Crystalline Capitalism

A guide to buying crystals for metaphysical purposes.

This essay was written by CMa Overdensity. Originally published by wizard-irl @ Tumblr on March 28th, 2023. Published @ cmaoverdensity.neocities.org on December 22nd, 2024. Last edited June 7th, 2025.

The image above © Wellcome Images. This work is a nonprofit educational essay that complies with Subject Matter and Scope of Copyright, 17 U.S.C. § 107 (Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use).

Table of Contents

Introduction

Ethics

Modifications

Bleaching

Crackle

Dyes

Fracture Filling

Irradiation

Heat Treatment

Metal Coating

Oiling

Reconstitution

Sealing

Synthetic Crystals

Trade Names

Fakes

Capitalism

Conclusion

Citations

Introduction

Ethics

Modifications

Images

Synthetic Crystals

Images

Trade Names

Fake Names

Capitalism

Appendix: Trademarks and Alternative Names

Introduction

If you’re into crystal healing at all, the conversation behind buying crystals goes two ways: either it’s perfectly fine, or genuine exploitation.

I hate to be a downer but scientifically, crystal healing is as good as a sugar pill and well-wishes.1 I don’t say this to dismiss your spiritual beliefs, but the simple fact of this means that no one can verify if a crystal even has medical benefit. Your belief is something people will use against you. They will cheat you out of your money by wowing you with special powers, when they’re selling a rock you could find in any river. In fact, it’s in their benefit to lie to you. If you buy the lie, they can squeeze more money out of you. This is capitalism working as intended. All of the ethical problems of crystal healing can be drawn back to capitalism. Why are children used to mine minerals? Why do metaphysical shopkeepers lie about the powers of their products? It’s money. It’s all money.

So, what’s a metaphysician, or just someone who wants to buy a rock, to do? That’s what this essay is for. I will cover many aspects of buying crystals, such as the ethics of their mining, how certain crystals are faked, and what to avoid when looking at a listing.

Ethics

Do you know where your crystals come from? Does it matter where they do? It should.

Many crystals come from developing countries that lack worker safety regulations. No ventilation. No safety equipment. Poor pay. No compensation for injuries or death. Miners that refuse to work in dangerous conditions are fired. Women are paid less and get sexually harassed.1 Children work in these mines: between 2012 and 2014, of 2 million miners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one third of them were children.2 The money made from the sale of these crystals often goes to armed groups and militias: during the same time, 90% of money made from mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo went to these groups.3 The mining of "conflict minerals", or minerals that illegally come from conflict zones,2 is connected to the rates of sexual violence and torture in an area.3

There is also an environmental impact to mining crystals. Water is easily contaminated by mining byproducts such as battery acid, diesel, and trash. Rivers are diverted, causing flooding. Pumped groundwater can deplete the freshwater supply that surrounding communities rely on. Soil is eroded, lost, or contaminated, making farming harder. Forests are destroyed and poaching is common.4

Abby Lee Hood, writing for Cosmopolitan, chose twenty Etsy shops that had sold between four and fifty thousand products to see how common listing a country of origin for their crystals was. Of that twenty, only four listed a location, and none listed a specific mine. When directly asked if their crystals were ethical, fourteen of those shops said yes, but did not give specifics about the mines. It is easy to blame the shop owners for withholding information, because they very well could be, but the shop owners may not know themselves where their suppliers find their crystals. Their suppliers may know what mines they source from, but may also be ignorant to the conditions, as mine owners could lie to them. If the mine owner lies, the supplier repeats that lie to the seller, and the seller repeats that lie to their buyers.5 Even if a seller doesn't know, there is no reason for them to list the mine their supply comes from. It's simply bad business to tell your competitors where you get your supply from.6

You can't be 100% certain a crystal is ethically mined unless you mine it yourself or physically visit the mine you buy from. Since most of us can’t do that, what can we do to ensure we buy ethical crystals? Look for:7

1. What mine a crystal was mined in. If a supplier/seller doesn’t list this, ask. If they refuse to say, don’t buy.
2. Countries with strict regulations on mining. This may vary by crystal, but the US, Canada, EU, and Australia have regulations ensuring workers are safe and paid.
3. Supply chain transparency from the supplier/seller.
4. Open discussion of a mine’s working conditions, wages, and environmental impact.
5. Lab-grown crystals.
6. Certifications and complying with standards, such as the Kimberley Process, Responsible Minerals Assurance Process, Regional Certification Mechanism, Standard for Responsible Mining, Responsible Mining Index, Fair Stone standard, Certified Trading Chains Programme, XertifiX, and the Responsible Jewellery Council, among others.

Modifications

Many crystals are modified before they are sold. What you buy will be what you get, but it may differ from the crystal dug out of the ground. Ethical sellers will disclose any modifications on a crystal. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and some of these are more common for faceted crystals over raw ones. Still, it’s important to go over if you’re looking for a completely unmodified crystal.

Bleaching

Jadeite, pearl, coral, chalcedony, tiger’s eye

Bleaching is when an acid is used to improve a crystal’s colour. The acid makes the crystal porous and more brittle. To fix this, bleached crystals are often sealed. This is irreversible.1

Jadeite that has been bleached (right) versus not (left).9

Crackle

Quartz

Crackle quartzes are made by heating quartz to a high temperature and dropping it in cold water. The sudden change in temperature causes the quartz to crack, and the fractures make the quartz more fragile than normal. Many crackle quartzes are dyed and tumbled. This is irreversible.2

Dyed crackle quartz.10

Dyes

Quartz, agate, onyx, pearl, howlite, jade, emerald, ruby, lapis lazuli, chalcedony, coral, turquoise

Crystals can be dyed to improve or change colour. Dyes may fade over time due to sunlight exposure. They can sometimes be removed with acetone or alcohol, depending on the dyes and dyeing process used.3

Dyed agate.9

Fracture Filling

Diamond, corundum, quartz, beryl, topaz

Glass, resin, or other materials are used to fill surface fractures. Diamonds and corundum may use lead glass and are called “hybrid” crystals. Heat and air pressure can cause damage to the crystal by expanding or contracting the filling. This is irreversible.4

A diamond with fractures (left) versus one that has been filled (right).11

Irradiation

Topaz, diamond, corundum, quartz, beryl, spodumene

Radiation is used to change a crystal’s colour. This is often combined with heat treatment to create a combination treatment. Irradiated crystals are not radioactive and are safe to handle. Irradiated crystals can have their colours fade in intense light or high temperatures. With irradiated beryls and spodumene, the colour tends to fade quickly.4

An irradiated topaz (left)12 versus a natural topaz (right).13

Heat Treatment

Quartz, topaz, corundum, amber, beryl, tanzanite

A crystal is heated to change its colour. Heat treatment can occur naturally, but this describes crystals that were heat-treated artificially. Heat treatment can make a crystal more brittle. This is irreversible.4

Amethyst with various heat treatments.14

Metal Coating

Quartz

A crystal is heated in a chamber and introduced to metal vapor, which bonds to the surface of the crystal. This gives it a metallic sheen. Many metals can be used for different effects. This is most often done to quartz, and is often called “aura quartz”.5

Metal coated quartz.15

Oiling

Emerald, diamond, corundum, quartz, beryl, topaz, tourmaline

Oil, resin, or wax is used to fill fractures in a crystal to make it clearer. Oiled crystals, due to their hidden fractures, are more brittle than they appear. This is reversible, with some oils removed in water.6

Emerald that has been oiled (right) versus an emerald that hasn’t (left).9

Reconstitution

All

A crystal is ground up, reshaped, and bonded with a resin or glue. This makes a crystal clearer and less brittle. Consider it like an ice cube. Take an ice cube, melt it, then refreeze it. That is reconstitution.7

Crystal ball made from reconstituted quartz.16

Sealing

Turquoise, lapis lazuli, jadeite, nephrite, amazonite, rhodochrosite, serpentine, quartz, beryl, topaz

Wax or plastic are used on porous crystals to improve appearance or prevent discolouration. Seals may melt in high heat.8

Unsealed (left) versus sealed (right) turquoise.9

Synthetic Crystals

Synthetic crystals are crystals made under controlled, man-made conditions. Some crystals are made in high heat and pressure which mimics natural growing conditions. Others use chemical vapour deposition, where a seed crystal is heated in a chamber filled with gas that causes the seed to grow larger. Synthetics are ethical and cheap. They use little labour and can be mass produced.2 The only issue with synthetics is that they must be cut or faceted. Raw synthetics look too perfect.

You can watch the process of crystal synthesis on YouTube.

• Opal.
• Quartz.
• Ruby in a microwave, arc welder rubies.
• Corundum.
• Emeralds.
• Diamonds.

Comparison of Natural and Synthetic Crystals

Why Not Synthetics?

The main arguments against synthetic crystals are that a crystal's power comes from being in the Earth, and that a crystal will take on the energy of the environment it is grown in. While synthetics may have the same healing properties, they are weaker because they are artificial. They may take on the energy of lab technicians, which affects their healing properties.5 Some people even claim they lack any energy to heal.6

Suppose synthetics take the energy of the lab they are created in like natural crystals take on the energies of the Earth. Therefore, crystals mined in conflict regions take on the energies of the miners that extract them. Does the Earth's energy override the sheer amount of suffering surrounding a crystal when it is mined? Let's suppose it does. What about the energy made when the Earth is violated by exploitative mining? Would a crystal have the same properties if it is mined destructively rather than ethically?

What if you believe the crystal's power comes from the crystal itself rather than it being grown in the Earth? Then there's no reason to shy away from synthetics! They are the same in every meaningful way to natural crystals.

What if you believe that the intent behind a crystal's use is what gives it its power? Again, that means there is no reason to not use synthetics. This would mean there is no meaningful difference between a natural crystal, a synthetic crystal, or an ice cube (which is a crystal), since the power comes from you, not the crystal.

Natural crystals are undeniably pretty, and synthetics can look remarkably like Jolly Ranchers when uncut. If your practice focuses on the Earth, it feels better to own something that came from the Earth rather than a lab. But is that worth human suffering and environmental destruction? And if those don’t move you, is it worth your money?

Trade Names

A trademark in the United States is a word, phrase, symbol, design, or combination of the prior that identifies a good or service.1 Don’t confuse trademarks with copyrights or patents. Copyrights are for creative works, while patents are for technical inventions. Trademarks are for protecting an individual or company’s brand.2 And yes, crystals can be trademarked. Sometimes crystals are called other names. These alternative names aren’t legally recognised, so anyone can use them. Common names are the most recognised names of a crystal. Trade names are common alternative names.

For example, agate is the common name for a type of banded quartz. Achate is an alternate name, used in older texts that is uncommon to find today. Activation Agate™ (not an actual trademark) is obviously trademarked. They may all be the same agate, the same kind of banding and colours and location, but they are called different things depending on who sells them.

If it sounds odd that a rock can be trademarked, it shouldn’t. “Almost anything” can be trademarked,3 such as:4

• Barbie Pink (Mattel)
• The word “face” (Facebook)
• The Zippo click (Zippo)
• Guy Fieri’s name (Guy Fieri)
• The term “superhero” (DC and Marvel)
• Darth Vader’s breathing (Lucasfilm)
• Law & Order’s dunDUN (NBCUniversal Media)

The issue with trademarked crystals, and many alternate names, is that it is a common way of inflating price and obfuscating the actual product (in case you want to buy something cheaper!).

Let’s compare prices between this listing for “Amazez™ XL Altar Stone”5 (862g for 1,500$, right) and a listing on Etsy for the common name of “chevron amethyst” (815g for 90$, left).6 The Etsy chevron amethyst works out to about 0.11$/g. “Amazez™ XL Altar Stone” works out to be about 1.74$/g. That is fifteen times as much for a similar product.

Which one of these would you pay 1,500$ for? What about 90$?

Similarly, there’s the issue of alternate names. If you look up “turquenite”, you’ll see beautiful turquoise-blue stones. Here’s the issue: this is dyed howlite or magnesite and not anything near turquoise.6 

It would be impossible to give an exhaustive list of names and trademarks, but the appendix at the end of this document lists several.

Fakes

Common Fakes

Citrine, in nature, is heated amethyst, but most citrine will be artificially heated and sold as natural. Natural citrine has a colour ranging from olive to lemonade. Natural citrine is also not found on geodes. Fake citrines are often on geodes with white bottoms. The crystal themselves look “crispy” or bright orange.1

Heat-treated citrine.12

Clear quartz is faked with glass. Real clear quartz will have inclusions, even if hard to see, and will never have bubbles in them.2 They may rarely, however, have pockets of water in them. Do not confuse these for bubbles.

Glass “quartz” with fine bubbles.13

Geodes are typically made of quartz, but can also include calcite, dolomite, aragonite, akerite, hematite, magnetite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite. Anything else is either incredibly rare or nonexistent. Many geodes may be dyed, modified, or sold as crystals they are not.3

Dyed geodes.14

Malachites are green to dark green, and never have pure black bands. The colours fade into each other without uniform patterns nor obvious breaks in colour. It often has circular patterns. Fake malachite is often made of resin.4

Fake (left) versus real (right) malachite.15

Moldavite is incredibly rare due to being found in one location from meteorites. Real moldavite will be mossy-coloured with inconsistent colour, while fakes will be brighter green with consistent colouring. “White moldavite” is calcite.5

Molded moldavite.16

Natural moissanite is incredibly rare. Most on the market will be synthetic. Be wary of any “natural” moissanite being sold at the same price as synthetic moissanite.6

Largest natural moldavite crystal, only 4.1mm long.17

Obsidian is a type of volcanic glass. Real obsidian does not form in vibrant colours, and ranges from black to brown.7

Glass sold as “blue obsidian”.18

Prasiolite is incredibly rare, and most green quartzes on the market are heat-treated amethysts. Natural prasiolite is light, translucent green. Darker varieties are treated.8

Synthetic prasiolite.19

Turquoise is often faked with howlite due to having similar vein patterns. Real turquoise is expensive, so cheap turquoise is likely howlite. Dyed howlite is also called turquenite. Acetone removes most dyes.10

Dyed howlite.20

Man-made Imitations

Cubic zirconia is a diamond imitation made of zirconium dioxide.6

Brilliant-cut cubic zirconia.21

Cermikite, or alum crystals, are often sold in “grow your own crystal” kits. They are made of potassium aluminium sulphate.6

Synthetic prasiolite.22

Glass is often used to imitate natural crystals. Common glass “crystals” are goldstone (often called sunstone) and opalite (opal imitation, often called moonstone).10 Smelt quartz (cherry, blueberry, etc. quartz) are made of dyed glass.6

Goldstone,23 opalite,24 and smelt quartz.25

Slag is the byproduct of smelting. Slag is sold as fordite/Detroit agate, Sieber agate, andara crystal, rosarita, leklai, Frankfort green, and Leland blue.11

“Andara crystal”.26

Capitalism

Consider this crystal listing from Heaven and Earth LLC for “Amazez™ Natural Crystal” which is labeled as “Azozeo Super-Activated,” emphasis mine:1

This is chevron amethyst (”mixture of white Quartz and purple Amethyst, with v-shaped patterning”) likely from Madagascar (” from off the coast of Africa”).

The description spends more time selling you a story about the powers of the crystal. They checked the "energies" to find out it matched the "guardian angelic group soul" called the "Azez." There's this "Nameless Light" that moves "energies" towards "Planetary Vibrational Ascension".

Doesn't that make you think this thing is powerful! It's connected to angels! It'll move your energy towards "Planetary Vibrational Ascension", whatever that is! It sounds good, doesn't it? And what about this "Azozeo Super Activat[ion]"? What is that? The listing doesn't explain it, but it must be good to be super activated.

Where's this thing from? Do you know? "Africa"? Do you think "Africa" is good enough? Would you buy something from "Asia"? Not Japan, China, or Korea. "Asia." What about "Europe"? Britain? Russia? No no. "Europe". I guessed that it was from Madagascar, because chevron amethyst is known to come from there, but nowhere does it say that definitively. Do you feel confident that this was mined ethically if all they'll tell you is a continent?

This is not unique to Heaven and Earth LLC. People upsell because people buy the lie. They’re enchanted by angels and energies and don’t bother to check if they’re paying more for something cheap. People will use your spirituality to make money off of you. It's not your fault that you're preyed on. It's the sellers' fault for preying on you in the first place.

Don't buy crystals from metaphysical sites. Just don't. That is probably controversial to tell to metaphysicians. You cannot trust metaphysical sites to not try and upsell their supply. It is in their best interest to because using your spirituality against you is how they make money. Here's a list of words that are commonly found on metaphysical listings that may indicate an upsell:

• Activation, codes, encoding, downloads, attunement, upgrade.
• Vibration, higher vibration, 4D-12D, multidimensional, higher dimension/density.
• Ascension, ascended master[s].
• Shaman[ic], chakra[s], reiki, [K/Q]ab[b]ala[h], Elohim
• Using the name or image of minority groups unassociated with the crystal, often but not exclusively indigenous groups, portraying these groups to be more magical or “closer to the Earth” to make the crystal seem. more magical or powerful by association.
• Any stars, planets, or constellations (Sirian, Arcturian, Lyran, Pleidean, Venusian, etc).
• Galactic, [c]elestial, cosmic.
• Starseed, cosmic family, High Council.
• Lemuria, Atlantis, Mu, other “lost civilisations”.
• [Arch]angel, specific angel names (Michael, Raphael, Metatron), divine presence, Christ consciousness, God frequency, names of saints and prophets (St. Germain).
• Astral projection, aura[s], akashic record[s], past life recall, scalar light, twin flame, [rainbow/crystalline/master] energy, Mt. Shasta, vortex.
• Rainbow, indigo (in tandem or not with the actual appearance of the crystal).
• Gaia, Thoth, other gods.
• Fairy, fae, any kind of spirit.
• Mon[o]atomic, quantum, DNA, other misused scientific terms.
• Merlin, sorcerer[’]s stone, magic[k][al], healing.

If you see these terms on a listing, ask yourself if you would buy this crystal if these terms were not there. If you wouldn't buy it, don't!

Conclusion

In summary:

1. Mineral mining is often exploitative. Workers, which may be children, are not treated fairly for their work. The money from mines profits militant groups over workers. If a seller will not tell you where a crystal comes from in detail, assume it is from a conflict area.
2. Synthetic crystals are just as good as natural crystals. If a synthetic crystal picks up the energies of the lab, why wouldn’t a natural crystal pick up the miners’ suffering? If a seller does not disclose a crystal being synthetic, don’t buy from them.
3. Crystals may be modified, and these modifications may not be disclosed. If a seller does not disclose modifications, don’t buy from them.
4. Crystals are often sold under different names, some of which are trademarked. Trademarks often mean higher prices. Find a crystal’s “generic” name before buying a trademarked crystal or one with an unusual name.
5. Many crystals are faked. There are many ways to find out if your crystal is real. If a seller does not disclose their listing is an imitation, don’t buy from them.
6. Metaphysical shops benefit from manipulating your spirituality. Terms such as "ascension," "Pleiadian", and "vibration" are there to make you pay more. If you wouldn't buy a crystal without the spiritual buzzwords, don't buy it with it.

What should you look for when it comes to buying crystals?

1. Know how to search. Using “crystal” is going to give you metaphysical options. Search Google with “[name] -healing” to filter out any metaphysical stores and results.
2. Know the physical properties of your crystal. Metaphysical properties are great at what crystal you want, but not in finding good listings for that crystal. Know a crystal’s common colours, chemical composition, and crystal system. MinDat is a great resource for this.
3. Stay away from metaphysical sellers. It is impossible to verify their claims. Metaphysical shops tend to be more pricey and hide where their supply comes from.
4. When you find a listing, look at the name it is listed under. Is it trademarked? Is the name only used by this seller or in a metaphysical context? Does the name try to appeal to your spirituality?
5. See how the crystal is described in the listing. Is the description trying to sell you on a crystal's metaphysical use? Metaphysical language is not itself a red flag, but it's overuse. A mention of amethyst being believed to cure intoxication is not suspect, but paragraphs of angels and Ascended Masters are.
6. Find what country the crystal was mined in. Know where areas of active conflict are. Understand the mining regulations in the country a crystal is from. Developing countries are more likely to have poor regulations and worse working conditions.
7. Find the location or mine a crystal came from. A specific mine is best, but states, provinces, etc., may also be helpful. Look up “Are [location] ’s mines ethical” or “Is [mine] ethical.” See if there’s any public statement about working conditions and sustainability. If a specific location is not listed, be wary. Working conditions can vary within a country.
8. Verify that the crystal on the listing is going to be the crystal you get. Are there many images of the crystal provided? Is there a video of the crystal? Can you find the same image or video on other sites that aren't related to the seller? Does the image provided look AI generated? What about the listing?
9. Look at the price and compare it with similar listings. Is it cheaper, more expensive, or around the same price?
10. Finally, look at reviews if available. Reviews may mention things the seller wouldn’t and may include images of their own as proof of purchase. Searching “[site/seller] credible/trustable/scam/reviews” can be helpful.

Citations

Introduction

1. “Crystal healing: Stone-cold facts about gemstone treatments” by Elizabeth Peterson and Jonathan Gordon, published by LiveScience (01.25.2022).

Ethics

1. “Conflict minerals in tech goods and home appliances” by Katalin Csatadi, published by Ethical Consumer (06.11.2024).
2. “Conflict minerals”, published by Shop Ethical.
3. “Sexual violence and conflict minerals: international demand fuels cycle” by Zainab Hawa Bangura, published by The Guardian (06.18.2014).
   “Conflict minerals”, published by Shop Ethical.
4. “Environmental Stewardship in Gemstone Mining: Quo Vadis?“ by Laurent E. Cartier, published by the International Coloured Gemstone Association (2010).
5. “Buying Ethical Crystals Shouldn’t Be This Hard” by Abby Lee Hood, published by Cosmopolitan (11.16.2020).
6. “Buying Ethical Crystals Shouldn’t Be This Hard” by Abby Lee Hood, published by Cosmopolitan (11.16.2020).
   “Are crystals the new blood diamonds?” by Eva Wiseman, published by The Guardian (06.16.2019).
7. “10 Most Ethical Gemstones: Is Mining Ethically Possible?“ by Meg, published by Our Endangered World (7.11.2024).
   “Approaches to responsible sourcing in mineral supply chains“ by Susan van den Brink, René Kleijn, Arnold Tukker, and Jaco Huisman (2019).

Modifications

1. “An Introduction to Gem Treatments” by Robert Weldon, published by the Gemological Institute of America (2018).
2. “Crackle Quartz”, published by Rock Tumbler.
3. “Gemstone Treatments”, published by Gemworld International.
   “An Introduction to Gem Treatments” by Robert Weldon, published by the Gemological Institute of America (2018).
4. “Gemstone Treatments”, published by Gemworld International.
   “An Introduction to Gem Treatments” by Robert Weldon, published by the Gemological Institute of America (2018).
   “What are Gemstone Enhancements?”, published by the International Gem Society (2.20.2023).
5. “What is Aura Rainbow Quartz and How Is It Made?”, published by Geology In (2017).
6. “Gemstone Treatments”, published by Gemworld International.
   “What are Gemstone Enhancements?”, published by the International Gem Society (2.20.2023).
7. “What is Reconstituted Turquoise?” by Tricia Christensen, published by All Things Nature.
8. “What are Gemstone Enhancements?”, published by the International Gem Society (2.20.2023).
   “An Introduction to Gem Treatments” by Robert Weldon, published by the Gemological Institute of America (2018).

Images

1. “An Introduction to Gem Treatments” by Robert Weldon, published by the Gemological Institute of America (2018).
2. “Crackle Quartz”, published by Rock Tumbler.
3. “Fracture Filling Diamonds”, Published by Gesner Estate Jewelry (06.11.2011).
4. “London Blue Topaz” by Michelle Jo, published on Wikimedia (04.2010).
5. “Blue Topaz with Lepidolite” by Roert M. Lavinsky, published on Wikimedia (03.2010).
6. “Amethyst - Exposed to UV/Heat” by Amir Akhavan, published on MinDat (08.16.2015).
7. “About Aura Coated Crystals”, published by Rock Your World (2024).

Synthetic Crystals

1. “Natural vs. Lab-Created Gemstones: What’s the Difference?”, published by Noe’s Jewelry (05.26.2022).
2. “Natural vs. Lab-Created Gemstones: What’s the Difference?”, published by Noe’s Jewelry (05.26.2022).
   “What You Need to Know about Lab-Created Gemstones”, published by Jewelry Wise.
   “5 Reasons to Choose Laboratory-Grown Diamonds and Colored Stones” by Ashley Maldonado, published by Halstead Bead (10.23.2018).
3. “Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.” by Robin George Andrews, published by National Geographic (3.26.2022).
4. “Natural vs. Lab-Created Gemstones: What’s the Difference?”, published by Noe’s Jewelry (05.26.2022).
   “Do Man-made Crystals Have Healing Power?” by Kat Ohren, published by Crystal Vaults (01.11.2023).
5. “Natural vs. Lab-Created Gemstones: What’s the Difference?”, published by Noe’s Jewelry (05.26.2022).
   “What You Need to Know about Lab-Created Gemstones”, published by Jewelry Wise.
6. “Real Crystals versus Synthetic” by Kristi Huggins, published by Healing Crystals (11.04.2009).
   “Do Man-made Crystals Have Healing Power?” by Kat Ohren, published by Crystal Vaults (01.11.2023).
   “Is it ‘Real’? The Differences between Natural, Synthetic and Imitation Gemstones”, published by Gemstone Guru.
7. “Lab-Created vs. Natural Crystals | Are Manmade Gemstones all that Bad?”, published by Hibiscus Moon (10.28.2020).
   “Do Man-made Crystals Have Healing Power?” by Kat Ohren, published by Crystal Vaults (01.11.2023).

Images

1. “Lab Created Amethyst Quartz Rough”, sold by Gems N Gems.
2. “Raw Amethyst Chunk,” sold by Ancient Element Creations.

Trade Names

1. “What is a trademark?”, published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (3.31.2021).
2. “Protecting your Trademark: Enhancing Your Rights Through Federal Registration”, published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (02.2020).
3. “Trademark examples”, published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (02.2020).
4. “30 Things You Won't https://web.archive.org/web/20210120200603/https://bestlifeonline.com/surprising-copyright/Believe Are Trademarked” by Sarah Crow, published by Best Life (03.27.2020).
5. “A++ Amazez™ Extra-Large Altar Stone (with Polished Front)”, sold by Heaven and Earth LLC.
6. “Blue Chevron Amethyst Raw Point Gemstone Spiritual Obelisk Natural Healing Crystal Meditation Stone Unique Metaphysical Home Decor Gift”, sold by CentralBlackStone on Etsy.
7. “Turquenite”, published by MinDat.

Fake Names

1. “Natural vs Fake - How To Tell If Your Citrine Is Genuine?”, published by Unearthed Gemstones.
2. “Clear Smelt white quartz point/Clear Smelt quartz Polished Chunks/Crystal grid/Special gift/Meditation Stone/Healing Stone/Reiki/Chakra”, sold by HKFossiltown on Etsy.
3. “Moroccan Geode Pair Pink/Gold”, sold by The Crystal Man.
4. “Malachite: if it looks like the heart, it's a fake. If it looks like the bottom stone, it's most likely real! Watch out for those black lines 😉” by vespergoth, published on Reddit (07.13.2022).
5. “The Best Guide on Spotting and Avoiding Fake Moldavite”, published by Stones of Transformation (05.14.2020).
6. “Record-Size Natural Moissanite Crystals Discovered in Israel” by Emmanuel Fritsch, Vered Toledo, and Antoinette Matlins; published by the Gemological Institute of America (2014).
7. “Is this blue obsidian?” by TarynHK, published on Reddit (08.10.2023).
8. “Green Amethyst Gemstones” by Gavin Clarke, published by GemSelect (12.19.2008).
9. “Natural Dyed Howlite Stones (190bc1)”, sold by Mission Del Rey Southwest.
10. “CZ brilliant” by Gregory Phillips, published by Wikimedia (01.15.2004).
11. “The Best Way to Grow Alum Crystals at Home” by Chase, published by Crystalverse (04.22.2021)
12. “Goldfluss (Aventuringlas)” by GDK, published by Wikimedia (07.15.2007).
13. “10-20MM Tumble Polished Opalite” by Albion Fire and Ice, published by Wikimedia (11.07.2015).
14. “Red Smelting Stone Quartz Tower Point Wholesale”, sold by Crystal Wholesale USA.
15. “519gr(SP32) New!! Medium size perfect Rainbow Pieces of Andara Crystal Monatomic Natural Rough smashed limited item for healing.”, sold by PreciousStoneID on Etsy.

Capitalism

1. “Amazez™ Natural Crystal”, sold by Heaven and Earth LLC.

Appendix: Trademarks and Alternative Names