How to Tell if a Crystal is Natural or Treated?

Natural crystals possess certain appeal since each individual stone develops over thousands or even millions of years according to geological processes. Their color, inclusions, texture, and structure depend on conditions of formation. Many crystals and gemstones go through treatments that aim to improve certain features like color, clarity, durability, and overall appearance. It is necessary to understand the difference between natural and treated crystals in order to make the right choice while buying one.

Treated crystal is not necessarily an imitation or fake. Crystal gets its treatment after being formed and does not lose its properties of a natural stone. The key thing is to be aware of the treatment before making the purchase. Learn more about how to identify natural and treated crystals, recognize common treatments, and choose your stone with greater confidence.

What Does a Natural Crystal Mean?

A natural crystal is formed by natural geological processes without artificial production in a laboratory. Mineral development depends on the presence of a certain combination of pressure, temperature, chemical and physical conditions. Such processes usually take thousands or millions of years.

Natural crystals usually contain inclusions, color variations, small cracks, or uneven structure. These things do not make the stone defective but can provide valuable information about its formation and origin.

What is a Treated Crystal?

A treated crystal is a natural mineral that was subjected to additional treatment after being formed. The purpose of it is the improvement of the stone's appearance, stability, clarity, or color.

There are some treatments which are generally accepted within the gemstone industry. Heat treatment, for instance, is common for several gemstones. Some treatments may include the use of oils, resins, glass filling, irradiation, or diffusion.

A crystal does not become an artificial stone after being treated. A naturally treated crystal is naturally developed but then subjected to the modification process. Synthetic crystal is an artificially produced stone which is aimed at creating the properties of a natural mineral. A simulant stone is visually similar to another gemstone but has a different chemical or mineral composition.

These categories should never be treated as identical.

Common Types of Crystal and Gemstone Treatments

Knowledge of common treatment methods makes it possible to understand the meaning of sellers' descriptions of treated crystals. Here is the list of the most popular crystal and gemstone treatments that you should be familiar with before buying a stone:

1. Oiling

Oiling treatment is mostly related to gemstones like emeralds. Oil can penetrate through the surface, reaching cracks and improving their visibility.

It helps to increase the clarity of the stone and make it smooth and bright. However, oil treatment is temporary and requires regular maintenance.

So, a buyer should clarify whether the emerald is treated and how it was treated in order to increase its clarity.

2. Filling

Filling treatment includes insertion of some substance inside the surface-reaching cracks, cavities, or fractures. Glass, resin, or any other material can be used depending on the type of the gemstone.

The process aims to improve the clarity of the stone and its visual appeal. However, filled stones need additional care because of the possibility of affecting the filling material with certain cleaning methods, chemicals, or heat. A gemstone authenticity report can help you identify such treatments.

3. Heat Treatment

Heat treatment includes exposing the gemstone to controlled high temperatures. This process changes its color, improves its appearance, or changes some of its internal features. Heat treatment is common in the gemstone industry. Some rubies, sapphires, amethysts, and many other stones can be heated.

However, a heated gemstone remains natural. The description of the stone will be "natural, heat-treated gemstone" rather than an artificial stone.

4. Diffusion Treatment

Diffusion treatment is the introduction of certain elements in the surface or near-surface structure of a gemstone under controlled conditions.

The process is used in order to create or enhance certain colors of the stone. It is a common treatment for some types of sapphire and other gemstones.

Diffusion treatment is hard to recognize without professional equipment. So, visual examination cannot determine whether a valuable stone had such treatment.

5. Irradiation

Irradiation treatment includes exposure to controlled radiation in order to change the color of the stone. Additional heating may follow the treatment process.

Some topaz, tourmaline, quartz, and other gemstones can receive treatment for color enhancement.

Signs of a Natural vs. Treated Crystal

To be sure a crystal is natural, one needs to look for more than just flaws. There are a number of visible clues which can give useful information, but they should not be taken as definite proof. The following can be used to get a better look at a crystal and find out if it is natural or treated:

Check Out the Color

Natural crystals tend to feature some variations in color and may differ in being lighter or darker in certain parts.

However, color itself can neither prove nor disprove that a stone is natural or treated. Natural gems can have even color, while treated ones might seem totally natural. Consider color together with clarity, inclusions, structure, and other traits.

Look at the Inclusions

Mineral inclusions are features trapped inside the mineral during its formation. They may vary from small crystals to cracks, clouds, needles, and fluid inclusions.

A loupe or microscope will allow seeing more than can be seen without one. Some of the inclusions can point to natural formation while others can indicate some kind of treatment.

Nevertheless, inclusions must not be understood in a casual way since different crystals have different internal features.

Examine the Surface

Sometimes there are traces of a treatment on the surface. Such features may include a coating, residues, filled fractures, unusual wear, and color spots.

Some treatments affect mostly the surface while others penetrate deep into the stone. An unusually perfect crystal calls for closer examination.

Look at How the Crystal Reflects Light

Natural crystals respond to light based on their internal structure, optical properties, clarity, and cut. Some crystals show great brilliance and light reflection, color flashes, and other optical phenomena. Others appear softer or translucent.

However, there is no universal "natural sparkle" test. Lighting, polishing, crystal structure, and cutting style affect the visual result. Visual beauty cannot prove authenticity.

Home Tests

There are several popular home tests that are usually suggested to check if a gemstone is natural.

They include fog tests, water drop tests, temperature tests, and scratch tests. These tests have quite a number of limitations. 

• A fog test cannot guarantee that the crystal is a natural one and not treated, synthetic, or an imitation.

• The water drop test mostly shows surface properties and cannot prove the geological origin of the stone.

• The scratch test is especially bad for valuable crystals since different minerals have different hardness, and scratching them will cause irreversible damage.

Thus, home tests must be considered as basic observations and cannot replace gemstone identification.

Questions to Ask before Purchase

When buying a crystal or a gemstone, consider asking the following questions:

• Is this stone natural, synthetic, or a simulant?

• Has this crystal been treated?

• What is the type of the treatment?

• Is the treatment permanent or reversible?

• Does the treatment require special care?

• Is the stone supplied with the gemstone authenticity certificate?

• Who issued the report?

• Is the reported origin confirmed with any document?

• Is the price taking the treatment into account?

An honest seller will not hesitate to answer these questions.

Conclusion

It is important to know how to tell if a crystal is natural or treated to make the right choices. Think beyond color and brilliance and consider inclusions, surface features, disclosure of the treatment, and certification when buying an expensive gemstone.

While home tests will allow making some observations, professional tests are much more reliable. Book a session today on AuraHeal and receive individual consultations from the best healers regarding crystal selection.