Identifying if Malachite is fake can be difficult as it’s among the most easily faked crystals. If you haven’t seen one, it won’t be easy differentiating a real Malachite from a fake one. Some jewelry manufacturers label their products as natural even when they have used synthetic Malachite.
It is common on popular eCommerce platforms like eBay, Etsy, or Wish, but even the local crystal shops near you or some big brands in the US also do this.
Naturally, Malachite is formed when copper deposits weather out. On the other hand, fake Malachite is made of glass, polymer clay, or even plastics. As a result, brands often label Malachite as artificial, faux, imitation, or some other fancy name.
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How to Identify Fake Malachite?
Several characteristics can help you determine if a Malachite is fake or real. Some important ones have been discussed below:
Price
Look at the price of the product you are buying. If it’s real Malachite, it can’t be cheap. Although this isn’t the case with all products, it can be an excellent factor to know if you are buying a genuine product.
Colors and Patterns
Colors and patterns are the following factors you should consider. Most fake Malachite have stripes around, while a real malachite will have various swirls, stripes, rings, and waves around it. Speaking of the color, real Malachite’s are greenish, with a soft, pale, and light touch of greens to very dark green patches. Some even appear black.
On the other hand, synthetic Malachite will mostly be medium green and flat black, characterized by harsh contrast between the lines. They appear more uniform with only 2-4 shades of black and green. If you check a real Malachite closely, you will observe that it doesn’t have a repeating pattern, or shades never vary drastically.
Weight & Coldness
High copper content makes it a heavy crystal, heavier than glass, and cold to the touch. However, as most Malachite imitations are created from clay or plastic, they are much lighter than genuine Malachite.
Reconstituted Malachite
It’s essential to know about reconstituted Malachite. It treads the line between synthetic and real ones. Manufacturers using it create the product by using crushed Malachite wastes or offcuts. They mix it with resin and dyes to develop it back into the shape of a real Malachite. As it’s made after rearranging with resin, it appears lighter than the normal Malachite.
Despite the color looking more natural, its patterns are uniform and don’t look perfect as the real Malachite.
Also Read: How to Tell if Amethyst is Real?
Other Tips To Distinguish Real From Fake
Apart from the above characteristics, the following tips can help you distinguish a real Malachite from a fake one.
Natural Malachite is Very Cold
If you are holding a real malachite, the coldness is enough to tell you if it’s real. Additionally, they are heavy and feel very hard to touch. As mentioned, real Malachite is heavier than plastic or solid glass. Ice cold when touched and denser appearance makes it different from the fake ones. Genuine Malachites aren’t uniform in their colors and patterns. You may find speckles, thin to thick parts, and circles in the patterns.
Forms of Fake Malachite
There are different forms of malachite and plastic ones are one of the easiest to distinguish. It’s lighter and warmer when touched. The ones made of glass are colder and harder to touch. This makes them appear very similar to genuine Malachite.
But if you keep it in your hand, the fake glass malachite will get warmer. On the contrary, real malachite’s don’t warm up even if you keep them in your hands for some time.
Beware of New Malachite Pendants
You should be careful when going with a Choose Your Stone type pendant. Such kinds of jewelry that allow you to choose moon, dagger, angle, heart, or silver-set cabochon shapes rarely offer real malachite stones as pendants.
Green Color
You should know that pure Malachite is always green and no other color. So if you come across a red malachite, you should straightaway understand that it is just a fancy name and a fake one. The multi-colored Malachite is cheap dyed Howlite. But there is a naturally developing malachite that forms with a rich blue mineral known as Azurite. This variant creates a stunning mix of green and azure colors and is labeled as Azurite malachite. They are genuine and popular collectibles.
Concluding Remarks
Malachite is a popular stone that is used to manufacture amazing jewelry. However, with fake ones in the market, you should be cautious when buying such products. It isn’t easy, but the tips and steps discussed above can help you select a genuine malachite. If you aren’t sure, you may consult experts in gemology or go with licensed retailers selling genuine products.
