Crystal sales are booming, driven in part by social media, where #crystals has racked up 20 billion views on TikTok. That popularity has a downside: experts say fakes are showing up in shops and at gem shows. Sedona shop owner Jamie Inglett points to one lab-grown crystal that sold for over $100 and goes for five to twenty dollars online. Fakes range from lab-grown stones sold as natural to glass and plastic pieces.
The good news is that a few simple checks can protect your wallet. Glass sounds different when tapped, does not get cold the way real stone does, and often shows unnatural dye patterns. Collector Shannon Wimberly says she has unknowingly bought fakes and now scrutinizes purchases closely. Inglett’s biggest piece of advice is to ask about origin and do your own research before spending.
Lab-grown crystals are not a problem on their own. They are a problem when sellers hide what they are. Whether you are browsing a shop in St. Armands Circle or a vendor table at a gem show, ask questions and trust the answers. Have you ever bought a crystal and wondered later if it was the real thing? Tell us in the comments.
