Real VS Fake Moldavite and How to Tell the Difference

Did you know that thousands of people get scammed by fake moldavite every year? Awful! This video shows you everything you need to know to spot the fakes. Let's work together and get the scams off the market. The gem and mineral market should be a more ethical place, and we have to speak up to make that change happen.

This video is for educational purposes, and the photos from actual listings fall under fair use.

**Edit** Moldavite from some regions can be colors other than green. Moravia moldavite can be brown, but I hadn't encountered any of those in over 10 years of being in the gem trade. They may be rare on the current market but they do exist.

References (check these out for more good info!):

Gemdat - Moldavite:

Inner Vision Crystals - How to spot fake moldavite:

Meteorite Times - Pseudotektites article:

Mindat - Moldavite:

Modeling the Ries-Steinheim impact event and the formation of the moldavite strewn field:

Nordlinger Ries impact crater:

Sellers of real moldavite:

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:41 Real Moldavite
03:33 Other Tektites
04:17 Pseudo-tektites
04:55 Fake Moldavites
05:32 Fake Moldavites - eBay
20:39 Fake Moldavites - Etsy
41:15 Wrap-up / Outro

Creative commons attribution content I used:
Czech Republic map - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license:

[biosdaddy]

So sellers from US selling fake moldavite doesn't do that intentionally unlike sellers from some 3rd world country. Lol

[JeffBrazeel-fewc]

Scammers NEED TO BE STOPPED AND CALLED OUT, ASAP!

[EarthScienceFun]

Had some trouble finding 42 minutes of good public domain background music for this one, so there's no music. You can always open another tab and play whatever music/ambience you like in the background though!

Please spread the word on this video. I did my best to be as comprehensive as possible so that other people can learn how to spot these fakes and can start speaking up when they see them!

[whatrtheodds]

I got my moldivite 6 yrs ago thank goodness. Far less fakes back then. These fakes are obvious when you have a real piece to compare with. I hate seeing how many people are buying fake stuff.

[lg]

i got my moldavite from the moldavite museum in cesky krumlov, czechia. they had a lot of info on how it got here, but at least half the exhibit was about how to tell fakes from real pieces. i bought mine in person, but they have an online store.

[ascensionalliancehawaii]

The Moldavite Family is the only seller I buy from. They are the first Czech Republic Family to have introduced moldavites to the US. They've been in business over 33 years. I buy from no one else but them. I've already established a wholesaler/retailer relationship with them and have met them personally at the Tucson gem show. Real Moldavite beads would be over $100 per bead.

[lynnepostings]

What a fantastic in depth video !
So many really clear, comparison pictures to help with identification.
This is such a valuable presentation & can't fail to give confidence to even the least experienced buyer !
Thank you so much 💕

[ascensionalliancehawaii]

The Moldavite Family is the first company who introduced moldavites to the US. They've been in business for over 33 years. The only ones I get my moldavites from. They are a Czech Republic family and everything is from Czech Republic. Certificates as well. I've met them at the Tucson gem show. Amazing people! All they're moldavites are happy moldavites. Yes China has obviously fake moldavites. All of china's certificates are fake, they sell them for $1-red flag.

[RenKouSu]

I am really grateful for your making this video. I can’t thank enough. I got my second moldavite yesterday. I wish there are moldavite experts out there to identify the real gems for buyers. God bless you.

[philalexandros]

Great video, very thorough. I'm now 99% sure the piece I've bought 9 years ago is genuine, but who knows... if it's a fake, it's a damn good one. It looks completely dark and opaque, but when you hold it against the light it's such a pure and soft transparent green. I share your indignation for all this scamming, thanks for the good work.

[spiritofhonuguidanceforlife]

For those questioning moldevites spiritual properties...belief is important. People who are skeptical will less likely have an experience. Placebo affect. The first time I held a small piece of moldevite, I felt a burning sensation in my hand. My friend touched my hand and could feel the difference herself. But I believe in the different healing properties of crystals, gems, and stones. We use quartz in watches because of its properties. Its science. Also, moldevite comes into your life when you need it, and will leave when you no longer need it. Its crazy!

[katarinafontanoza]

I really want to buy a moldavite pendant but I have had such a difficult time finding reputable sellers. I have looked all over the internet. I found starborn and thought they could be legit but I wasn’t sure. This video has helped me so much more than any other video or article I have read! I feel confident in looking now! Thank you so much!!

[davidboncyk]

“Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the visiting team: The Melted Jolly Rancher Scam Glass!”

[seanb]

Thank you for posting this. I've been looking for Moldavite and knew that was I was seeing on the internet was fake. Thank you for posting reputable sellers!

[ManLikeWillow]

Lapis Lazuli has a similar problem, love to see a video on this

[r.]

16:05 What's interesting to me about this listing is that even though the glass beads have been tumbled into a sphere shape, they list it as an _unprocessed_ moldavite.

[JustSome-qs]

Thank you so much man, that really helped me a lot, keep going 👍🏻

[RenKouSu]

8:15 They put pregnant in the ad. I guess they meant to say “lucky”. They spoke in Chinese then the machine translated it as pregnant.

[angelamolnarpemberton]

It really was hard to sit here and watch some of this video. It really truly does sadden my heart to see others lie and cheat others. I do my very best to teach my children about truth and honesty along with living this way only myself. This is so very important to do and be in life. Honest and truth is the way this entire world needs to veer into. 🙏🙏🙏 thank you for sharing these truths with the world. I appreciate all of your hard work that you did in making this video. 🙏🙏🙏🥰😊🙏🙏🙏

[MegaDav]

18:57
"Natural Crystal..." even though that sample is man-made and real Moldavite lacks a crystalline lattice structure.