How to Tell If a Gemstone Is Real

I cut and set every stone myself, so I know what a real one looks like up close. These guides are the checks you can make at home, with no tools and no laboratory. Where a test is unreliable or can damage the stone, I say so.

Raw black obsidian pendant in handcrafted sterling silver on a black cord

Real vs Fake Obsidian: 6 Tests That Work and 3 That Don't

Six tests that work on real obsidian, and three that prove nothing.

Handmade nephrite jade pendant in sterling silver on a black cord

Green Jade: Nephrite, Jadeite, and 7 Tests That Work

Real jade is never one flat green. Seven checks you can make by eye.

Handmade amethyst pendant in sterling silver, crystal points deep violet at the tips

Amethyst Colour: Uneven Is Normal, Even Is Worth a Question

Uneven colour is the first sign of a real stone, not a flaw.

Handmade rose quartz ring in sterling silver, a polished lilac dome with a soft cloud

Rose Quartz Is Cloudy Because of What Makes It Pink

The cloud and the pink are the same thing. One cannot exist without the other.

Handmade white moonstone earrings in sterling silver, two milky stones in round silver branch frames

White Moonstone: Raw, Polished and How to Spot a Fake

Some moonstone glows and some does not, and both are real.

Handmade raw malachite pendant in sterling silver, a green banded stone in a silver branch frame

Raw Malachite: Is It Safe, and How to Spot a Fake

What the sources actually say about the word toxic, and where the real risk sits.

Handcrafted raw lapis lazuli sterling silver ring on a white pedestal

Lapis Lazuli: Three Minerals in One Stone, and How to Spot a Fake

Three minerals make one lapis, and only one of them is blue.

Natural handcrafted pyrite sterling silver statement ring by AKRA

Pyrite: 5 Ways to Tell It From Gold, and Why It Glitters

Flat square faces that gold never grows, and four more checks.

Read everything in the AKRA Journal

Real or Fake