The turquoise you seek…
My Dad had an affinity towards turquoise. If you asked him what his favorite color was (as little kids often do) - the answer was always turquoise blue. All his personal favorite jewelry—rings, bolo ties, belt buckles, etc. were adorned with either turquoise or green jade (his second favorite).
Many others from around the world share a similar love and adoration for turquoise. Unfortunately there are a lot of misinformed jewelry buyers out there- especially when it comes to turquoise. Due to rising costs and scarcity, there are a few different forms of altered turquoise or fakes sold to mimic real turquoise. This is not a problem as long as the buyer is aware of this - but often times we are either misinformed or misled. Much of what you purchase at stores are not authentic turquoise. The first red flag when it comes to imitation turquoise) is the price.
Stabilized Turquoise:
Turquoise Chalk is stabilized or enhanced to improve the color and density. Stabilized turquoise costs much less than natural turquoise and can be produced in large quantities. Epoxies are added via pressure to the low grade turquoise chalk infusing it with plastic. Some are also color enhanced depending on the color and quality of the turquoise chalk.
Depending on the application of the stone, sometimes this is the best choice to ensure stability and color that will not fade or change over time.
Reconstituted Turquoise:
Is created when fragments of turquoise are crushed into powder and mixed with epoxy.
Imitation or Block Turquoise:
Dyed Plastic materials or other stones such as Howlite. Howlite is a white stone that has black mineral veins that are similar to that of turquoise but they are imitation and are the cheapest on the market.
If you would like to know more about the history of turquoise and mining, please read this article from geology.com:
Turquoise information on Geology.com
A brief video about fake turquoise:
Maxine Brimm, Curator of Archaeology (Museum of Indian Arts and Culture)
It's estimated that over 90-95% of the turquoise on the market today has been stabilized or enhanced. Sometimes buying stabilized turquoise if the best choice depending on its application. If authenticity is important to you, rest assured that we offer beautiful, rare and genuine turquoise from quality mines.
Buying Turquoise Jewelry from a reputable and informed artist or business is the safest bet when buying turquoise jewelry.
