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BE. Stone Buying Checklist
How to read a crystal bracelet before you buy it: ten checks, in order, with the reasoning behind each. A4 PDF included.
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Journal
Field notes for understanding materials, comparing stones, choosing size, and caring for what you wear.
Published records
31 records
01
01
Real vs Fake Moonstone: How to Tell if Moonstone Is Real
Moonstone is feldspar with a glow that moves as the bead turns. Screen opalite, resin, chalcedony and coated stones at home; know when a lab matters.
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02
Hematoid Quartz vs Garnet: Two Reds from Two Different Causes
Hematoid quartz is quartz with iron-oxide particles inside; garnet is red through its own chemistry. Hardness, weight, light, fakes and matching, compared.
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03
Traceable Crystal Jewellery Brands in 2026: Four Ranked by What They Publish
Four crystal brands ranked on a five-level disclosure ladder, from unfalsifiable claim to named country, batch lot and per-piece record.
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04
Luxury Crystal Jewellery Brands in 2026: Six Compared, and What the Word Buys
Six luxury crystal jewellery brands compared on material, price, sourcing and terms, starting with natural mineral versus man-made crystal glass.
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05
Best Crystal Bracelet Brands in 2026: Five Compared on Beads, Stringing and Terms
Five crystal bracelet brands compared on bead quality, stringing, sourcing disclosure, price band and published returns terms. Checked September 2026.
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06
Natural vs Irradiated Smoky Quartz: What Colour Can and Cannot Prove
Natural and controlled irradiation can create the same smoky colour-centre system in quartz. Learn what appearance records, what laboratory reports can establish, and which buyer questions preserve the...
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07
Iron-Stained vs Iron-Included Quartz
A careful field guide to locating red-brown colour in quartz: exterior deposit, surface-connected fracture material or an apparently enclosed feature—without turning visual clues into laboratory identification.
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08
Real vs Fake Clear Quartz: Glass, Synthetic Quartz and Safe Checks
A two-stage guide: first ask whether the clear material is quartz rather than glass or plastic; then whether that quartz is natural or hydrothermal synthetic, and when only...
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09
Real vs Fake Garnet: How to Check Without Damaging the Stone
A material-first guide to screening garnet without damage: what colour, bubbles, UV and magnet response can suggest, where each clue fails, and how a gem laboratory confirms identity.
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10
Real vs Fake Obsidian: Natural Glass vs Manufactured Glass
Obsidian is natural volcanic glass, so manufactured black glass can share its shine, fracture, bubbles and feel. This evidence ladder separates useful screening clues from claims that need...
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11
Aquamarine vs Blue Topaz vs Blue Glass: A Material-First Comparison
A material-first comparison of aquamarine, blue topaz and blue glass, covering measurable differences, safe screening limits, jewellery durability and when laboratory testing is justified.
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12
Best Crystal Jewellery Brands in 2026: 6 Retailers Compared
Six crystal jewellery brands compared by stone disclosure, construction, natural variation and retail terms, from crystal strands to fine jewellery.
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