Idocrase

General Care for Idocrase

Idocrase ranks a rather average 6–7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which will be softer than some but not all of the stones in your collection.

So if you throw it in a bag or box with other stones it could get scratched.

It could also do some scratching.

Because of it's average hardness it would do any severe damage but for crystal lovers, even a little damage can be too much.

If you haven't looked after your tumbled Idocrase crystal for a long time, it may look a bit lackluster.

That's because it's sad. It misses you.

Oh, and because it needs to be cleaned.

How To Clean Your Crystal

Do you have soap?

Do you have a bowl??

Do you have water???

Then you've got everything you need!

Follow the steps below, and your Idocrase crystal will look like new again.

• Fill your favorite bowl with warm water.
• Add a small amount of organic soap to the water and mix it around.
• Soak your crystal in the bubble bath.
• Using a clean, soft bristle toothbrush, gently scrub the rock.
• Rinse the stone well under warm water and gently dry with a soft cloth.

If you want to go a give your Idocrase crystal an extra shine, then you can soak it in vinegar.

Vinegar? Yep! Really.

We love to use vinegar to shine our gems. It helps dissolve any calcium carbonite that's on the surface.

This only works on gemstones that aren't sensitive to chemicals. Sensitive gemstones will be damaged.

You're in luck! Idocrase is resistant to chemical damage.

Will It Fade?

It depends on which color we're talking about.

Idocrase comes in many varieties:

• Xanthite
• Californite
• Wiluite

If your mineral is a dark color, like Wiluite, then you have nothing to worry about!

But if you have a light colored variety then it's reasonable to worry about it becoming totally transparent...

It won't!

The light colors may fade if in direct sunlight for a LONG time, but it will be barely noticeable.

No need to worry about your crystal fading.

How to Charge Idocrase Crystal

Charging your Idocrase mineral is as simple as bathing it in direct moonlight for several hours or placing it on a selenite charging plate.

This stone also responds to being buried in salt for 24 hours.

Normally we'd suggest using a cloth bag or natural covering to prevent salt from falling into your stone's cracks.

But. This crystal usually doesn't have cracks. So no need!

Check If Your Crystal Is Real

Due to real Idocrase's price, this gemstone is a almost never faked.

So your rock is probably real.

But if you did want to check, checking for a true Idocrase is pretty straight forward.

The only realistic way to fake this gem is to use Lead Glass, which does have a strong resemblance to actual real Idocrase.

THE FOG TEST

If you’re looking at a Idocrase mineral and want to confirm it’s authenticity, just breath on it for a second.

Yes, I know it sounds strange... but it works!

The fog from your breath will evaporate almost instanstly (~1 second) if it's real Idocrase. But if it’s fake, it can take 5 or more seconds to even start evaporating.

By using the fog test, we’re taking advantage of the fact that the fake is almost always glass, which holds moisture longer than the real stone.

BUBBLES

The properties of glass have another weakness, they almost always have bubbles in the fake “gemstone”.

By examining the Idocrase closely you'll be able to see any bubbles inside. Remember that inclusions are different than bubbles.

Bubbles are actually pockets of air that are trapped during the creation of the glass.

Because gemstone take so long to form, they will not have air trapped inside.

On the otherhand, making a glass gem without any air pockets inside is almost impossible.