How to Identify Fake Rudraksha Beads – Complete Guide

How to Identify Fake Rudraksha Beads – Complete Guide

Rudraksha beads are considered sacred and powerful in Hinduism, often used for meditation, healing, and spiritual growth. However, due to rising demand, the market is flooded with fake Rudraksha beads that lack spiritual energy and authenticity. Knowing how to spot the real ones is essential for both spiritual seekers and collectors.

Why Authentic Rudraksha Matters
A genuine Rudraksha bead carries natural vibrations, cosmic energy, and spiritual benefits. It helps balance chakras, control blood pressure, enhance concentration, and connect with divine energy. In contrast, fake beads may be chemically altered, artificially carved, or made from plastic, wood, or other materials — offering no real benefit and potentially blocking positive energies.

Common Signs of Fake Rudraksha Beads
Too Perfect or Identical Mukhis: Real Rudraksha beads have natural, uneven lines (called Mukhis). If the lines look too perfect or machine-carved, it's likely fake.

Polished or Dyed Surface: Genuine Rudraksha has a rough and natural brownish texture. Artificially dyed or polished beads are often fake.
Unrealistic Shine or Weight: If the bead feels too light, too smooth, or overly shiny, it may not be real.
Magnet Test Misconceptions: Some sellers falsely promote magnetic properties. Rudraksha has no magnetic pull—beware of such claims.

Proven Methods to Identify Genuine Rudraksha

Water Test:
Drop the bead in a glass of clean water. A real Rudraksha will usually sink. However, this test isn’t foolproof, as some fake beads are weighted.

Copper Coin Test:
Rub the bead against a copper coin. A genuine Rudraksha may emit a mild smell due to natural oils; fake ones don’t.

Magnifying Glass Inspection:
Examine the bead under a magnifying glass. Look for natural deep clefts between the mukhis that run from top to bottom. Machine-made ones will show unnatural carving marks.

X-ray Test (Lab Method):
The most reliable method is an X-ray test, which reveals the internal compartments or seeds (known as Bhojpatra) for each mukhi.

Beware of fake Rudraksha Beads , How to identify these, Fake Rudraksha Bead Vs Authentic Rudraksha beads

Astroshastra in an effort to educate people who are spending their hard earned money in buying rudraksha beads, shall get what they are paying for. We have tried to present the some duplicate rudraksha beads available in market and how to identify fake rudraksha beads.

Duplicate One Mukhi round Rudraksha available in market and these one mukhi rudraksha beads are sold in large quantities in India and outside by unscrupulous people taking advantage of the craze of the customers to procure one mukhi rudraksha. We came across many queries asking for One mukhi round rudraksha from Nepal and we try to explain people that Round one mukhi from Nepal is not available at all but they says that is available from other site. The price at which they are sold ranges from $100 to $1,00,000 .

	Fake One Mukhi round Rudraksha sold in the market in shops or by various website in 5000 INR to 21000 INR , is made by removing two lines from three mukhi rudraksha and carving of needles on the rudraksha bead .
	Duplicate Ek Mukhi round Rudraksha, is made by removing three lines from four mukhi rudraksha or removing four lines from five mukhi rudraksha and pasting the rudraksha remains by glue.
	Duplicate 1 Mukhi round Rudraksha , made by filling wooden powder by glue in nuts amd making one line on them.
	Duplicate One face round Rudraksha sold in the haridwar market, in shops, is hand made or by carving Shivlinga, Om , Naag on five mukhi rudraksha beads.

Round one mukhis are not available at all. Even if you buy them for several 1000 dollars or from any ashrams or any reliable person, it would not be genuine as it has never been produced till date in Nepal or Indonesia. Astroshastra advices the people to not search for this Round one mukhi Rudraksha. Half moon 1 mukhi is genuine and available easily. You can buy the Genuine one mukhi rudraksha bead from us along with its genuinety certificate at very low price.

	Duplicate One Mukhi kaju shaped Rudraksha sold in the market by T.v shows, in shops or by various website, is made by resin and can identified by touching and checking energies of rudraksha bead.

Duplicate One Mukhi half moon Rudraksha Various people come to us to get their Rudraksha beads tested and we have found that they get trapped by the advertisements in T.V. or Internet . One mukhi half moon rudraksha beads , they get from those money minded people are resin made or chemical made or carved by two mukhi rudraksha. Astroshastra advice all the Shiva devotee to buy the rudraksha beads from genuine source only.

Astroshastra has the facility in Delhi at their office, where you can get the Rudraksha beads or Gems tested. You can also send the photograph of your rudraksha beads or scan the photograph in high resolution and mail us at consult@astroshastra.com




Duplicate Gauri Shanker Rudraksha We have come across various Gauri Shanker rudraksha beads, which are fake. Two beads are joined together to make Gauri Shanker or Garb Gauri Rudraksha. Now a days people join them by such an efficiency that only experienced eyes can detect the reality. We have present pictures of such rudraksha beads for your reference.

More duplicate rudraksha beads available in the market
	Generally the fraud is done in higher mukhi rduarksha beads like from 14 mukhi rudrakshas to 21 mukhi rudrakshas by making or adding lines or mukhis to smaller mukhi bead. Picture depicts the rudraksha bead in which lines are artifically created to make it higher mukhi rudraksha.
	One Should carefully check the lines to identify the lines that are natural or man made. You can see the example of rudraksha bead with artifical lines carved on the rudraksha bead to make it higher mukhi rudraksha bead.
	Three beads crafted and joined by glue to form high cost Trijuti rudraksha bead. One should clearly and very eficiaently see the joints of the rudraksha beads to identify that the bead is joined naturally or artifically by glue.