Bahia ‘citrine’
Commercial name for a heated amethyst (also called heat-treated amethyst or HTA) with a yellow-orange to orange-brown color. Because genuine (untreated) citrine is a rare…
Category: Gem or Scam? Library
Australian jade
Misleading commercial name for chrysoprase, a green variety of chalcedony. As is often the case, the name jade is used to make the customer pay…
Banded agate
Designation for reddish-brown agate with black and/or white bands, used particularly for the recently marketed polished stones from Madagascar. These large hand stones or “jumbo”…
Avalonite (™)
Used as a commercial name for a blue-violet banded variety of chalcedony. Also called blue lace agate or simply chalcedony. Judy Hall1 and Hans Timmers2…
Bastite
The name bastite is primarily used in the trade for a fuchsite-containing chert from Western Australia, also known by the trade names Dragon Stone or…
Aventurine
Aventurine is officially a quartz variety with inclusions of a mica variety or hematite, but it has become a general commercial term or name used…
Beige moonstone
Commercial name for a beige-colored, unspecified alkali feldspar with a form of ‘flash’ or pearly luster. Sometimes this is ‘true’ moonstone, but in many cases…
Aventurine glass
Ancient trade name and synonym for goldstone, a man-made glittering glass, sometimes sold as a natural ‘gem’ material. This ancient name for goldstone comes from…
Scammite
Translated from the Dutch word “Belazeriet”, a cynical term by Rolf Egberink introduced in 2018 for minerals, rocks, gemstones or crystals that: are entirely man-made…
Azeztulite™
Registered commercial name for initially only lower quality white quartz and/or quartzite that can be sold expensively this way. The name was coined by Naisha…
