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[Amythest]

Hi, I'm relatively new to crystals and am having trouble telling fakes from the real thing. I've noticed in shops crystals can be extremely expensive and as I'm a student on a tight budget I've turned to eBay. Recently two specimens that gave caught my eye on eBay are this jasper agate sphere and a clear quartz cluster. I've seen clear quartz clusters such as this one sell on this users account for up to 50 pounds as it is a very large lump of quartz. This quartz however has no bids and as m wondering should I bid? I know quartz can be easily faked and can often just be glass so I really need some help!! Have attached a photo of the quartz. The ocean jasper is also relatively cheap and I know this specific rock is now quite rare so am very skeptical. I don't know much about faking crystals but it looks extremely convincing and beautiful in its own right, however, I would not like to waste time on a fair. Please help me a beginner out!!

[kenny]

real thing

[Jhon P]

They look real to me. The sphere looks pretty small may be one of the mass produced one from China
The crystals could be from Arkansas. The fake one are perfect these are not and show iron stains.
Maybe an expert can commit too

[lithicbeads]

Ocean jasper may be mined out but there are huge piles of it all over the world. Many people indulged and bought huge amounts of it and while it sells fine you can often find it for a reasonable price , especially the color combinations which are more common.

[Slabbercabber]

Growing a quartz cluster like that would cost far more than it is worth.

[southerly]

Both of these are the real deal, cost more than they are worth to fake them. There are plenty of fakes out there though. There are some good internet sites with heaps of information on fakes, www.the-vug.com is a good starting point with a site dedicated to fakes and heaps of pictures. The IGA is also a good resource for info on fake gemstones.

David

[Amythest]

Thanks for all the info and help guys!  Really glad to hear they're both legit, hopefully I'll learn to tell if they are or not myself quite quickly. Gonna take a look at that site david, it looks very helpful.

[Gem Realm]

Those look real to me. The fakes tend to look glassy and can even have tiny streaks and water bubbles in them.

[Felicia]

Real