I ordered a bunch of crystals for my lithotherapy collection from these cheap sites and I'd like to know if they have the same energy as real crystals from specialized shops. It's way cheaper but I doubt they're authentic.
The energy thing is more spiritual than geological, so it really depends on what you believe in! On the material side though, Temu and AliExpress do often sell real mineral crystals - it's just that there's no guarantee of authenticity and zero quality control, so you could end up with artificially dyed stones or even counterfeit glass ones. If you're really after the genuine stuff for your collection, you're better off going to specialized resellers who provide certifications, because for the same price you're just gonna risk disappointments with cheap sites!
From a chemical and mineralogical standpoint, it's often the real deal (most of them are genuine natural crystals), but you're gonna get a ton of poorly polished, poorly labeled, or straight-up counterfeit junk! What really kills it is that specialty shops usually offer traceability - origin, certified authenticity - whereas on Temu you've got zero guarantees and zero info on where it actually comes from.
One thing nobody does: before ordering in bulk, buy a single crystal from each site and physically compare it to a real one from a local shop. Then you can decide if it's worth it! Honestly you'll quickly see the difference in perceived energy quality or not, it'll depend on your sensitivity! 😄
I've looked at quite a few crystals over time, and what I can tell you is that on those sites you get a real mix. Some stuff is actually natural crystals, just sold dirt cheap because it's mass sales with no middleman. But a good chunk of it is synthetic or artificially dyed, and sometimes you even get glass or resin knockoffs. The problem is you have zero certainty when you order.
As for the energy side of things, the person above was right that it's in the spiritual realm, so I'm not really going to weigh in on that. But on the material side, a real amethyst is a real amethyst no matter where it comes from, as long as it's genuine mineral. But a fake is a fake. Specialty shops at least generally control what they sell and can guarantee it to you. On Temu/AliExpress you're buying blind, you could end up with something totally different from what you ordered.
If you really want to know what you got, you can check some basic characteristics yourself (density, hardness, transparency) but otherwise you can also get someone who knows their stuff to test it. It's pretty much a gamble with these sites. It might be worth it if you're willing to accept that you could get anything in your order.
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