Some of it has copper or black colored lines (fake matrix) on the surface of it, most of this product is dyed magnesite or something of that sort, not turquoise at all. That is the basics of turquoise in a very general way.įor the past few years, there are all kinds of dyed blue, white, pink, orange, red, etc., stone coming out of China that is labeled as stabilized turquoise. Natural turquoise: Untreated, high-grade, gem quality used mainly in cabochons, high to medium used in cabochons and occasionally made into beads. In the store, you can find natural North American and Chinese Turquoise. Medium to low-grade material can be used in jewelry if it is stabilized.
GEM QUALITY TURQUOISE SKIN
Medium to high grade is often natural but will change in color from skin oils. Only a very small percentage of all turquoise mined is considered gem grade material, that is is both hard enough to work and also holds its color. The minerals from the oils in your skin will penetrate the turquoise over time and alter its color. Turquoise that is not gem grade (which only about 5% is) is more porous. It makes the lesser quality turquoise stronger so it can be used in jewelry, it makes turquoise beads less expensive so more people can afford them, and it keeps the turquoise from changing color as natural turquoise sometimes does when it touches the skin. There is nothing wrong with stabilization as long as it is disclosed. This is the turquoise they threw away back in the 1960's and early 70's. The medium to low-grade turquoise is stabilized and usually, color shot too. So if you see large blue 8 to 10mm natural Sleeping Beauty round beads for less than a thousand dollars there is one clue! When a stone is made into a bead, there is a lot of loss shaping the bead, so normally, the better quality material is not made into beads but more often into cabochons and less often as nuggets. Again someone who knows their turquoise can usually tell if it is Chinese or North American. There is turquoise mined in China that is similar in color to some of the North American mines that some vendors attempt to pass off as turquoise from the US. If I see a strand of beads being sold as North American turquoise and the price is very low, I become very suspect of the true origin. I will start with North American Turquoise.Īmerican turquoise is the most expensive turquoise available and usually sells by the karat if it is high-grade material.
I can share some knowledge that may help navigate the turquoise waters. Buy it from the miners themselves if you can!
GEM QUALITY TURQUOISE HOW TO
You can get a start there, though! My recommendation is only to buy turquoise from someone you trust and who also knows their turquoise and how to identify it. Turquoise identification is something that I think has to be learned over time and exposure to the material. You really can't be taught how to identify turquoise by pictures or in words. Question from a client: On the topic of turquoise you seem to be quite knowledgeable, therefore I was wondering how can I know the difference between the various types of turquoise.
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