Pink Quartz is a perfect stone to help you with love and marriage.
Many think it is the same as Rose Quartz.
Although they consist of Quartz crystals with pink color, they are not the same.
You can learn how to tell if pink quartz is real or fake to help you with the identification process.
How Is a Pink Quartz Different from a Rose Quartz?
- When Pink Quartz was discovered, people classified it as a variety of Rose Quartz due to many similarities. Pink Quartz has a different crystal structure. It forms on the pegmatites or Smoky Quartz.
- Rose Quartz gets its pink color as it forms under high heat and pressure. Pink Quartz forms when the molten impurities enter the Quartz crystals at the time of formation. Pink Quartz has iron impurities that give it a pink color.
- A color fade effect due to sunlight shows you have an authentic Rose Quartz. Pink Quartz has a photo-sensitive color as it fades due to sunlight. You will not see the same effect in the Rose Quartz.
- Pink Quartz has transparent crystals. Rose Quartz crystals have high opacity.
How to Tell if Pink Quartz is Real or Fake?
Some sellers use plastic or glass material to imitate the Pink Quartz.
It is due to the high demand for this crystal in the market.
It is not as widely available as Rose Quartz.
You can identify the authentic crystals by checking crystal formation and coloration.
Some also sell Rose Quartz with the label of Pink Quartz.
It is essential to learn how to tell if Pink Quartz is real or fake is essential to get an authentic crystal from the market is essential.
1. Observe the Pink Quartz Crystal Formation
You will find the Pink Quartz crystals with a rough surface in nature.
The crystals are usually translucent or transparent.
You can look for the stair-step pattern in the Pink Quartz crystals.
The stair-step pattern appears the same as the Amethyst crystals.
Manufacturers cannot make these patterns in glass or plastic materials.
It can provide you with a hint about the crystal’s authenticity.
It is also a decent way to distinguish between Pink Quartz and Rose Quartz.
Rose Quartz does not have such patterns.
2. Do the Scratch Test
A scratch test can help you identify the Pink Quartz.
You can find the hardness score of the crystal you want to test.
Pink Quartz has a hardness score of seven on the Moh Hardness Scale.
It is impossible to scratch the Pink Quartz crystals with glass and plastic materials.
You can take a piece of glass and rub the crystal on the surface.
You have an authentic Pink Quartz crystal if it scratches the glass surface.
The counterfeit crystals do not make scratches on the glass surface as they are made from glass or plastic materials.
These materials have a hardness score of less than five on the Moh hardness scale.
Due to its high hardness score, you cannot scratch the crystal surface with a knife, glass, or plastic.
3. Observe the Coloration of the Pink Quartz Crystals
Rose Quartz gets its color due to irradiation and high heat with pressure.
You will not see any change of Rose Quartz color when you put it in sunlight for a short time.
Pink Quartz has color due to iron and other metal impurities.
You will see a change of color quickly when you place it under the sunlight.
Pink Quartz can change color when you view it from different angles.
This effect is known as dichroism.
You will see this effect clearly when you change the angle of view of the Pink Quartz under a light source.
There is no color change in the case of Rose Quartz.
4. Check the Pink Quartz Temperature
You can place the Pink Quartz on your palm for a minute to check the effect of temperature change.
Pink Quartz repels heat and stays cool for a long time.
You will feel the low temperature of the Pink Quartz crystal when you place it on your palm at the start.
You can also keep glass or plastic in the palm of your other hand.
The glass and plastic material will heat up quickly.
The Pink Quartz will maintain its cool temperature.
5. Check How Pink Quartz Crystal Interacts with Light
Pink Quartz passes more light from the crystal structure.
Rose Quartz has a rock-like appearance due to its interlocking crystal structure.
You will not see opaque inclusions in the Pink Quartz.
Rose Quartz has many milky-white inclusions.
Rose Quartz disperses light in many directions due to its compact crystals.
Glass does not give you this effect as it reflects light straight.
You will see needle-like inclusions on the Rose Quartz surface with a flashlight to observe the Rose Quartz crystals.
6. Check Pink Quartz Crystal Shape
It is hard to make different shapes from the Pink Quartz as it has a transparent interwoven crystal structure.
You will not easily get Pink Quartz in beads and wands form.
If a seller says that he has a big Pink Quartz crystal with different shapes, it indicates he has a counterfeit crystal.
They may also make it from glass material.
7. Observe How Pink Quartz Reacts to Fire
A fire test will distinguish the plastic material from the Pink Quartz crystals.
You can take a needle and put it on the flame for some time.
You can place the needle on the flame till it attains a high temperature.
If you use this heated needle to damage the material surface, you will get different effects on glass and plastic.
Plastic material will burn to produce a bad smell.
Pink Quartz will not give a bad smell as it only shows some structural change on the surface.
You can wipe it with a cloth after the test.
To Summarize: How to Tell if Pink Quartz is Real or Fake
You can identify the Pink Quartz crystal accurately if you distinguish it from the Pink Quartz, glass, and plastic material.
These are the most important fact to check when you try to identify if Pink Quartz is real.
- Pink Quartz is a transparent crystal as it passes most of the light.
- It is cold to touch the Pink Quartz due to its heat repelling abilities.
- Pink Quartz has a high hardness score as you cannot scratch it with glass or plastic.
- A fire test will help you distinguish between plastic and Pink Quartz.