The spectrum of colors of natural (natural) topaz is unusually diverse - colorless, various shades of yellowish-brown, greenish-blue, pink and blue tones. A characteristic feature of topaz is pleochroism, which consists in changing the color of the crystal depending on the direction of light. This property is clearly manifested in pink and wine-yellow topaz, and weakly in blue. Crystals are usually transparent, sometimes with a cloudy or cat-eye effect.

In ultraviolet rays of the long-wave range, the glow (luminescence) of topaz is observed: for blue crystals - greenish or yellowish; for pink and brown (wine) - orange-yellow. In the short-wavelength range, the luminescence is weak.

Physical properties make it easy enough to distinguish topaz from numerous externally similar imitating stones. So, spinel and diamond, which do not have birefringence, can be easily sorted out using a simple device - a poryariscope. Unlike topaz under an ultraviolet lamp, aquamarine does not luminesce at all, and the heliodor glows with yellow light only in the short-wavelength range.

Aquamarine, heliodor and greenish beryl (beryl group) and citrine (quartz group) differ from topaz by a significantly lower density, which is easily established by calculating the mass of the insert. In some cases, a hardness test with pencils can help. Topaz is much more hard than citrine and zircon, it is somewhat harder than tourmaline, but inferior to rubies, sapphires, and even more so to diamonds. However, it should be borne in mind that spinel, chrysoberyl and similar representatives of the beryl group have a hardness close to topaz.

An indispensable tool for diagnosing topaz is a refractometer, which is used to determine the refractive indices, which are a kind of passport for the stone. In some cases, identification can be carried out by the nature of pleochroism or the ability of topaz to electrify. The latter property successfully allows a specialist to distinguish all the above imitating stones from topaz, with the exception of tourmaline and diamond.

Minerals and rocks / Description of the mineral Topaz

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The beauty of the world of jewelry has attracted generations of natural jewelry lovers. Throughout this period, people are faced with the same question: how to distinguish a fake from a real gem? Even in ancient times, craftsmen successfully replaced precious stones with various imitations, finding them not only among natural, cheaper analogs, but sometimes even replacing them with simple glass.

A popular natural stone that people often try to imitate. This time we will figure out how to distinguish aquamarine from a fake.

About imitations of natural stones

Considering that over many centuries the art of creating jewelry fakes has developed successfully, it is not surprising that it has made significant progress. Modern jewelry methods make it possible to "refine" lower-grade natural minerals in various ways so that they do not differ from more expensive ones, using annealing, crack filling, irradiation, and surface coating.

The production of synthetic analogs is now carried out on an industrial scale. Moreover, thanks to the achievements of modern technologies, they not only do not differ in any way outwardly, and have a complete correspondence of physical characteristics, but sometimes even surpass natural ones in quality. However, it should be noted that a natural mineral is always valued much more expensive than artificial ones.

Buyers often have to deal with multiple attempts to pass off artificial stones or ordinary colored glass as a gem. Therefore, you should possess at least the necessary minimum of knowledge so as not to become a victim of deception.

Natural aquamarine and its features

Aquamarine belongs to the category of semi-precious stones and is a type of beryl. It has a soft greenish blue color. The intensity of the color can change with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.

The properties of the stone include lightness and fragility with a relatively high hardness (about 8 points on the Mohs scale).

There is an opinion that aquamarine is able to give courage and self-confidence to people, and is also a talisman of marriage and love relationships. Therefore, for many it may be very important to have a talisman made of a natural mineral, and not a fake one.

As for fake aquamarine, artificial aquamarine is almost impossible to find. Since it is a semi-precious stone with a relatively low cost, the manufacture of its artificial analogue becomes economically impractical. This is a rather laborious and complex process that does not justify the production costs at all.

But this does not mean that they are not trying to counterfeit the stone. Spinel, glass and even plastic are often passed off as aquamarine.

How to distinguish the original by color

The color palette of aquamarine is in the spectrum of blue or turquoise blue, which is commonly called the color of the sea wave. But its shades can be slightly yellowish or greenish, and in some specimens a zonal distribution of the color gamut can be observed. A unique feature of this mineral is the ability to change color when the angle of inclination changes.

Using neutron irradiation, it is sometimes possible to achieve the natural color of aquamarine, which is bluish, in pink or colorless ones. However, under the influence of temperature, the reverse color change occurs quite quickly.

Determination by physical characteristics

Like many other natural minerals, natural aquamarine is characterized by the presence in its structure of various inclusions of natural rocks, which simply cannot be found in fakes.

Some minerals may have white inclusions, which jewelers call snowflakes or chrysanthemums. Such features are typical only for natural stone. Seeing them, you can rest assured that this is a product made of natural natural material, and not a fake "souvenir".

The authenticity of a stone can be determined by physical characteristics such as density and refractive index. If they are in the range of 2.75 - 2.9 g / cm³ the first, and the second, respectively - 1.56 - 1.6, we are not fakes.

Asking the question of how to distinguish natural aquamarine from similar in color, one should decide on analogues of minerals that exist in nature, which are very reminiscent of it.

Among similar stones, which at first glance do not differ from ours, the following can be distinguished:

• zirconium;
• spinel.

Topaz can be distinguished from aquamarine by its more characteristic shine, play of light in the facets of the first. Blue topaz is often cheaper than aquamarine, which is why unscrupulous sellers pass it off as an aquamarine mineral.

If we compare it with zirconium, then the latter stands out with a pronounced double refraction. Raising it to the light, you can see a kind of bifurcation of the edges.

It differs from blue sapphire in its index of refraction of light, which can be measured with a special instrument, a refractometer. In sapphire, it is much higher.

Difference from cheap fakes

Given the absence of synthetic analogs on the jewelry market, remember that if you come across a product that says "artificial aquamarine", this can only indicate a fake. In such imitations, plain glass or spinel is most often used.

• Unlike natural stone, all glass imitations feel warmer ... It is enough to touch such a stone with tweezers with your tongue. If it remains cold, you have natural aquamarine in front of you; if it becomes warm, it is a fake.
• Natural stone always has small flaws : foreign bodies, air bubbles. It won't be perfectly smooth.
• Natural aquamarine is completely transparent , It has glossy rather than oily shine.
• Its shade will not be flashy .
• As already stated, a real mineral changes color at a certain angle of inclination ... This property is called pleochroism.

What determines the value of the stone

Regarding the cost of aquamarine, one should not forget that its price depends on the degree of saturation of the color of the stone. The higher it is, the more expensive the mineral is. But they do not depend at all on its color. The paler, less vibrant varieties have the same properties as their brighter counterparts.

Considering that aquamarine is a fairly valuable stone with various unique properties, it is understandable that many people want to purchase jewelry with a natural mineral. More than one generation of scammers is trying to cash in on the gullibility and ignorance of ordinary buyers who want to buy a beautiful piece of jewelry encrusted with aquamarine at an enticingly low price, but cannot distinguish between natural and fake. Now you know how to do it.

The pleasant delicate color of blue topaz makes it popular among jewelry lovers. But the chances are high that you will stumble upon a fake, made so skillfully that it is impossible to recognize at first glance. However, there are reliable ways and tips on how to distinguish blue topaz from glass or other imitation.

True blue topaz is characterized by a number of characteristics:

• The genuine stone will be smooth to the touch, the treated crystals have a smooth and silky surface, which is not the case with ordinary glass.
• If you rub a mineral on wool, it becomes highly electrified and will attract dust particles, threads, and paper.
• An assessment of the crystal structure will help to determine the authenticity of topaz. Blotches and irregularities should be visible in it. Perfectly transparent stones with an even saturated color are also found in nature, but are extremely rare, therefore, they are expensive. Better to refuse to buy such a perfect specimen at an average price.
• The natural mineral has a low sheen.
• Natural stone is a poor conductor of heat, therefore it heats up slowly, its surface is cool.
• If you run a real gem over crystal, glass or quartz, the stone will leave a scratch on them. This experiment must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the product.
• Slightly changes color depending on lighting.

These tips are designed to determine the authenticity on your own at home, but only a jeweler probably knows how to distinguish a natural gem from a fake.

When buying, do not neglect the advice of a specialist. The obvious sign of a fake is the low price.

Sometimes blue crystals themselves can be imitations of more expensive stones. They are sold as sapphires and aquamarines. In the first case, the hardness is assessed (for topaz it is less than that for sapphire), the refractive index of light and the specific gravity. You can distinguish a stone from aquamarine by its stronger brilliance and play of color. In addition, aquamarine has a silvery sheen that topaz does not have.

Types of fakes

Imitation gemstones have been a lucrative fraudulent practice since antiquity. Previously, blue topaz was often passed off as colored non-precious crystals. Today's imitation technology has advanced, jewelry is often counterfeited, but there are still ways to tell them apart.

• Quite often tinted glass is awarded for a precious gem, but it is easy to distinguish them due to their physical properties and appearance. The law obliges the seller to inform the buyer that this is not a natural stone, but a glass imitation.
• Topaz and rauchtopaz should not be confused... Sometimes fraudsters, hiding behind the name, pass it off as a kind of precious mineral, but in fact, rauchtopaz is smoky quartz. He received such a name in antiquity ("rauch" is translated from German as "smoke"), and it stuck. This grayish brown stone is noteworthy and may look great in jewelry, but is less expensive than topaz.
• Insidious fake - artificial mineral cubic zirconia... Both externally and in physical properties, it is very similar to topaz, it can have a yellow, orange or blue color, it can be distinguished only by analyzing the crystal lattice.
• Processed topaz... Crystals of light blue or blue color are rare in nature and cost from $ 100-120 per carat. Jewelers have learned to give colorless or lightly colored pieces the desired color. The mineral is heat treated or irradiated. The result is stones with a deep blue hue. Such gems are, in fact, natural. The method of obtaining the colors is indicated by the words "warmed" or refined "in the name of a particular sample.
• Synthetic crystals... They are grown using hydrothermal technology, simulating in the laboratory the conditions in which topaz "grows" in nature.

How to identify a synthetic stone

Artificial crystals are obtained in laboratory conditions, this is a laborious and costly process. Such minerals are cheaper, and often look better - more transparent, with a rich color. Topaz with impurities are not considered fakes - sometimes during processing they are added specifically to give the stone the desired color.

The production of hydrothermal topaz is not economically viable, so artificial sapphire or ruby ​​is often used as an imitation. Analogs look like a real gem in appearance, repeating most of the physical properties. But synthetic stone tends to be less strong and durable. Its synthesis is similar to growing flowers in a greenhouse. Scientists create the conditions necessary for the development of the mineral, monitor its growth, and purposefully influence the external qualities - color, transparency, shine. The crystals grown under such conditions are larger than in nature, their growth rate is several times faster, and the colors are richer: it is difficult to find natural topaz of a bright blue color in nature.

Growing stones in artificial conditions is regulated by legal acts, according to which it must be indicated on the jewelry tag that the mineral is synthetic. If there is no information about the origin of the insert, it will not be easy to recognize synthetic topaz at home.

Its main difference from natural is the depth of the shade and the complete absence of defects.

Synthetic topaz should be distinguished from cubic zirconia, which has no analogue in nature and therefore is cheaper. This artificial crystal has a strong, diamond, luster not found in topaz. In addition, cubic zirconia does not have a pleochroism effect - it does not change color when changing the viewing angle or lighting.

How to recognize a fake made of quartz or glass

Quartz and glass fakes are common because they are cheaper and, at first glance, indistinguishable from natural stone. But there are some features that make it possible to distinguish topaz from a fake:

• Glass and quartz are much rougher and more transparent, and a real gem has smooth edges and the smallest inclusions or defects in the structure.
• Expensive stones are combined with gold and platinum, less often with silver, but topaz in a silver setting is not uncommon in the jewelry market. The seller who claims to be offering a real precious gem in a base metal setting is probably being disingenuous.
• Glass can be recognized by its too saturated and deep shade.
• Glass and other cheap imitations are always warmer, they heat up faster in the hands, since they let heat through better.
• The density of topaz is higher than that of quartz, so if you have a quartz crystal of the same size on hand, when comparing the weight, the topaz will be heavier.
• The bright shine betrays a fake.
• Quartz and glass do not electrify, so you can rub the item with a woolen cloth to check. If it does not attract villi, the stone is fake.

Conscientious jewelers use minerals in their products that have been verified for authenticity by a professional appraiser. Such stones have a certificate, which the seller must provide at the request of the buyer. This is a legal document describing the characteristics: color, size, presence of inclusions and impurities, place of extraction, method of cutting. If the store refuses to provide it, it is likely that the certificate is simply missing, which indirectly indicates the sale of an imitation.

Nowadays, one often has to deal with counterfeits in the world of jewelry, and this applies not only to metals, but also to stones. As for aquamarine, it is hardly possible to find a fake - artificial aquamarine. Therefore, the question - how to distinguish aquamarine from a fake - becomes not entirely correct.

What is the reason for this? And this is due to the fact that the artificial production of this stone is not an economically profitable occupation - laborious and costly, and if we consider that aquamarine is considered a semi-precious stone and its cost is not great in comparison, for example, with emerald, ruby, sapphire, etc. , then counterfeiting aquamarine is not worth the candle. However, aquamarine is a valuable stone with various properties, so those looking to purchase an item with aquamarine want to get the natural aquamarine in their jewelry. That is why you need to know how to distinguish real aquamarine from cheaper stones like it.

Aquamarine

Aquamarine - properties

Aquamarine - how to wear

First of all, it is worth remembering about the cost of aquamarine that the more saturated the color of the stone, the more expensive it is. In nature, aquamarines are found, the color of which is pale, not bright, nevertheless, such stones have all the properties of aquamarine;
The color of aquamarine is blue or greenish-blue, and if you look at this mineral from different angles, then its color will change slightly. The most appropriate name for aquamarine is aquamarine. As for the shades of the stone, they can be greenish, yellowish. Some aquamarines are zoned in color;
Like many other stones, aquamarine is characterized by the presence of various natural inclusions that distinguish it from a fake. In cases where the stone is in jewelry, determining its authenticity, it is worth focusing on the physical characteristics of aquamarine - density (for natural aquamarine it is 2.75 - 2.9), hardness (aquamarine is a hard stone), refraction (refractive index of aquamarine is equal to 1.56 - 1.6). The fracture of the stone is uneven, and it itself has a glassy luster and is transparent;

Some minerals contain white inclusions, which are called snow signs or chrysanthemums by jewelers. If there are such inclusions - there is no doubt - this is natural aquamarine;
Sometimes beryls are pink or colorless under the influence of neutron irradiation, acquire the color of aquamarine. It is easy to identify such an imitation - under the influence of heating, the color is quickly lost;
Aquamarine is usually confused with topaz, sometimes even with pale sapphires. In this case, it is worth focusing not only on the rules that allow you to distinguish aquamarine itself from other stones, but also on the rules that allow you to distinguish natural sapphire from other stones and allow you to distinguish topaz from other stones;
Another common imitation of aquamarine is blue spinel. Natural aquamarine can be distinguished by color changes (see above).

Aquamarine is an amazingly beautiful variety of beryl, which belongs to semiprecious stones. In the Middle Ages, the mineral, which is mined from coarse-grained granites, was considered a talisman for sailors and sailors, protecting them from defeat in military battles. Despite the ease of processing aquamarine and the affordable cost of jewelry made from such a mineral, transparent stones of a greenish-blue hue were appreciated by high-ranking officials and representatives of royal dynasties.

A thirty-centimeter scepter of King Stanislav of Poland, Pope Julius II and a bust of Napoleon III, made of a single piece of mineral weighing 10 kilograms, were made from a variety of beryl. Carl Faberge used an iridescent stone to create a piece of jewelry for the Russian Emperor Alexander III - Faberge Eggs.

The healing properties of natural aquamarine

In the 21st century, the mineral is mined in the Russian Federation, Brazil, Australia, the USA, India and Madagascar. The affordable cost of semi-precious stones determines the demand for aquamarine among people with different social statuses.

Modern jewelers have learned to make fakes that are visually identical to a real mineral. However, such products are devoid of the medicinal properties that are characteristic of natural aquamarine:

• It has a beneficial effect on eyesight.
• It removes toxins and toxins from the body.
• Relieves toothache.
• Reduces allergic reactions.
• It is used as a prophylactic agent for diseases of the thyroid gland and respiratory organs.
• Normalizes kidney function.
• Strengthens the immune system.
• Improves well-being.

Aquamarines are not grown artificially, which is why synthetic varieties of beryl simply do not exist in the jewelry industry.

If you do not distinguish a real stone from a fake in advance, then what you purchased is equivalent to glass jewelry.

The main differences between real aquamarine and artificial stone

To eliminate the risk of buying a fake aquamarine, you need to carefully check the semi-precious stone before purchasing. Differences between a natural variety of beryl and a fake:

• If you change the angle of inclination of the stone, then the shade of the surface of the mineral will also change (property of pleochroism).
• The structure of real aquamarine, in contrast to fakes, is transparent, not darkened, with a slight bluish tint (it is difficult to achieve such a color artificially).
• Inside the genuine mineral there are special organic inclusions that resemble "snowflakes" or white "chrysanthemums".
• Real aquamarine has a glassy luster.
• Natural stone is characterized by an uneven fracture of the surface.

Some jewelers use green and yellow beryls to make aquamarine analogs, heating them to 500 o -550 o C. Under the influence of temperature, the stones become greenish-blue. It is impossible to detect such a fake without a special examination and the participation of a gemologist.

In the manufacture of stones that are visually similar to aquamarine, glass and blue spinel are mainly used.

Having learned how to distinguish natural aquamarine from a fake, you can visually assess the structure of the stone for authenticity. You will need a magnifying glass and attention to carry out the test.