How to identify a real Rudraksha.
The market is full of Indonesian Rudraksha sold as Nepali, plastic beads sold as natural, machine-altered beads sold as wild. Here is exactly how to tell the difference — and how we verify every bead we sell from Kathmandu.
Ridge depth
Genuine Nepali Rudraksha have deep, sharp ridges with clear mukhi divisions visible from the top. Indonesian beads have shallower, more rounded ridges.
Density test
Drop the bead in water. Genuine Himalayan beads sink. Plastic floats. Hollow or unripe beads tilt at strange angles.
Mukhi line clarity
Run a fine pin along a mukhi line from top to bottom. On a real bead the line is continuous and natural; on a carved fake the pin will catch or skip.
Surface texture
Real Rudraksha have an irregular, organic surface with small natural bumps and tiny ridges. Machine-altered beads look too smooth or too uniform.
Copper coil test
Place between two copper coils on a smooth surface. A genuine bead should slowly rotate due to subtle electromagnetic properties — though this test is folklore and not conclusive.
X-ray verification
The only certain test. An X-ray reveals the natural seed compartments inside the bead. Fakes show drilled holes filled with paste, or no internal structure.
Our verification process
- 1. Sourcing. Every bead comes from growers we know personally in the Arun, Tamur, and Bhojpur regions. No middlemen.
- 2. First sort. Hand inspection in Kathmandu under daylight. Damaged, hollow, or visually questionable beads are removed.
- 3. Density check. Water test on every bead. Floaters and tilters are returned.
- 4. Mukhi verification. Each bead's mukhi count is confirmed visually and with a fine pin. We never sell a 4-mukhi as a 5-mukhi.
- 5. Photograph. We send you daylight photos of the actual bead in stock before you pay.
- 6. Optional X-ray. For an additional $25 we send the bead to an independent Kathmandu laboratory for X-ray and provide the certificate with your order.
- 7. Lifetime guarantee. If at any point a bead we sold fails third-party authentication, we refund in full. No expiry.