How to distinguish a real cat s eye?
Original taken from nimleo in Cat’s Eye. Fakes.
The cat’s eye is not the stone itself, but its effect; it is akin to star formation (asterism). It is formed when a translucent or transparent gem contains many parallel tubules that glow light, forming a stripe. It is elongated along the axis of the stone and resembles a cat’s pupil, hence the name. Since green stones with this effect were originally known, the eye is a cat’s eye (and not a lion’s, for example).
Nowadays, cat’s eye is one of the most frequently counterfeited stones.
Initially, the name “cat’s eye” – cymophane – was assigned to chrysoberyl of a rare form of crystallization: with a strip of white radiance, turning after the light. Only it has the right to be called cymophane; everything else should be called “stone with a cat’s eye effect.” It is chrysoberyl that gives the brightest and most distinct stripe. Prices for such stones start from $30 per carat for the most inferior ones, since chrysoberyl is a mineral of the 1st category of precious stones and stands next to ruby, sapphire and diamond. In itself, it is no longer cheap, let alone the rare type of crystallization. The only thing that costs more is chrysoberyl alexandrite with a cat’s eye effect. These are generally unique world-class stones. Recently, chrysoberyl alexandrites and cat’s eyes are very rare and incredibly expensive, since their main deposits are quite impoverished: Sri Lanka, Madagascar.
A similar effect is found in many stones that are much cheaper: quartz, tourmaline, chrome diopside, turquoise, sapphire, etc., but it is much less pronounced.
The most common affordable, natural and presentable-looking quartz cat’s eye with gray-green tints and a faint stripe. Pale, dim. Hardness 7, holds polish well and wears well. Can range from almost transparent to barely translucent. Prices for it vary from two to five thousand rubles per thread, sometimes more, depending on the quality.
There are stones with a pseudo-cat’s eye effect, which occurs due to successful processing. For example, a similar one can be seen in selenite.
Now let’s look at the fakes.
Ulexite. Almost all of it is of synthetic origin. Its production has been established for a long time and is good in fiber optics. Natural ulexite has a very low hardness – 2 (like amber) – and is easily scratched even by sharp corners of furniture. It must be worn with extreme caution. Therefore, its place in the jewelry industry is taken by synthetics, which are much harder (about 7,5) and more beautiful than their natural counterpart, and most importantly, cheaper. Gray ulexite is most common, white is less common. In principle, it is easy to paint, so it can be colored. Used as inserts; in the form of beads it is not very profitable due to its fragility. Various bright beads with supposed ulexite are actually simple glass.
Today, artificial ulexite has firmly taken its place in silver and gold up to five thousand rubles.
Synthetic ulexite is absolutely identical to natural ulexite in chemical composition.
Everything else as a cat’s eye is rarely used as such and is quite expensive. You can get beads or rings with inserts mainly in specialized stores, since this product is not profitable to sell to ordinary people – it is expensive and does not look very good. Unless you have a specific goal to purchase various cat eye gemstones and have a fat wallet, it is better to forget about them. There won’t be much aesthetic pleasure anyway.
On store shelves – from simple open kiosks to branded ones – there are often only fakes (90% of the total mass). They are divided into two types: glass and synthetic composite polymers.
Glass. Cheap. If it costs more than five hundred rubles even for the most massive beads, don’t take it. You are being blatantly deceived. Has a pronounced stripe. The color can be anything, but it is always bright. It is easy to identify by its excessive uniformity and uniform color – the fake is too good to be genuine. The hardness of glass is about 5, it is easily scratched even by quartz and chrysolite. Quite fragile.
Composite silicate material. It comes from China, where they supposedly set up its production. It is a by-product of the fiber optic industry. The composition is complex, has several layers. Typically green, but can be different. The stripes of light on it are slightly unclear. The surface feels soft, although it is not. The material is elastic and withstands external influences well. It is not as easy to scratch as it seems – the hardness is supposedly 6,5 – 7. It looks much more like glass, similar in appearance to natural stones. Identification – by color and structure, similar to glass. It looks too good for a natural stone that costs a thousand rubles. If it’s more expensive, then either they are trying to scam you, or you purchased a quartz cat’s eye, which is possible. Keep in mind that quartz is rarely brightly or evenly colored. Quartz weighs significantly more.
This composite material can even be passed off as jade, chalcedony, rose quartz, etc. It is less common than glass, costs more, but is better in quality. The synthetic nature does not reveal itself so much, in addition, such a material is close to natural quartz in terms of stability.
Let’s summarize. If you want to buy a cat eye, look at your wallet and pay attention to specialty stores.
You won’t find natural stone cheaper than two thousand rubles. Don’t look – it’s a waste of time and nerves. At best, you will get synthetic ulexite.
“Stone rings” made from a cat’s eye are definitely a fake. Such large stones are unique in nature, but in jewelry they are incredibly expensive
Nowadays it is quite possible to run into fabulously expensive glass – a cat’s eye in the range of two to four thousand rubles. It can happen anywhere. Even in Russia, some private entrepreneurs do not disdain such rip-offs, not to mention online stores. Since glass raw materials cost within a few rubles per kilogram, imagine a gain of a dozen beads. Let’s not be like the natives who were swindled out of treasure for similar things centuries ago.
Synthetic ulexite is not much more expensive.
Quartz cat’s eye is the optimal choice of natural stone, including for lithotherapy, if you are not a multimillionaire. It is not very presentable, even its best examples are far from chrysoberyl, but the price is not too expensive and the stone is of natural origin.
Chrysoberyl cat’s eye is expensive, sometimes fabulously. The cost of a string of such stones is comparable to the cost of an apartment in Moscow or a cool dacha on Rublyovka. Only VERY rich people can afford it: daughters of oil magnates, billionaires, and not even every “new Russian”. Naturally, it does not go on general sale. It’s good if you saw such an item in person, not just the one you bought.
I can recommend the remaining stones with the cat’s eye effect only to professional collectors and big lovers of precious stones in general with a thick wallet. Prices vary greatly depending on the specific stone, ranging from quartz to chrysoberyl. These are one-piece items that can be found at international stone exhibitions and online stores. You can buy them to order or take them out of the mine yourself. Their prices are significantly higher than for a base stone without a cat’s eye effect (compare regular quartz and quartz with a cat’s eye effect), up to hundreds of times, so it is useless to indicate a specific price. It is highly dependent on the individual sample.
Remember that ignorance and naivety are bad assistants in choosing a stone and identifying it. They will not protect you from financial and other losses. The cat’s eye is rare and valuable enough to warrant spending time studying it.
The popular and always eye-catching gem was named for its resemblance to the eyes of a cat. It is endowed with magical powers and is considered a powerful talisman. However, the stone used to create jewelry – cat’s eye – is in most cases a fake. This only indicates a lack of energy in the decoration, but does not in any way affect the beauty of the product.
Artificial cat eye
The main materials used to make a synthetic cat eye are borosilicate glass or ulexite. The technology was developed in the USA, but now the main manufacturer is China. The “cat” stone is made in the shape of a ball or oval with smoothly polished edges. This cutting method – cabochon – is also used for processing precious gems, due to which bright highlights are created on the surface.
A distinctive feature of the mineral is a vertical shiny stripe, which is usually lighter than the main shade. But this is just an optical illusion; in fact, the color is the same over the entire surface.
Classic tones are green or yellow. There is a brown stone (or yellow-brown). However, all shades of the spectrum are used to make synthetic minerals.
Sizes range from small beads (2-4 mm) to large specimens measuring 10 mm. Moreover, small pebbles are always more transparent.
The “eye”, made of jewelry glass, imitates natural quartz, chrysoberyl or tourmaline.
How to distinguish a fake from a natural mineral
Deposits of natural gemstones have been discovered in the USA, Mexico, India and Brazil, as well as in Russia. Deposits of natural cat’s eye are located deep in sedimentary rocks, so its extraction is difficult. This may be the reason why imitation stones are used in jewelry.
It’s easy to spot a fake by eye.
- The main characteristic of a synthetic cat eye is its smoothness. Real stone is rough, with an uneven surface. Even after treatment, it is easy to feel the depressions and bulges. Unnatural samples, as a rule, are smooth like glass.
- The imitation is characterized by very bright colors and shine.
- The vertical stripe that produces highlights should not change shape when the gem is rotated. If it takes the form of a crescent moon, then this is a sign of a fake cat’s eye.
- Another sign is that an unnatural mineral can be easily damaged or scratched.
- A fake is usually cheap, unlike natural copies, especially large ones.
Decoration
Cat’s eye is often used by jewelers to create jewelry, and products with this gem are always a success. It is believed that a cat’s eye (real) will bring:
- self-confidence;
- authority and respect from others;
- success in communicating with other people;
- good luck in the financial field.
The fake, unfortunately, does not have such abilities.
The natural mineral coexists perfectly with other stones, emphasizing their beauty. These are, for example, jade, emerald, amber, sapphire. The same neighborhood rule applies to an artificial cat’s eye. The gem looks great in pendants and pendants, earrings and rings.
A real cat’s eye stone is said to be especially suitable for Gemini, Virgo and Scorpio. Imitation can be worn by representatives of any zodiac sign.
The artificial mineral does not require much care; you just need to periodically wipe it with a soft cloth (to maintain its shine) and avoid contact with water.
The synthetic mineral, although it does not have magical properties, for many becomes a talisman that brings good luck. Perhaps this is true, because the main thing is taking care of the stone and your own feelings when choosing and wearing jewelry.
