Got a green stone but can’t figure out what it is? Don’t worry!
With these tricks for how to ID your green stones, you’ll become a pro at
identifying your crystals and stones in no time!
There are lots of reasons you may need to identify a stone, and there are lots of ways to gather information about what your stone may be. One of the most helpful ID methods is to look at the crystal’s outward shape and form to quickly narrow down the possibilities. But when your stone has been tumbled or is in a rough chunk, you lose this key piece of information…so where do you go from there? What else can you look for to help you correctly identify your crystal?
Before we dive in, I want to tell you that the following is a very brief summary of what I discuss in the video here. It’s also important to note that I’ll be speaking in broad generalizations to help you see subtle differences in your crystals. So although these tips may be helpful in giving you some information to make your best guess about your stone, this discussion is not adequate to identify your stones for identifications that may impact your safety (like the creation of crystal elixirs or safely handling your stones). These tips can help you with your best guesses, but you should always use caution unless you can be 100% certain about a stone’s identification.
Today I’m sharing this blog post about how to ID your green stones when they all look almost identical.
I want to teach you how to spot the differences between green crystals that, at first glance, all look alike. The following are some of my tips and tricks to help you learn how to ID your green stones when they all are very similar. These aren’t definitive, but they’re definitely helpful keys…
Peridot:
- Limey chartreuse green (sort of an apple green) color
- May be confused with Green Calcite, Vesuvianite (Idocrase), Green Apatite, or Diopside
- Ranges from very transparent to somewhat translucent depending on quality (so you can rule out lots of other stones of the same color if they are more opaque – like Serpentine, Green Olive Opal, etc.)
- This stone is usually quite small (typically less than half an inch across because it just doesn’t form very large stones – and bigger pieces are usually not quite as clear as smaller, gemmier ones)
Serpentine:
- This one is tricky to identify because Serpentine is actually a GROUP of minerals, not just one stone, so it ranges quite a bit in appearance based on locality and specific mineral type
- Opacity/transparency can vary
- Color ranges (often based on locality)
- This stone is also called New Jade or Korean Jade, but it isn’t Jade at all (it lacks the rarity and durability of Jadeite and Nephrite!
Jade:
- Jade can be one of two minerals – Jadeite or Nephrite
- This stone is very hard and durable compared to most other stones
- Nephrite is the most common Jade on the mineral market and BC Jade (from British Columbia, Canada) is the most commonly available Nephrite
- This stone most often has a deep green color, but it can range from deep green, to minty green, to near white
- A lot of things (especially beads) may be sold as Jade, but they’re often imposters! Quartz, Chalcedony, Onyx, etc. may even be dyed green
- Green Aventurine is sometimes confused for Jade (and may go by the name Indian Jade), but Aventurine has sparkles of mica
Bloodstone:
- A variety of Chalcedony (cryptocrystalline Quartz)
- Bloodstone is deep green with small red spots, often mistaken for Ocean Jasper or Fancy Jasper. However, Bloodstone’s spots differ from the orbs in Ocean Jasper, and Fancy Jasper typically has additional streaks of color, such as gold and tan, throughout the stone.
- Glassy luster
Buddstone:
- Sometimes confused for Green Aventurine, but Buddstone’s luster is a bit more waxy and less glassy
- Buddstone MAY have similar sparkly flecks like Aventurine does, but they’re much smaller and a bit dull in comparison to Aventurine’s sparkle
- Buddstone’s color leans toward more of a jungle green (sort of tropical) with hints of blue undertones compared to the mintiness of Aventurine
- Buddstone sometimes has streaks and mottled splotches of varying green hues and can even have hints of yellow or black
- Slightly waxy texture to the touch
- Also known as African jade, but is NOT Jade
Unakite:
- Unakite is actually a rock – a combo of Green Epidote and Peach Feldspar
- Often confused with Jasper because it’s a heavily patterned (some sales listings even incorrectly call it Unakite Jasper)
- Sometimes lower qualityUnakite has VERY LITTLE Peach Feldspar which can make it hard to tell apart from stones like Serpentine, but it has a more distinct, splotchy grain pattern
Green Calcite:
- This stone can be difficult to tell apart from Green Fluorite
- Calcite has a way or porous texture compared to Fluorite which is more solid and glassy
- Calcite ranges from transparent to translucent, but it often appears cloudier than Fluorite
- Tumbled Green Calcite is rare, with much less commercially available compared to other Calcite colors
- Calcite is softer (with a hardness of 3 on the Mohs’ scale) compared to Fluorite, which has a hardness of 4
Green Fluorite:
- Usually some banding/color zoning (of different colors like clear, blue, or purple)
Malachite:
- Opaque
- Heavy because it’s copper-based
- Displays swirling organic bands of dark and light green
- May have a matte to shiny luster depending on polishing
- Beware of fakes!
I hope this introduction to how to ID your green stones has helped you learn a few tips for identifying pieces in your own collection. And if you want to discover more about stone identification, check out my blog about identifying black stones too…Have fun!
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