5 Easy Ways to Determine Moldavite Authenticity:

Authentic vs. Imposters

This short e-book has been primarily written to provide you with the 5 easiest ways to determine if your moldavite (or the one you are thinking about buying) is authentic or fake.  Once you know what to look for, you will be able to tell the difference whether you’re looking at the crystal in person or even from a photograph.

A Brief Moldavite History

This beautiful and precious crystal is much sought after because of its’ metaphysical and spiritual healing properties, as it is reported to provide energy to aid in navigating change & transformation. Moldavite is a definite and powerful Chakra opener and activator, particularly resonating with the Heart, 3rd Eye, and Crown Chakras. Although its’ energy tends to first move to wherever it is most needed in the physical and etheric bodies, it will settle and center in the heart. Moldavite is a great stone to work with on a personal or collective level in your healing work, practices, and meditations. Its’ transformative qualities, begins a process of energetic resonance throughout one’s entire being, thus raising the vibration

Moldavite Basics: 

Forgeries, Certificates, Cleansing, Charging and Pairing

I’d like to start by making one obvious point even more clear right from the start … at House of Truth, we only use authentic Moldavite sourced from one of the several mines located in the Czech Republic for the creation of our jewelry.

Forgeries

Because of the growing popularity of this precious and beautiful crystal there are many imposters out on the market these days, although usually it is the cut and faceted ones that are forged or very large collectors’ pieces (like 30+ grams). Many of the impostors are made from materials such as glass, other quartz crystals, or even plastic. Some forgers are even being very creative and melting and molding tiny fragments of Moldavite dust with some of the above-mentioned materials together and putting them in a mold so it looks like a larger-looking Moldavite crystal.  

 Certificate of Authenticity

It is a popular practice with many sellers to include a certificate of authenticity along with the Moldavite they are selling. Don’t be fooled by a forged certificate that anyone with a computer and a printer can create. Here at House of Truth, we purchase hundreds of Moldavite crystals each month from trusted sources in the Czech Republic, Poland and other areas of the Ukraine. We do not require certificates of authentication from any of our suppliers as we purchase directly from only a few select miners with whom we have close working relationships.  That is why we ourselves do not provide any certificates as we know our suppliers well. Once you have seen authentic moldavite and held them in your hands and examined them with a magnifying glass and proper lighting; it’s a very simple and easy thing to determine whether or not you are looking at an authentic moldavite crystal or some type of forgery.

In this e-book we will provide you with a few basic and simple steps to determine for yourself whether the moldavite you are looking at is a real one. First, you as a purchaser of a single piece of moldavite jewelry will probably not have the opportunity to inspect many moldavite crystals prior to your purchase. So hopefully you have done a little research and know that it’s very important to investigate the seller before you decide to buy. Hopefully, you will buy your moldavite from House of Truth. If not; however, we are more than happy to provide you with this information so you are not a victim of an unscrupulous seller presenting broken bottle glass and bits of plastic as Moldavite. 

Although the best way to identify whether your moldavite is authentic is to have a chemical analysis done on the crystal, this procedure is not cost-effective for small individual pieces. That is the reason certificates of authenticity are often forged for pieces under 15-20 grams.  Sellers who work with a lot of moldavite may wish to have a random sampling of their moldavite tested by a jeweler. This is so they can present the test results of that batch to their consumer base as a reassurance that they, in general, obtain and sell authentic moldavite crystals.

We recently received an email from a customer discussing being hesitant to buy out of fear of getting a fake. It’s true that there are fakes out there, but when you know who you are buying from and the product they provide you can have faith that you are getting the real deal. As was mentioned earlier in this e-book, we buy many hundreds of moldavites each year directly from our miners.

You can trust that when you purchase a piece of raw or cut moldavite from House of Truth … That is exactly what you will get. 

Cleansing, Charging and Pairing

Although any moldavite crystal purchased from House of Truth will have been cleansed and charged already, it is important for you to know how to do so in the future for keeping the energy in your piece clean and charged up.

To cleanse it, you’ll start by rinsing it in some distilled or purified water.  Then, using a smudge stick made from sage, you’ll wave some of the smoke around the Crystal for a minute. Sage smoke has been proven to reduce negative ions and energy in the air; so doing this around the crystal is going to purify the energies in and around it, so when you charge the crystal it’s like a vessel ready to be filled.

All crystals are different in how they need to be charged although Moldavite is relatively simple.  Letting it sit in the sun for a couple of hours will do quite nicely.  Alternatively, you can charge it in full moonlight overnight for more subdued energy.

As the energy from moldavite has the potential to cause a big disruption in your own body and chakra energies, pairing this powerhouse crystal with another crystal can be helpful.  Black tourmaline is grounding and will keep you focused.  Amethyst and Moonstone are more soothing.  Garnet is a strong protection crystal.  And to ramp it up… pair this crystal with a piece of quartz, which is known for it’s magnifying properties. 

5 Easiest Ways to Determine Authenticity: 

Sculpture, Tunneling, Bubbles, Sediment & Color

Sculpture

Sculpture or texture on the exterior of the raw crystal will include many terms to describe the look and feel. Streaking is present in ALL authentic pieces of moldavite although depending on the size of the piece, you may need a magnifying class to see. They look like streaks or smudges on the inside of the crystal.  When moldavite was forming, following the asteroid impact, the material was liquid and mixing with the heated elements on the earth.  That is what makes the streaking appearance as the mixing process wasn’t complete when it started to cool.  If you cannot locate distinct impurities like this in your moldavite, it is not authentic.

Tunneling

Channels and tunneling are common in authentic moldavite, rarely do they go all the way through.  Many have tiny cracks, lengthwise grooves, channels, and open bubbles. All are different shapes and sizes.  This type of structure has never been found in or able to be replicated with imitations or forgeries.

Bubbles

Small bubbles are always present in real moldavite while imitations will look completely clear with no texture or blemishes on the inside.  Bubbles are often elongated or flat as well as very small.  If you do not find even a tiny bubble, you are likely looking at an imposter. If you are evaluating a moldavite in a photo, you should be able to see these if the photo quality is good and taken with good lighting behind it. If you are purchasing online and you cannot see the details of the moldavite due to a poor picture, ask the seller to take a photo close up and in front of a bright light source.

Sediment

A residue of clay and sand at the impact site can be found in the crevices and channels of authentic moldavite.  This is found in some due to how hardened it is and how deeply embedded it is in the natural grooves of the Moldavite. If you find anything like varnish or wax on the surface of your Moldavite, you are likely holding a fake.

Color

Raw moldavites come in a wide spectrum of overall greenish hues. Some are very bright and striking, with a poisonous green, or a yellow-green. Some are a bit more subdued with a light green, pale green, or bottle green appearance. There are yet others that are darker, with an olive green: brown-green, or a pretty much brownish overall color. All of these are attractive in their own way. The light that refracts through each individual piece, whether it be natural sunlight, indoor lighting, or light sources designed for photography, will affect the look and apparent color of these precious crystals. 

One thing to keep in mind is that the heavier and thicker the crystal, the darker it will appear as there is less light able to shine through making it more opaque than translucent.

A Guided Inspection:

A simple procedure you can do at home

Here we will discuss a very simple procedure that anyone can do at home to inspect their moldavite and to know with complete certainty whether their crystal is genuine. There are three things that you will need to have in your home or office for this very simple exercise.

1.       A magnifying glass or common jeweler’s glass; it does not matter which, if the magnifying power is at least 8-to-10-fold magnification.  

2.       A bright source of light such as a window with natural sunlight or a desk lamp with a very bright bulb; either one will do nicely. 

3.       A cup of distilled water to reduce reflective lights while inspecting your crystal. A small washcloth or paper towel and a pair of tweezers or tongs are handy as well, although not necessary.

Now, if you do have a piece of Moldavite in front of you at home, take it out and hold it up in front of your selected light source after dipping it in your water.

For this inspection exercise, I have randomly selected eight small Moldavite crystals each one weighing between 1-2 grams. These are a small sampling from a large shipment that we have just received from the Czech Republic. The entire lot numbered about 300 crystals. Each piece of moldavite has a very individual texture and shape to it’s surface. 

The Process

I take a piece of Moldavite and a small pair of forceps and fully immerse it into the glass of distilled water. As I remove the piece of Moldavite from the water, I hold it up to the bulb in my desk lamp keeping it about 2 inches from the surface of the bulb. Remember to inspect it with your 8 to 10 power magnifying glass. As I look at the crystal in the forceps, with light in the background, I search for one or more of the 5 easy ways to identify authenticity:  small divots, bumps, and irregularities on the outside shape of the crystal.  I look for air bubbles inside the crystal as well as tunneling, sediment and color. 

Important Note

All pictures were taken by the author as the pieces were being removed from the container of distilled water.  I used an older model iphone, and took the pictures with one hand as I held the forceps in the other.  I am in no stretch of the imagination a professional photographer, and I did not change any settings on the camera of my phone; I just pointed and shot. So, the quality of the photograph is not there and does not show the actual beauty of the individual pieces. The photos were only included to help illustrate the individuality of each and every piece. Remember, the 8 pieces selected for discussion in this ebook were selected at random, from a lot of hundreds of other pieces. 

About Ruthann

(Creator, Designer, Owner and Co-Author)

Growing up, Ruthann’s father traveled the world for work and would always bring back many different artifacts, art, and jewelry.  With her natural curiosity and creativity, Ruthann was drawn to learn about unique stones and experiment with creating some of her own jewelry.  Honing her skills and developing new techniques over the years, Ruthann’s style and quality continued to change and improve.

The moldavite pendant Ruthann was given by her husband for an anniversary gift a few years ago was the beginning of her exciting new focus to incorporate moldavite into her jewelry.  As more pieces naturally began coming to her, creating simple yet elegant pieces for others to experience the transformational benefits of the energy this power crystal holds became her primary focus.  

Integrity, being one of Ruthann’s strongest values, her drive to source high-quality moldavite pieces for others was the birthing ground for House of Truth.  Truth, Integrity, Authenticity, and Quality are the foundation for her work and fuel her passion for making sure her customers’ can count on an exemplary experience and complete satisfaction.

About Bill

(Author & Loving Husband)

Bill Townsend, husband of Ruthann and partner at House of Truth. Bill’s father was a biologist with whom he spent many years as a child exploring the hills mountains and deserts of my native North San Diego County California.  

As a young child growing up in the late 60’s and 70’s, they would hike for hours on end, usually with a dog in tow, hunting for snakes, lizards, and any other wildlife that could be found. Searching for trilobites and fossilized shark teeth was also a fun hobby.  Bill’s grandfather was a minor /prospector and gemologist who spent the last 60 years of his life searching for silver, gold and other precious metals and gemstones all over the American southwest and Mexico.  

As for moldavite....  Bill’s first piece was bought for Ruthann was from a small shop in Joshua tree California quite a few years ago as a wedding anniversary gift.  With Ruthann having ancestors from the Czech Republic, this was the beginning of a very rewarding and exciting journey.

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