Moldavite: Real vs. Fake
There simply isn't anything that grinds our gears more than when we meet someone who has paid out their hard-earned money for a "rare" or "special" stone, and it turns out to be faker than an op-shop Rolex. Look, I will play devil's advocate for a minute. Yes, sometimes the stone merchant makes a mistake. Maybe they got ripped off by their supplier, who got ripped off by theirs, and so on. Or perhaps they knew it was a fake all along and are just generally deplorable human beings. Either way, selling fakes is NEVER OK. Read on to learn some of our tips and tricks used to spot fake Moldavite.
Moldavite seems to be celebrating a sharp rise in notoriety at the moment. This popularity spike has created a perfect breeding ground for all dodgy dealers out there to peddle their olive green rubbish and charge the unsuspecting public a pretty penny for said rubbish.
An example of genuine Moldavite
Firstly, what is Moldavite? Well, it happens to be pretty damn cool if you ask me. Moldavite is a rare, natural glass formed when a giant meteorite crashed many millions of years ago. The impact and heat from the meteorite caused the metamorphosis of the surrounding rock and turned it into this quirky-looking, olive green, textured glass. It is named after the area near the Moldau River in Czechoslovakia, where it is found exclusively. Moldavite is usually only found in small pieces, some of which are suitable to be faceted and used in jewellery. Larger pieces can command some eye-watering prices.
So what happens when an unscrupulous person wants to get in on the Moldavite action? They make their own, of course. Some people have gone to great lengths to make moulds that replicate the texture and irregular shape of an actual piece of Moldavite. They then cook themselves up some olive green coloured glass, pour it into the mould, and...abracadabra...Fake Moldavite is born.
This is where it gets tricky, though. If Moldavite is natural glass and the fakes are also glass, how can you tell the difference? One tell-tale sign is if a merchant sells many pieces of Moldavite that are all precisely the same size and texture. You will have to look closely to see the repeating patterns of ridges through the glass, but you will see it. No two pieces of real Moldavite are ever precisely the same, so a merchant with thirty pieces of Moldavite identical in shape and size is very suspect indeed.
Another thing you want to look at is the size of the pieces. If you stumble across someone selling Moldavite and they only have huge pieces for sale, be wary. Large pieces of Moldavite over 100 grams are so rare, and they command prices in the thousands. Massive chunks of fist-sized Moldavite? Probably contact your bank manager. The likelihood of one merchant sitting on hundreds of thousands of dollars of natural, large Moldavite specimens and just casually selling them on eBay is pretty slim.
Price is the third thing you want to pay attention to, but this is not a fail-safe way to detect fakes. If you see a massive, fist-sized chunk of Moldavite for sale for the grand sum of $100 or a 0.99c no reserve auction, yeah, that's pretty much a no-brainer. However, some really nasty people will charge you close to the expected price for a fake. They do this to psychologically trick you into thinking it must be real because the price is high.
Another giveaway that you are looking at a fake Moldavite is a wet or shiny appearance. Green glass bottles melted down to pass off as Moldavite will have a wet and shiny appearance. This is almost always a sign of fake Moldavite. Also, pay attention to the colour. Moldavite is a darker, mossy, olive green that can sometimes have streaks of brown. If the piece you are looking at is a bright, vibrant green, it is not Moldavite but more likely green glass bottles. I have seen some people selling different colours of Moldavite such as yellow and blue or even bi-coloured. These are always 100% fake; Moldavite does not have any colour variations.
Fake red moldavite. This is currently for sale on Aliexpress for the bargain price of $50 AUD.
Beware of "Certificates." I have known so many people to be duped out of their money buying gemstones because they came with a certificate of authenticity. Now, a certificate of authenticity is excellent if it is authentic itself. What? Fake certificates for fake stones? Yes, indeed. It happens more than you think. Pretty much anyone with a computer can create their own certificate of authenticity. What you want to be looking at is who it came from. Are they a reputable laboratory? Do some research before you shell out your precious dollars.
You might be thinking to yourself that this Moldavite is just too much trouble. I agree that it is very frustrating to wade through all of the fakes on the market, but if you can get a genuine piece, it really is something special to add to your collection. And if you are interested in the metaphysical properties of stones, Moldavite is a powerhouse. It is said that Moldavite is a life-changing stone. Many who work with it for the first time can find it extremely powerful and overwhelming, to the point that it becomes too much. They have to limit their exposure time. The emotional release that it can bring is fast, unpredictable, and often unexpected. If you have patience and build up your tolerance to the intense energy of this stone, you will find it rewarding to work with Moldavite.
However, with all of the said, if it is your intention to purchase Moldavite for the express purpose of working with it metaphysically, you will get nothing from a fake. So in closing, do your research and then research some more. Above all, make sure you only buy your Moldavite from a trusted source.