How can you distinguish an aquamarine from a fake? Aquamarine and its imitations How to distinguish natural aquamarine from a fake

Aquamarine is an amazingly beautiful variety of beryl, classified as a semi-precious stone. 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 this mineral, transparent stones of a greenish-blue hue were valued by high-ranking officials and representatives of royal dynasties.

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

The healing properties of natural aquamarine

In the 21st century, the mineral is mined in the Russian Federation, Brazil, Australia, 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 the real mineral. However, such products lack the healing properties that are characteristic of natural aquamarine:

• Has a beneficial effect on vision.
• Removes waste and toxins from the body.
• Relieves toothache.
• Reduces allergic reaction.
• It is used as a prophylactic for diseases of the thyroid gland and respiratory organs.
• Normalizes kidney function.
• Strengthens the immune system.
• Improves well-being.

Aquamarines are not grown artificially, so 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 the natural variety of beryl and the fake:

• If you change the angle of inclination of the stone, the shade of the surface of the mineral will also change (the property of pleochroism).
• The structure of real aquamarine, unlike fakes, is transparent, undarkened, with a slight bluish tint (this color is difficult to achieve artificially).
• Inside a genuine mineral there are special organic inclusions that resemble “snowflakes” or white “chrysanthemums”.
• Real aquamarine has a glassy luster.
• Natural stone is distinguished by an uneven surface fracture.

Some jewelers use green and yellow beryls to make aquamarine analogues, heating them to 500 o -550 o C. Under the influence of temperature, the stones become greenish-blue. It is impossible to identify 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 will be able to visually assess the structure of the stone for authenticity. To carry out the inspection you will need a magnifying glass and attention.

Aquamarine stone, also known as blue beryl- the most beautiful variety of beryl of a transparent azure color. The mineral belongs to semi-precious stones and is mined from granite rocks. The blue variety of beryl is easy to process and relatively cheap, but was very popular among nobles. What does real aquamarine look like and how to distinguish a fake?

Like all other beryls, aquamarine is no exception - its structure has many elongated cavities located exactly parallel to the crystal faces. If the voids inside are filled with any liquid, they give the mineral a beautiful coffee tint. You can also find gas bubbles and other types of inclusions in the stone itself. The inclusions, shaped like a snowflake, look beautiful.

A natural mineral, unlike a fake, sometimes has beautiful inclusions in the form of a six-rayed star. Sometimes other crystals are mixed with aquamarine, for example, phlogopite, rutile, pyrite or biotite. Rutile inclusions give a beautiful and very rare star effect and the so-called cat's eye. This mineral is valued much higher than usual. Aquamarine becomes star-shaped because the rutile stripes are either parallel to the edges of the stone or inclined at an angle of 120 degrees.

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One of the most magnificent gemstones is blue topaz. Stones of this shade have several varieties and are known in the market as London topaz, azure topaz and Swiss blue topaz. As with other similar stones, the most saturated color has the highest cost. Thus, among them, London blue topaz has the highest price, it is also often found under the name “London topaz”.

Gold ring with blue topaz

As a rule, precious blue minerals with good hardness and brilliance have always commanded a high price. For example, you can name stones such as sapphire or tanzanite. Fluorite, lapis lazuli and others are slightly less expensive, but they are softer and therefore not suitable for daily wear.

It is therefore not at all surprising that London topaz has become one of the best-selling gemstones. It unusually combines high hardness and affordable cost. London Topaz is not entirely blue, but has a slightly gray tint to it, and many of the stones have a greenish tint when viewed from certain angles.

Features of structure and production

Almost all crystals of the mineral have their own peculiarity - they have a flat bottom. This makes it easy to place it on a flat surface. This edge is a consequence of cleavage, which is very pronounced in topaz. Cleavage leads to a stepped fracture and a characteristic luster with a pearlescent tint. But this property is inherent only to this facet; the rest have a glassy sheen. The following methods are used for cutting topaz:

• diamond;
• emerald;
• fantasy;
• oval;
• cabochon.

London topaz is very rare in nature. Therefore, there is an opinion that the majority of blue topazes on the jewelry market are obtained artificially, and as for London topazes, almost all of them. There are several ways to change or enhance the color of a stone. In the old days, it was annealed in quartz sand, bringing the temperature to 500 degrees. Officially, this method was discovered by jewelers in France in the 18th century, but there is an opinion that this method was also used in antiquity.

Now, of course, there are more modern methods of refining. As a rule, the most common colorless topaz is used as the starting material, then most of the blue shades are obtained using radioactive radiation. Azure topazes are obtained by irradiation with electrons, followed by annealing. The most brightly colored London ones are brought to this color by irradiation with neutrons in a nuclear reactor. Swiss blue topaz is obtained by combining both types of radiation.

Irradiation affects the crystal lattice, it breaks individual bonds and redistributes electrons. This leads to the formation of defects, which change color. The topazes obtained in this way are very sensitive to light, so they need to be stored in a dark place.

After this, they are subject to heat treatment. Due to exposure to radiation, topazes become radioactive. This makes selling them immediately after production impossible. Therefore, such topazes are stored in specially designated places until they are safe to sell to people.

Blue topaz in silver jewelry

For some time they tried to replace topazes on the market with synthetic ones. They learned how to make them back in the 70s of the last century, but the method for producing them required a lot of costs, which greatly increased the cost of the final product. Therefore, now they are practically not produced. As it turned out, it is much more profitable to change the color of natural pale or colorless stones, which are quite common in nature.

The question of whether blue topaz of natural origin can be found on sale is still open. In some mineralogical museums around the world, there are topazes of natural origin, which can be roughly classified as London blue. However, the very name of such topaz comes from the stone, which was obtained artificially.

London topaz is considered to have the brightest color. In fact, this is not entirely true: it is characterized by color density, but brightness - not. Polished edges may have a bright color, but the color of the stone is always completely muted. The English speak of it as “the gloomy sky over Wales in August.” Topaz most likely got its name in the most obvious way, because it was first made in England.

The experimenters working to create a gemstone of such a deep blue color continued their experiments in their time and increased the exposure of the stones to neutron bombardment. This resulted in a very dark-colored topaz, in which the shade was not always noticeable, only in very bright light. You could say he was practically black. In addition, like most London topaz, it also has a distinct shade of green added to it.

These dark topazes were called maxi blue. However, their production was accompanied by one technological problem. Since all London topazes were radioactive, this one, which was exposed to much more neutron bombardment, had this property an order of magnitude stronger.

And if London topaz needed to be stored for several months or years to become safe, here this time was an order of magnitude longer. Moreover, it was impossible to predict how long this might last. Therefore, London topazes became popular on the market, but maxi blues, apparently due to their high cost, did not take root. Now they are a rare variety of London.

More experiments were carried out on irradiating topazes with cobalt isotopes. When changing the parameters of such an experiment, stones of various colors came out.

Properties of the stone

Blue topaz is a stone that is very often chosen as a personal talisman. Women who wear topaz of this color are rewarded with beauty, and men with wisdom. Topaz has long been considered a talisman for sailors, helping them find their way home. There is even a version that it was they who gave the name to this stone when they were shipwrecked on the island of Topazios and discovered it there.

Topaz was considered a talisman for many years, so many rulers used it as such. For example, such a stone was presented to Alexander I by a certain priest from the Urals. They say the stone had a rich color and weighed more than 300 grams.

Blue topaz influences a person's character. With him he becomes more sociable. The stone protects its owner, helping him in work, in making decisions, and in organizing things in the family.

In addition, this stone is considered a philosophical stone. Not in the sense that it can be used to transform any metals into gold. It calms the mind and leads to the truth. In a conversation with another person, in just a few minutes, topaz helps to determine all the innermost thoughts of the interlocutor. Find out what he really thinks and whether he holds a grudge.

In India, this stone is considered one of the main stones for use in medicine. Patients under the influence of topaz regain their appetite and restore their immunity. Unbalanced people can easily use topaz to eliminate fears and stress; it will also help in the fight against insomnia.

Topaz or aquamarine?

You can often hear the opinion among ordinary people that blue topaz cannot be distinguished from aquamarine. And therefore, in their opinion, they are trying to sell one stone instead of another to the buyer.

In fact, it is not easy to confuse these two stones. Topaz has a much brighter play of color, while aquamarine looks much paler. But experts determine topaz not only by its appearance; there is a refractometer device for this. With its help you can accurately determine whether the stone in front of you is topaz or aquamarine.

To distinguish between these two stones at home, there are no less accurate criteria. For example, the density of topaz is much higher, so for the same volumes it is a third heavier. The difference in weight can be easily noticed. Gemologists also use this criterion: in their laboratories they have a special solution of high concentration salts, in which most minerals sink, including aquamarine, but not topaz.

There is an opinion that supposedly sun-faded topaz returns its color after a period of “rest,” but in practice it is not recommended to verify such a legend.

How to wear and care for topaz?

In order to get the maximum of its beneficial properties, you must follow some rules:

• It is believed that in November any zodiac sign can wear this stone. But the rest of the time, preference will need to be given to Cancer, Sagittarius and Scorpio.
• This stone is a domestic stone, so it is not recommended to take it away from home for a long time.
• People who want to arrange their personal lives should not wear it. It is believed that it can destroy relationships.
• Before buying jewelry with topaz, you should pay attention to the metal that is used as a frame; it does not combine well with copper.
• It can be worn next to any stones, except crystal and diamonds.
• It is believed that topaz can change color when the stone and its owner get used to each other.
• Depending on which finger this stone is worn on, it can provide different assistance. It is worn on the little finger to establish contacts; on the index finger a topaz framed in gold is worn. Pink topaz is bought for the ring finger.

In order for the stone to serve you for a long time, you need to follow some basic rules of care.

• The stone must be protected from exposure to sunlight, otherwise this may cause it to lose its color.
• Under no circumstances should you drop jewelry containing topaz; it, like a diamond, can break.
• It is necessary to clean the stone only with a soap solution. You can prepare it as follows: take tbsp. spoon of shampoo, dishwashing liquid or liquid soap and dissolve in one liter of water. Keep the product in the solution for about 20 minutes, then wipe with a cloth. Do not use mechanical force to clean topaz.

Topaz is a very beautiful and unusual stone. Few minerals in nature can boast such a variety of rich colors. It is very suitable for both everyday wear and exceptional occasions. It is not inferior in beauty to sapphire, but much cheaper.

Aquamarine has been known and highly valued for centuries. And there is a fairly simple explanation for this - the stone is crystal clear, has a beautiful blue tint and has unique properties. Aquamarine stone is often called the stone of justice. The ancient Greeks were sure that a piece of the sea was stored in it. The French, in turn, assured that love itself was in it.

Physical and chemical properties of the mineral

The aquamarine stone, whose properties have been known since ancient times, got its name from the merger of two Latin words - aqua - water and marinus - sea. Hence the association with water - sea water.

According to the classification, this stone belongs to igneous intrusive minerals. It contains beryllium oxide, aluminum, and silicon. Sodium, potassium, lithium, and chromium can act as impurities. The hardness of such a stone is 7.5 -8 on the Mohs scale, the density of the stone is 2.75. But if impurities are noted in it, then the density can increase to 2.9. At the same time, the stone continues to remain fragile and remains a fairly light mineral.

This stone is transparent and has a glassy luster. If there are breaks, then they are uneven. Such a stone is formed in granite rocks and hydrothermal veins

Many people are interested in the color of the stone. It is worth understanding that not every stone will be the color of sea water. It all depends on where the stone is mined. So, for example, the Russian Ural variant has a blue color, while the South Ural variants are distinguished by a greenish tone. But it is worth understanding that such minerals are extremely unstable in color - they can easily fade even from a short and short exposure to the sun. It can easily change from pale blue to dirty yellow.

Mineral deposits

Experts note that aquamarine occurs quite actively and widely in nature. Today stones are found in Ukraine, in the region of the Ilmen Mountains. In addition, there are mines in countries such as Brazil, Madagascar, the USA, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Tanzania, etc.

The sizes of stones vary. It grows in crystals, and many of them can be record-breaking in size. In the Kremlin museums there is an exhibit - for example, the scepter of King Stanislaus of Poland was created from a single mineral. Its length is 30 cm.

How to recognize authenticity of aquamarine

Since aquamarine is a precious stone, it is very widely used by jewelers. And it is often counterfeited. And in order not to purchase a product with an artificial stone that will not have the energy of a natural mineral, you should carefully consider the advice of professionals on how to recognize a natural stone.

So, for example, when looking at a stone from different sides, its color will change. Also, in aquamarine, as in any other natural mineral, there will be various inclusions; if there is a fracture, then it is uneven. Some stones may have white inclusions, which jewelers characterize as snow marks or chrysanthemums. Artificial ones will not have these.

Aquamarine healing stone properties and magic

Aquamarine stone, whose magical properties have long been known, is often used as a medicine. Its use relieves pain in teeth, relieves problems with digestive system, calms the irritated nervous system and relieves emotional overexcitement. The stone is also good in solving problems with such pathologies as vision problems, motion sickness, etc.

Interest in the magical properties of such a mineral continues to this day. Thus, it is one of the most powerful and influential minerals found in nature. With its help you can always discern astral deception. The owner of such a stone discovers in himself psychic abilities - knows how to see and understand signs from above.

This stone helps to cope with attacks of anger and calm a disturbed soul. Such a stone bestows wisdom and a sense of justice; it allows a person to change internally in all intentions and deeds that he performs.

Stone for zodiac signs

Aquamarine and the zodiac sign is an important question for many. Also, people are often interested in the combination: aquamarine stone, who is suitable for it. Astrologers claim that there is a certain relationship between such a mineral and a number of signs. So, for example, it will become an excellent talisman for Scorpios. This is due to the fact that people born under this sign are characterized by increased emotionality And intemperance. They cannot soberly assess the situation and think through their actions more soberly.

The amazingly beautiful semi-precious stone, natural aquamarine, is not immune from counterfeits. The mineral, repeating the diverse shades of the sea, adorns exquisite jewelry. Due to the high reputation of the “sea water” crystal, there are constant attempts to counterfeit it using various technologies and cheaper raw materials. To fully appreciate how good natural aquamarine is, you need to learn how to accurately identify natural jewelry.

How to distinguish an aquamarine from a fake

The mysterious appearance and rich internal content of jewelry stones attract supporters of natural jewelry with aquamarine. To avoid purchasing cheap jewelry instead of a high-quality original, you should carefully check the gem before purchasing, based on certain criteria.

The most important of them is the property of pleochroism. If you look at natural specimens of aquamarine from different angles, you can notice color changes. In addition, the structure of a real stone appears unobscured, transparent, and has a bluish tint with a characteristic glassy sheen.

Often inside a naturally occurring crystal you can see characteristic organic inclusions that resemble chrysanthemums or snowflakes. The outer surface is characterized by an uneven fracture up to a roughness that is easily palpable.

Options for simulating natural minerals

Since ancient times, jewelers have been engaged in the cultivation of artificial stones, which successfully replaced natural precious minerals. Various simulations were used.

They are still trying to imitate the aquamarine stone. Modern craftsmen use advanced technologies that allow them to “ennoble” low-grade materials in various ways. To process these minerals, irradiation, high-temperature annealing, and external surface coating are used.

Despite the fact that gemstones have been grown industrially for a long time, synthetic aquamarine is impossible to find. The technological complexity of the process and material costs are not justified due to the relatively low cost of natural stone.

There are imitations on the market that are actually bluish spinel, pale or blue hydrothermal sapphire, and topaz. In addition, nanocrystals, which are plastic, were invented in Russia. This material completely replicates the properties that distinguish natural aquamarine.

Some representatives of the “jewelry workshop” use green or yellow beryls, which, when heated to 500 degrees Celsius, acquire bluish aquamarine colors with greenish tints. It is almost impossible to identify such a fake purely visually. In such cases, special expertise is required.

Distinctive features of natural “sea water” stone

It is impossible to find an artificially created aquamarine mineral on the jewelry market, since such products are not manufactured. If artificial aquamarine is nevertheless offered, then it is an obvious fake, for the production of which spinel or glass is used as the starting material.

To distinguish a real mineral from fake specimens, you should focus on the following signs:

• a stone of natural origin is distinguished by surface irregularities, internal inclusions, and bubbles;
• the completely transparent structure is characterized by a glossy shine;
• the original copy does not have a flat, smooth surface;
• upon contact with the surface of the fake, a feeling of warmth appears, while natural aquamarines retain cold;
• stones of natural origin are distinguished by calm “soft” shades, and there is no bright color;
• real aquamarine changes color as the viewing angle changes.

Based on the above criteria, each person will independently figure out how to distinguish natural stone.

There are minerals in nature that have much in common in color with “sea water” stone. For example, blue topaz, sapphire, spinel, zirconium. Compared to these gems, aquamarine is therefore important to be able to clearly identify each specimen.

Topaz can be distinguished by its bright shine and deeper refraction of light in its facets. This mineral literally sparkles in the light, but it does not have the silvery “flowery” glow of the more expensive aquamarine.

Zirconium is characterized by double refraction of light, which looks like bifurcation of the edges. Blue sapphire can be identified by its high refractive index, which is measured using a refractometer. Despite the external similarity, pale blue spinel is of lower quality. There are many bubbles inside this mineral that are not found in the best aquamarine.

Identification of a naturally occurring mineral by color

Natural aquamarine is most often characterized by a color with shades of blue-green, green-blue, light blue, dark blue. Moreover, this gem is often characterized by a zonal distribution of colors, when yellowish and greenish shades appear in the center and on the periphery.

Changing colors from different viewing angles and when changing lighting intensity is a proven way to distinguish a fake.

In addition, depending on objects nearby, the mineral also changes shades. A distinctive feature is that aquamarine is a stone that fades in the sun.

When exposed to neutron radiation, a bluish color appears in colorless beryls, but when heated, this color quickly disappears.

Physical characteristics of natural aquamarines

Unlike grown minerals, natural seawater stones are characterized by the presence of natural inclusions in the crystal structure. Some aquamarines have white inclusions, which are called chrysanthemums and snowflakes. This phenomenon is present only in natural gems.

In addition, inside natural minerals there are elongated cavities that are located parallel to the edges. Sometimes such voids are filled with liquids of various origins, giving the stone a coffee tint.

Some specimens are distinguished by bubbles, inclusions in the shape of a hexagonal star, which cannot be imitated or grown artificially.

Sometimes it is enriched in phlogopite, biotite, pyrite, and rutile. Thanks to such inclusions, a rare “cat’s eye”, star effect is obtained. In this case, the star pattern is determined by rutile stripes parallel to the edges, which run at an angle of 120 degrees. Such specimens are valued higher than ordinary minerals, and therefore cost more.