Fake Moldavite is a frequently requested topic. I've covered it in my FYI story format in the past, but I think it warrants a more permanent home in this blog series, so I present to you 'Identifying Fake Moldavite'. Moldavite is even more rare than citrine and turquoise, and constantly increasing in value - which motivates folks to manufacture and sell fakes.
Before I get into the specifics of fake Moldavite, I wanted to touch on what's happened to the Moldavite market in the last 1.5 years. In early 2021, Moldavite went viral on Tiktok. Moldavite is finite, and once it's mined out of it's singular locality, there won't be any more left. Supply had already been declining over the last few years, and COVID restrictions had limited mining activity in the area - which made for an even smaller supply pool than usual. This massive surge in demand from TikTok notoriety paired with a smaller supply led to a huge leap in prices (they doubled almost overnight) and made genuine Moldavite almost unfeasible to source for a good chunk of 2021.
My suppliers were having an impossible time trying to get more from the Czech Republic, and there were huge waitlists just for retailers to have a chance to get some material from them. There was almost no genuine Moldavite at Tucson Gem Show in 2021, when there had been trays of material in years past. One of my Czech suppliers who has been importing Moldavite into the US for over 30 years didn't even bother attending Tucson 2021 because they didn't have any inventory to sell.
Left image: genuine Moldavite specimen backlit by the sun. Right image: genuine Moldavite specimens in sunlight. Both images are The Mineral Maven inventory.
Once the TikTok fervor died down it made it a little easier to source again, but prices stayed high. In fact, supply continues to decline while demand has remained consistent, leading to an even further increase in pricing. The Moldavite market has not (and will not) recover from the TikTok surge. Moldavite was selling for ~$10-16/gram in 2020, jumped to ~$22-24/gram as soon as it went viral on Tiktok in the first quarter of 2021, and has doubled since then - now selling for ~$40-50/gram.
I outline all of this to give you some insight into what to expect price-wise if you're in the market for Moldavite. Given the supply vs. demand trajectory, I expect prices of Moldavite to continue to rise until the material is mined out completely. This will incentivize more and more counterfeits to enter the market. If you see Moldavite available for super cheap - that will be your biggest red flag.
Why is Moldavite commonly faked?
Moldavite is not technically a mineral or crystal at all, but a tektite (from the Greek word tektos = molten; referring to molten glass created from meteoric impact) that is found only in the Bohemian plateau of the Czech Republic. It was created during a meteor impact about 14.7 million years ago. The green color is thought to be due to their iron content.
The limited locality (only found in one place) and extremely limited quantity of material makes these green snowflakes pricey - which means there is a huge incentive for counterfeits
Long known as a sacred stone, Moldavite was allegedly found in altar amulets from 25000BCE and was believed in Czech folklore to guide one to one’s destiny. In modern times and in the spiritual space, Moldavite is known as a stone of high ascension: rapid and powerful spiritual transformation. It can catalyze major shifts and even physical life changes. Moldavite is said to attract all that relates to one’s spiritual evolution and serves one’s highest good, and dissolve any hindrances to that evolution.
I'm going to preface this blog with: there is A TON of counterfeit Moldavite on the market. And honestly, well-intentioned retailers may even be selling Moldavite that they don't realize is counterfeit.
I wouldn't say it's "easy" to spot fake Moldavite, unless you spend a lot of time looking at real Moldavite - then you get accustomed to how it should look and it's easier to spot when something seems "off".
I'll try to give y'all some tips.
How to vet for real Moldavite
Polished or faceted Moldavite is a bit challenging to authenticate without a microscope; raw Malachite is a little bit easier but still quite challenging. That's because Moldavite is glass - so there are some really convincing fakes made of green glass.
PRICE
The biggest red flag is always pricing, especially on platforms like Wish and Ebay - but there may be more convincing fakes and more in-line pricing even on Etsy and at more reputable spiritual retailers. REAL MOLDAVITE ISN'T CHEAP. It will be priced by the gram - usually $30-50/gram depending on the grade/quality, even more for higher quality collector's grade. Which means listings for Moldavite should include the weight to the 10th or 100th decimal point in grams.
LOCALITY
It should always come from the Czech Republic, 99% of Moldavite is found there. If you are seeing Moldavite from other parts of the world - huge red flag (hello, fake Moldavite!).
SIZE/WEIGHT
Moldavite is smaller, typically between 1-19 grams, with the average being around 3-5 grams. So if you're seeing huge pieces of Moldavite (especially outside of museum-grade settings), it's a huge red flag.
SURFACE
The surface texture of Moldavite naturally varies from deep sculpting to more smooth - some even have a mixture of both on the same piece. The surface texture is shaped by the the type of sediment it's found in. The surface shine can similarly range rom shiny/glossy to totally matte. It also often has channels, valleys, holes.
COLORING
The color naturally ranges from light green to brown - the most common coloring being bottle green (which unfortunately resembles man-made green glass). It should never be transparent like green glass - backlight will shine through beautifully but it's still opaque.
SHAPE
Every single piece of Moldavite is unique - like a snowflake or finger print. No two Moldavites will EVER look the same. So if you see a shop selling multiple that look the same, using a stock image, or see multiple shops selling the same piece - it's a red flag. Each piece has been uniquely shaped by both the impact and the millions of years it spent in the ground.
LECHATELIERITE
Lechatelierite are thin, wavy worm-like lines that are visible in genuine polished or faceted Moldavite. THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FAKE. However, you also can't see these with the bare eye - you need a microscope (which I know most of us don't have access to - including myself).
GAS BUBBLES
Gas bubbles aren't definitive because the number of bubbles can vary by locality of Moldavite.
Both images are genuine Moldavite specimens from The Mineral Maven inventory, taken with more natural lighting to demonstrate how natural Moldavite looks.
How to spot counterfeit Moldavite
Now for the counterfeit spotting.
A FEW TIPS:
- First, buy from a trusted seller.
- Second, familiarize yourself with what the real deal looks like - look at lots of real Moldavite.
- Third, make sure the price is on par.
- Fourth, be sure that the listing/seller includes good photos, the weight to 1-2 decimal places, the dimensions, and the actual stone you're buying (not a generic photo).
CAUTION:
- Avoid buying on retailers like Ebay, Wish, etc. Still use discernment for other retailers (Instagram, Etsy, etc).
- Avoid buying from China, Thailand, and India - those are where majority of counterfeits are coming from.
- Beware even on Etsy or with other crystal shops, like I said - they may not even realize they don't have real Moldavite because their suppliers will lie to them.
- Certificates of authenticity are being faked. I'm sorry, but that is not a guarantee that you are buying genuine Moldavite.
PHYSICAL RED FLAGS:
- COLOR: Fake Moldavite can vary from wet glassy bottle green to other colors (blue, red, etc). Moldavite is never anything besides green.
- TRANSPARENCY: Some fakes look wet or way too transparent like normal glass. Moldavite is always opaque!
- SHAPE: Fake Moldavite comes in all kinds of weird shapes like perfect drops, but it also sometimes looks like real Moldavite because they can use a mold created from a genuine piece.
- SURFACE/TEXTURE: Surfaces and edges often look smooth due to the use of molds. They can't exactly replicate the surface texture or edges of real Moldavite. Sometimes they even use drills to try to replicate the ridges.
- FACETED/POLISHED/CUT: Cut & polished Moldavite is much harder to discern from the real deal unless you can see the lechatelierite with a microscope, so make sure you can trust your source - it's very easy for counterfeiters to sell cut & polished green glass as Moldavite. This is often done in jewelry.
I hope this is a helpful place to start when endeavoring to avoid fake Moldavite. If you'd like to purchase genuine Moldavite I've sourced from my trusted supplier, you can shop now via this link.
Please don't hesitate to drop questions below if there's anything else I can clarify for y'all, and subscribe to my newsletter (website footer) so you don't miss Crystal Fakes part 4!
MOLDAVITE 1
$198.00
This listing is for (1) raw Moldavite, the exact piece pictured here. 4.5g, approx. 2.5cm tall. This is regular grade Moldavite. Properties MoldaviteOften called the “Stone of transformation”, some folks who are more sensitive to it's powerful energy say… read more
MOLDAVITE 2
$193.00
This listing is for (1) raw Moldavite, the exact piece pictured here. 4.4g, approx. 2.25cm tall. This is regular grade Moldavite. Properties MoldaviteOften called the “Stone of transformation”, some folks who are more sensitive to it's powerful energy say that… read more
MOLDAVITE 8
$136.00
This listing is for (1) raw Moldavite, the exact piece pictured here. 3.1g, approx. 2.0cm tall. This is regular grade Moldavite. Properties MoldaviteOften called the “Stone of transformation”, some folks who are more sensitive to it's powerful energy say that… read more
