How to spot fake Moldavite

1. If they appear to be the same shapes & textures and resemble the pictures on this page

2. If they all appear Shiny / Wet looking.

3. If the faceted gemstones do not have bubbles or inclusions, if these appear flawless or clean like glass then they are probably fake. All Real Faceted Moldavite will have some bubbles, any shape and any size, as well as lechatelierite inclusions (pure silica glass - melted quartz), the way only nature can create.

Please STUDY these videos & pictures so YOU can spot the differences.

If you still cant figure it out ,You can also ask on Facebook in various Moldavite Groups. But please look over the info here so you can do it yourself before overwhelming groups with "is it fake" posts.

These have been the most popular in since 2020, as well as in Pendant form from a few companies. They appear to have made molds & mass produced them. India is also trying to make chips, but they can not replicate the texture, etc. ONLY BUY FROM TRUSTED SOURCES. If you are trying to buy on ebay / etsy and the price seems LOW , then it is probably fake, even though some are charging top dollar $ for these fakes. Study these pics of the fakes going around.

Here is an amazing pic of a heavily included REAL Moldavite gemstone. You can see the inclusions from lechatelierite & bubbles. This is ONLY seen in genuine Gemstones or Polished Moldavite stones and the inclusions vary from stone to stone but you will not see this is in Raw form.

These below are fake Moldavite Gemstones

Here is a look at Real Moldavite Gemstones

You can see videos showing examples here.

Moldabite Texture & Inclusions under a microscrope

104 Gram Fake Moldavite we tested at Clogate University for fun

The Overwhelming amount of Fakes on ebay and other market places from China / Hong Kong, India & Thailand played a big part in why IVC stopped selling there as very little is done to block these fraudulent sellers. You should notice the wet / shiny melted glass look, they are changing this with some of the newer molds, using new methods to get that "rough texture" look. It is easy to tell the difference if you know what you are looking for. Many are the same shapes, "perfect", in all sizes, including BIGGER than the biggest real stones. Look at the pieces on this page and then compare with these REAL MOLDAVITE.

A spread of Fake Moldavite at a market in China

High Quality Fake Facets coming out of Thailand with Certifications! Good Color but virtually flawless with none of the tell tale signs of Moldavite, all though some are starting to use glass material with bubble but the color is way off. These are all over ebay as well. This is why a certificate is really worthless and it comes down to education and finding a Trusted source. I saw this material in Tucson a few years ago when a well known Dealer from Thailand tried selling me a couple thousand dollars in large faceted stones. Its NEVER as flawless like these Glass ones & There are usually the tell tale swirls / bubbles / waves of some kind. Please use this page to educate yourself.

October 2014 - I walked up the street to Colgate University and met with the Geology Chairman , William Peck, to use a very cool piece of equipment. A hand held X-Ray Analyzer. We tested some authentic Moldavites and a couple fake pieces from Hong Kong. Here are the fakes, the bigger one is the one that goes with the scan pics of the Analyzer. Showing Very high Lead levels (Pb) and Much lower Silicon (Si) and other differences than real Moldavite.

These fakes were both scanned.  It is only 48% SiO2, while real natural moldavite is in the range 72-80 wt%.  It has undetectable or almost no Fe, Zr, or Ti, while some of those elements is always seen in natural moldavite. Al is also very low.  The most interesting thing is that there is 24 wt% Pb, 1.8 wt% As, and 2900 ppm Cl in the fake piece, while there is almost none of these elements in the genuine moldavite. It also has 8.7 % K2O, which is about 3x the amount in the natural samples. The second fake is the cut one.  It is totally different form the first fake.  The SiO2 is similar to natural moldavite (77% SiO2), but has undetectable or almost no Fe, Zr, Ti, or K.  Al is also very low. It doesn't have the Pb or As of the other fake, but does have high Cl (3800 ppm).  - William Peck, Professor of Geology at Colgate University.

Fake Vs Real Moldavite FAQ

There are several ways to tell if a Moldavite is fake. One way is to look for bubbles or inclusions. All real faceted Moldavite will have some bubbles and lechatelierite inclusions, the way only nature can create. If the gemstone appears to be flawless or clean like glass, it is probably fake. Another way to tell is to look at the raw stone for surface texture, pitting, and erosion. Every piece of Moldavite is different and has unique texture. If the stone appears to have the same shapes and textures, or if it resembles pictures on a website, it is probably fake. Lastly, it is recommended to buy only from trusted sources and to avoid dealers from China, India, and Thailand online.