It is possible for fake jasper to be transparent and semi-transparent when it is formed from chalcedony or agate. The fake jasper made of plastic is opaque. Considering that real jasper is a cryptocrystalline quartz variety, its hardness is 7 on the Mohs scale. Glass and knives cannot scratch real jasper.
Jasper is a stone that consists of Quartz crystals. You can get jasper in different colors. These colors are due to the impurities of the metal in the Quartz crystals.
The red color is the most abundant because of iron impurities. Some sellers try to scam people by selling fake jasper. To ensure authenticity, you can learn how to tell if Jasper is real or fake.
How to Tell if Jasper is Real or Fake?
Jasper is one of the oldest gemstones in the world.
You can find it with all the sellers because of the high demand.
Beginners cannot tell the difference between the real and the fake Jaspers because scammers are experts in making counterfeit copies.
You can find the difference when you have experience checking authentic gemstones.
You can find the authenticity of the Jasper stones by learning about the parameters experts use to look for the difference.
Color observation is the simplest way to find the stone’s authenticity.
You can also do some physical and chemical parameter tests.
1. You Can Tell if Jasper is Real or Fake by Observing Its Colors
You can find jasper in many colors in the market.
Some jasper stones also have bands to give a beautiful appearance to the jewelry.
People like to use the Jasper crystals with patterns and spots in their homes.
Jasper with rings is one of the most common decorative crystals.
Some Jasper stones are white or brown.
This color is due to the Goethite.
Goethite mineral deposits will give it a brown color.
Red-colored Jasper is more common.
Hematite is responsible for the formation of red color in the red Jasper stones.
Different types of clay can give Jasper yellow color.
Jasper stones have high color durability.
You can place it in sunlight for some time without the chances of color loss.
The color is due to the colored particles inside the crystal.
Some famous Jasper stone details are here.
- Biggs Jasper. It is one of the famous Jasper crystals with a US origin. It can have a faded color to give a unique look. Sellers like to sell them in jewelry with pearls.
- African Jasper. People use it for its healing properties. It is also famous for its deep creamy color.
- Ocean Jasper. Most Jasper crystals are opaque, with some exceptions. Ocean jaspers are translucent with particles of orbs inside the stone.
2. You Can Tell if Jasper is Real or Fake by Conducting an Acetone Test
Some sellers try to enhance the Jasper color by injecting dyes or coloring polish.
Blue Jaspers are rare.
Sellers inject blue dye in some stones and sell them with the price tag of the Blue Jasper crystals.
You should avoid this scam by using the Acetone test.
Some may put the dye on the Jasper stones to give them unique color.
It is hard to find the authenticity of the Jasper with other tests because people make counterfeit stones from different materials.
You can take a piece of cloth and some acetone.
It is better to get a high concentration of acetone to avoid false results.
You can find acetone easily in your home as it is part of the nail polish removal solutions.
You can put some acetone on the cloth and rub the stone gently.
If the sellers used dye to give different colors to the japer, you will get color pigments on the cloth.
It is impossible to get color on the cloth when you have an authentic Jasper stone.
3. You Can Tell if Jasper is Real or Fake by Performing a Scratch Test
You can identify the authentic Jasper by checking the hardness score of the stone.
You can do it by the scratch test.
Jasper has a high hardness score because it consists of Quartz crystals.
Jasper has a hardness score of 7 on the Moh hardness scale.
Glass can not put scratches on the Jasper.
Most metals cannot scratch Jasper’s surface because they have a low hardness score.
You can take a knife to do the hardness test.
Put a scratch on the Jasper surface with the knife.
If the knife scratches Jasper, it is fake.
It should be authentic if you cannot scratch the Jasper surface with the knife.
You can do the same with the glass.
If glass scratches the Jasper stone, it is fake.
Jasper should put scratches on the glass without issues.
If you want to show the hardness score results to people, you can use the hardness tester pencils.
Each pencil in the kit has material with a specific hardness at the top.
You can get the exact hardness score value with the hardness testing kit.
4. You Can Tell if Jasper is Real or Fake by Observing the Inclusions
Jasper stones are different from the other types of stones made from Quartz.
You can find them in many sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
There are some inclusions in the Jasper that makes it easy to identify the authentic stone.
You can find inclusions in the Jasper in angular arrangements.
The presence of the micro granular quartz is a crucial feature of the Jasper stones.
You can identify the authentic Jasper stone when it has some famous features.
- You will find layers of hematite with black and red colors in the Jaspe that you get from the metamorphic rocks.
- Jasponyx is a peculiar type of Jasper with bands of light and dark colors. You can identify them due to the presence of the bands. Some people also call it the ribbon Jasper due to its banded appearance.
- Lycian has a black color due to the grains of the black Jasper in the stone. People use its specific composition to check the streaks of the Gold alloys.
5. You Can Tell if Jasper is Real or Fake by Tracing Its Origin
It is possible to find the authenticity of the Jasper by asking about the stone’s origin.
Some types of Jasper stones are only available at specific sites worldwide.
It is frequent with the rare Jasper stones.
Most Jasper stones are Endemic.
It means that you can find these Jasper crystals worldwide.
You can ask about the stone’s origin when buying an expensive variety of Jasper.
You can also consult an expert to confirm the origin claims to avoid a scam.
Jaspers from a specific origin can sell for a higher price.
- It is common to find the Ribbon Jasper in Siberia. You can also find some varieties of this stone in the Uralsk and Urals.
- You can find high-quality red Jasper in India. Some varieties are common in Venezuela and the USA.
- It is easy to find the Orbicular Jasper in California and Morgan hills.
6. You Can Tell if Jasper is Real or Fake by Performing the Diffusion Test
You can find some types of Jasper identity with the diffusion test.
Ocean Jasper is one of the best examples of stones that give high accuracy authenticity test results with the diffusion test.
You can take the Jasper stone and place it in diffuse light.
You may see patterns on the surface and suspended in uneven substances.
If you see such a pattern, it is easy to conclude that Jasper is authentic.
You can see the never surface inside the fake jasper because they consist of resin materials.
You must see all the patterns diffused in the stone.
The stone patterns should not have a clear line.
To Summarize: How to Tell If Jasper is Real or Fake
There are many ways to tell the difference between fake and authentic Jasper stones.
You can check the physical or chemical parameters to find the authenticity.
Some tests can also help you find the crystal identity.
- You can check the Jasper color and pattern as it will give clues about the crystal identity.
- The acetone test is a way to find dye on the Jasper crystals.
- If a material with a hardness score of less than seven makes a scratch on the Jasper surface. Jasper can be counterfeit.
- Finding specific types of inclusions is a way to identify the authentic Jasper stones.
- A diffusion test can help you identify some types of Jasper stones.