Water Test
Sometimes rare Rudraksha beads like GauriShankar Rudraksha or a Trijuti are made by artificially joining two or three Rudraksha with the help of glue etc. In case of doubt, such Rudraksha bead should be placed in boiling water for 20-30 minutes. A sharp discoloration will take place at the joint in case of artificial Rudraksha.
There is another water test that is conducted as well. The bead is placed in a glass of water. If it floats it is rejected. However, this test is not very reliable because :
- An unripe but genuine Rudraksha will also float in water.
- Fake Rudraksha bead made of wood and impregnated with lead will also sink in water.
- Rare Rudraksha beads like One Mukhi are sometimes made by tampering with higher Mukhi beads. This Rudraksha will also sink.
The most reliable test is to cut the Rudraksha bead. One will find the same number of compartments as the number of lines. However, the drawback is that the bead is destroyed.
Properties Test
This test is to find whether the beads exhibit properties like inductance, capacitance, conduction of electric current etc.
Copper Coin Test
It is a general belief that a Rudraksha bead when placed between two copper coins will rotate slightly either towards the right or the left. This happens due to the physical and magnetic properties of the Rudraksha beads. This test requires a high level of expertise and the buyer generally buys the bead that rotates towards right.
Eye Test
The Mukhis of a natural Rudraksha look like closed lips with deep natural partitions. Sometimes Rudraksha are faked by sticking thorny parts of one Rudraksh onto another one. This difference could be caught by a 10x lens.
However, none of these tests are fool proof. The best way to buy a Rudraksha is to buy it from a trusted authorized supplier.