You should focus in particular on the hue (color), tone (how dark or light the color is), and saturation (the intensity of the color). Stones with names like Oriental emerald, American ruby, or Australian jade could be a green sapphire, a garnet, or treated quartz respectively. If it is fake, it will produce brown dust. You can also use the Gemological Institute of America’s database to find a certified jeweler by visiting. It can be difficult to tell the difference between semi-precious stones (any gemstone that isn’t a diamond, sapphire, ruby, or emerald) and imitations made from glass. Most real stones have flaws (called inclusions) of some kind. You can then identify other beads by matching the sound. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Karen taught middle school science for over two decades, earning her Master of Arts in Science Education (emphasis in 5-12 geosciences) along the way. One method of testing refractive index uses oils with known refractive indices. The example on the left is a real ruby. Beads that sound different from the glass beads may be … If you want to know if your diamond is a real natural stone, you can do five tests at home. Glass does not have a crystalline structure. By using our site, you agree to our. The refractive index of glass ranges from 1.46 to 1.52. If they’re real, they’ll just be called emeralds, rubies, or jade. Next comes corundum, number 9 on the Mohs hardness scale. Many other gemstones like garnets, peridots, tourmalines, iolites, spinel and zircons fall between 6 and 7.5 on the hardness scale. The carnelian will leave a scratch on the glass. If your gem is very clear, with almost ...Step 2, … If it sounds like plastic beads, then the stone in question is probably fake. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. So, glass will feel smooth, while a real stone will feel gritty. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. If it’s real, the jade will make a tinkling sound. Tap the piece gently along the rim with your fingernail; if the piece is real crystal, it will ring out with a pleasant tone. A glass gem will not likely cut glass because they are of the same hardness, but certain types of glass can be softer than others leaving scratches. Borosilicate glass, RI 1.47, disappears in vegetable oil. Thus, the test may be a bit risky and inconclusive. Place the sapphire in front of the light and you will be able to see the inclusions. If there are scratch marks, then the stone is probably a fake. Secondly, a fake amethyst can be recognized with its clarity and price. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Tell-Glass-from-Semi-Precious-Stone-Beads-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Tell-Glass-from-Semi-Precious-Stone-Beads-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Tell-Glass-from-Semi-Precious-Stone-Beads-Step-1.jpg\/aid10174370-v4-728px-Tell-Glass-from-Semi-Precious-Stone-Beads-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"