Enhanced Crystals: Understanding Heat Treatment and Aura Coatings

Crystals are beautiful gifts from the Earth — but there are a small selection in our shop that have undergone enhancements. Two of the most common techniques are heat treatment and aura coatings. As a crystal seller, being transparent about these processes builds your trust in us and helps you to understand what you’re buying.

In this post, we’ll explore what these treatments are, how they’re done, how they affect value and energy, and how to care for treated crystals.

What Is Heat Treatment?

Heat treatment (also called thermal enhancement) is a process where a gemstone or crystal is carefully heated to change its internal structure — often to improve color, clarity, or reduce undesirable inclusions.

• Historically, heat treatments have been used for centuries (for example, heating yellow chalcedony to make a brighter orange carnelian)

• In modern gemology, the heating must be controlled precisely (temperature, atmosphere, duration) to avoid cracking or destroying the piece.

• Heating can cause rearrangement in the crystal lattice, shifting impurities or activating color centers.

• Not all crystals respond well to heat — quartz, amethyst, topaz, and corundum types (sapphire, ruby) are among those treated in specialized settings

What Are Aura Coatings? (Aura Crystals / Metal-Coated Crystals)

Aura crystals (also called metal-coated crystals, aqua aura, angel aura, rainbow quartz, etc.) are natural crystals (commonly quartz) which have been coated with a thin layer of metal (such as gold, titanium, platinum, niobium, or combinations) to produce a durable iridescent sheen.

• The coating is applied typically via vacuum deposition / vapor deposition in a controlled environment — the metal vapors bond to the crystal’s surface at high temperature in vacuum.

• The base crystal often needs heating (or activation) as part of the process — in some cases, quartz is heated to ~ 871 °C in vacuum while gold vapor is introduced.

• The result is a crystal that appears to shimmer with rainbow or metallic hues, sometimes with color names like angel aura, titanium aura, gold aura, flame aura, opal aura, rainbow aura, etc.

Aura Crystal Varieties & Meanings.

• Angel Aura / Aura Lite — typically platinum + silver coatings, soft white/blue iridescence.

• Titanium Aura / Flame Aura — vivid rainbow tones, often darker or more vibrant.

• Rainbow Aura / Mystic Aura — blends of metals for multicolor effects.

Aura vs “Natural Iridescence”

It’s important to distinguish: some crystals naturally develop iridescence via internal fractures, light play, or mineral inclusions (e.g. labradorite, opal). But aura-coated crystals are human-enhanced.

Care & Maintenance

• Aura-coated surfaces are relatively durable, but harsh abrasives or acids can degrade the metal layer. Use gentle cleansing methods (smudging, light water rinsing, soft cloth).

• Avoid exposing aura crystals to strong UV for long periods (some fading may happen).

• Heat-treated crystals are fairly stable once processed, but extreme temperature fluctuations should be avoided.