from the raw form.
You have to look at moldavites from a different angle without the etched texture on the surface when differentiating between the real and fakes.
Faceted moldavite stones always have inclusions. One of the most common indications of the stone being fake is if it has zero imperfections with a bottle green hue. Real moldavite stones have flow texture and abundant bubbles all over it.
In addition, authentic moldavite stones contain lots of gas bubbles that you can see in any artificial glass. There are other different inclusions that real moldavites feature made of lechatelierite.
Lechatelierites are SiO2 in high temperature form that you can easily identify using a gemscope or jeweler’s loupe. They tend to create some spindly inclusions similar to how tangled wires look.
Fake moldavite stones have no gas bubbles. This means that they can’t replicate any inclusions in the green enigmatic in its original form. Most of the times, they look shiny or wet.
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Size
You’ll comes across large moldavite pieces on sale and for the most part, they’re always fake. Authentic moldavite stones rarely occur in larger pieces since they’re fragments from a single meteorite collusion.
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Price
You might be getting a fake at a great price especially if it’s a large piece on sale. Genuine moldavites are rare and smaller pieces cost $20 and above. However, the price of these stones have increased owing to the increase in demand.
For instance, you’ll have to part with $130 or thereabout for a 15-carat moldavite piece. A faceted moldavite stone, on the other hand, goes for $100 for each carat. These stones fall on the higher side of the pricing spectrum. However, natural moldavite stones will be depleted eventually.
You should be extra careful when making a purchase online. Most online sellers on different places like Amazon, Etsy and eBay sell fake moldavite stones. Go through customer reviews especially from verified buyers and check the history of the dealer before buying.
The moldavite stone is probably fake if the price looks more like a bargain deal. However, most fake moldavite stones on websites are also relatively expensive. Besides, there are many private parties on social media platforms like Facebook marketplaces that sell fake moldavites as well. Thankfully, there are genuine groups on the same platform that call out any dishonest seller claims.
Final Thoughts – How to Tell If Moldavite Stones Are Real or Fake
Telling the difference between real and fake moldavite stones is not a walk in the park especially if you can’t get to hold them in your bare hands. Unfortunately, most local gemstone dealers don’t have real moldavites in their collection.
If you’re looking for this natural green glass to expand your gem collection, you should buy them from a reputable dealer with a gem certificate. This way, you can avoid getting a raw deal at outrageous prices. The right certifying gemstone authority will help you know if the moldavite piece is real or fake.
However, there are a few indicators that will help you tell if moldavite is real or fake without going into so much trouble. For instance, genuine moldavite stones have rough textured surfaces with a matte-like appearance.
Real moldavite stones should neither look wet nor shiny unless the piece is broken. Some of the most common fake pieces available on the market include molten glass, sea glass and manmade glass.
Authentic moldavite pieces have inclusions and bubbles. Their fake counterparts, on the other hand, have very few inclusions if any at all. This goes for faceted and raw form when it comes to jewelry. Always be careful when shopping for real moldavite stones on the market since they’re excellent gemstone pieces worth adding to your collection.
IN THIS SERIES: How to Tell if Moldavite is Real | Tektite vs. Moldavite| Malachite vs. Moldavite
