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Miracle Power of Gems

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October 20, 2010 How to spot a counterfeit gem

To check the authenticity of a natural sapphire from fake or synthetic sapphire, you need to do a simple visual test. Sapphire belongs to the corundum mineral family which usually occurs with inclusions; flawless corundum is extremely rare. So check under the loop if the gem has some inclusions or if it is too good to be true. A fake  sapphire looks too pure like a blue transparent glass. Keep in mind that if your jeweler tells you that the gem is treated it does not mean that the gemstone is fake. Natural sapphires need to be heat treated to make them good for jewelry.

There are more counterfeit gems in the jewelry market today than ever due to more ways of making them appear “real”. Knowing what different deceptive means klang dealers use to pass off fake gems as real ones can help you avoid getting swindled. They even issue certification on their “real” gems.

Synthetic gemstones  have no healing powers whatsoever.

Another trick gemstone dealers in the Klang Valley resort to. More often than not, they sell you a red garnet for the price of a ruby. Even red garnet is a natural stone and not a synthetic one but it is NOT a ruby. You can buy a garnet for RM100 per carat but a ruby will cost you RM800 per carat.

Another deceptive practice that sellers play on buyers of gems is coating them with a colored substance. A pale gem can be coated with a darker colored plastic to make it appear more valuable. A rock crystal can be coated with a red plastic to imitate a ruby. To make a gem sparkle a dealer may coat a dull gem with lacquer or shellac.

Dealers can also put a dab of paint on the bottom point of a dull gem to refract up through it intensifying the color. The light will go down through the gem and reflect off of the darker paint, the gem will appear a darker more valuable hue. A diamond that is too yellow can be painted on the bottom with a purple color thus counteracting the yellow and making the diamond appear clear. A crystal clear colorless diamond is worth more than a yellow one. The paint on the bottom of the gem will be hidden by the gold setting. Always make sure you can inspect the bottom of a gem in the ring’s setting. Do not buy an expensive ring with a closed back setting, the bottom of the gem may be painted.

How to check a real from a fake:

1. Heat a knife to red hot and try to cut the stone. If the surface has been coated, the coating will melt and stick onto the knife. If there is even the slightest scratch on the surface, then it is a fake. You can better examine the results yourself with a magnifier.

2. Boil some water and dip the gem into the boiling water. If it cracks, it is fake. If the water changes color, it is a fake.

3. Finally, take a ruby gem, wrap it in a piece of cloth and use the hammer and hit it (with the same force as hitting a nail into wood), if it cracks, it is a fake.

Many “reputed Jewellers” will not allow these tests on their gemstones simply because the tests will reveal the truth.

We, on the other side, are not afraid to reveal the truth. We have carried out these tests over and over again without any hesitation whatsoever.

Master Ji