Fakes & FraudsApophyllite Cluster Fake? / Grown?
Hi there,
I bought an Apophyllite Cluster with Stillbite from a guy off ebay from Australia and there's just something that doesn't look right about it. I'm no expert at all but it just looks like it was grown. I looks too clean, too clear, the growth doesn't look right and the matrix on the back is a thin three pronged rocky clamp looking thing.
Am I being paranoid or does this look fake to those on here who know better than I? Any help would be appreciated. Thank You. :)
From the same person, I also bought this Druzy Quartz with Apophyllite and wondered about this one too. Looks a bit more realistic but there's just something odd about it. The Apophyllite is pretty brittle too and cracks easily.
Another shot of the Apophyllite / Stillbite "Matrix"
These are perfectly natural and the association with stilbite and quartz is very, very common. 'Apophyllite' cleaves readily so this may be what you're seeing in regard to cracks, etc. Also the presence of drusy quartz stalactites is very common in some quarries. And the Apophyllite/Stillbite too? It just looks nothing like any others I've seen. Very clear and seems not to really be attached to the matrix by anything? I agree with Dana: definitely natural, not lab grown. Nature herself grows a wonderful variety of zeolites, especially in India!
The only artificial things I've noticed on some India zeolites recently is, 1) oils or silicone coatings to enhance the luster and hide bruises; 2) a very delicate enhancement of the pink color by some sort of spray paint. This is done very discreetly and in tiny quantity - One can see a few extremely tiny and scattered resinous spots of dye under a microscope. With the naked eye there is nothing to be seen, other than a faint, subtle, but slightly suspicious, improvement of the color. Michael Towers Wrote:
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> Am I being paranoid .....
Yes, both are natural! 
Hi
As said above
All look natural.
In general apophyllite and stilbite from India is so very common that it is unlikely that you would get a fake. Apophyllites can be incredibly clear and yes they do cleave very easily - basically the termination can be cleaved and then the xls look "flat".
However I have seen some poor repairs and some coloured Okenites - but you can generally tell that they are fakes - especially the coloured Okenites.
Cheers
Keith Cheers for the responses. Been burnt off ebay before so this is good to know. :)
