Real vs fake: Carnelian (Aqiq)
Natural carnelian (aqiq) shows soft translucent orange-red depth. Glass and dyed agate are the most common souk substitutes.
- Translucent orange-red to brownish-red chalcedony
- Natural color zoning, not painted surface dye
- Cool, dense silica feel (hardness ~7)
- Conchoidal fracture on chips
- Neon orange plastic or glass with bubbles
- Dye concentrated in surface cracks
- Too-perfect uniform color slabs
- Soft scratch from steel (glass may chip differently)
Field tests
- Loupe: look for dye pools in fractures
- Compare translucency against a known aqiq bead
- Hardness — genuine chalcedony resists steel