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Turquoise Imitations:
How does one select good-quality natural turquoise
and not get caught by natural substitutes or the
multitude of synthetics and imitations that have
infiltrated the industry over the years? Turquoise is
often dyed and stabilized with resins to produce a
harder stone, which retains its color and polish.
Reconstituted turquoise is made from small chips and
"chalk" to which dyes and plastic resin is added. Pure
turquoise is a relatively soft stone ranging between 5
and 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Most turquoise
specimens are cryptocrystalline, meaning that the
crystals can only be seen by a microscope.
Plastic in Turquoise Imitations?
Colored plastic impregnation is used to turn nearly
white, porous stones blue and improve durability. Wax
impregnation seals the pores and deepens the color.
Dyeing with black liquid shoe polish is used to imitate
matrix. Backing thin pieces with epoxy adds thickness
and weight. Turquoise imitations are made of plastic and
may even have an imitation matrix added. Turquoise with
plastic additives can be distinguished from natural
turquoise by its sheen. The hardness of the natural
turquoise stone effects how clearly it reflects light.
Turquoise treated with plastic does not reflect light
well and is also prone to melt when exposed to extreme
heat, such as a lit match. Cavities are filled with an
epoxy mixed with tiny pieces of yellow metal to imitate
pyrite inclusions. Surfaces are coated with lacquer to
add color or disguise dyes. All treatments can be
detected under magnification, with an acetone swab, or
by holding a hot electric needle close to the stone,
causing the enhancement to sweat to the surface of the
stone. Touching a plastic-impregnated stone with a hot
point will give off an acrid smell.
Some Turquoise Treatment is Common
As with the majority of colored stones, transparent and
opaque alike, most turquoise undergoes various
enhancement processes, often to stabilize the material.
Some methods are accepted, others are seen as deceptive,
all are common practices to improve lower-quality
stones.
There's a "clear treat" in which acrylic resin but no
color is added. Then there's a "color treat" with epoxy
resin and color. The important thing to understand is
that treatments must exist or there won't be enough
turquoise for the market.
How to Tell Original Turquoise from Fake?
Of all the natural substitutes, there are a few
common culprits. To distinguish between these and natural turquoise, it
is always good to know a bit of gemology.Turquoise is often imitated by
"fakes" such as the mineral chrysocolla. This is actually a part of the
chalcedony group of stones, in which the mineral chrysocolla is finely
disseminated, giving the chalcedony an intense medium blue green
color...
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more...
Chinese Turquoise
Chinese turquoise today is usually stabilized meaning it is epoxied. A
side effect of the process is that stabilized stone is less likely to
absorb lotions and body oils, which may change the color of the stone
over time. Today China has mines that produce a great deal of turquoise.
Northwest of Shanghai is the Ma'ashan turquoise mine, and the Hubei
Province produces turquoise in colors reminiscent of the now closed
mines in Nevada. This turquoise ranges in color from sky blue to spring
green as well. Today there are no known producing mines. Turquoise from
mines in China accounts for about 80% of the stone on the U.S. market
today, due to the scarcity of American turquoise. Only a handful of
turquoise mines in the American southwest are commercially operating...
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How to Care for Turquoise
Turquoise is a naturally porous gemstone and
as a result it can suffer from color change if it is not cared for
properly. Exposure to oils, perfumes, cosmetics, chemicals, high
heat, and direct sunlight can all affect the color of this gemstone;
therefore, it is essential that you avoid prolonged exposure of your
turquoise jewelry to those elements. It is also recommended that
you clean your turquoise jewelry with warm soapy water and a soft cloth
– thoroughly drying the gemstone immediately after washing. When
storing your turquoise jewelry, remember to keep your turquoise jewelry
separate from your other jewelry to avoid scratches...
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What is Blue Turquoise?
Turquoise is formed by the action of
percolating groundwater in aluminous rocks where copper is present, as
in the vicinity of copper deposits. Turquoise is rare and valuable in
finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for
thousands of years owing to its unique hue. In recent times turquoise,
like most other opaque gems, has been devalued by the introduction of
treatments, imitations, and synthetics onto the market, some difficult
to detect even by experts. Turquoise is one of the world's earliest-used
gem materials. Ranked with the jades of the Orient and lapis in the Near
East, turquoise has been revered for thousands of years...
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The Origin of the Name
The name means "Turkish stone" because the trade route that brought it
to Europe used to come via Turkey. Some say that in the thirteenth
century, Turquoise was named in the mistaken belief that it came from
Turkey. Others say that the name comes from the Persian word for
Turquoise, firouze, since Persia has been a major source of this
gemstone for thousands of years. When turquoise first came to the
attention of man is unknown. There are archeological as well as literary
references that pre date the Christian era by five millennia. The word
“turquoise” is also believed to have been derived from the German term
“turkisher steins” which means “Turkish stones”.
History of Turquoise
Turquoise is one of the oldest known gem
materials. The Egyptians were mining turquoise in the Sinai as early as
5,500 BC. Turquoise was worn by Pharaohs and Aztec Kings. Its prized
blue color, is so distinctive that its name is used to describe any
color that resembles it. Pre-Columbian Indians used turquoise for beads
and pendants. From,500 BC Burial grounds, in Central America and Mexico.
Teeth were found decorated with turquoise. A tribute to early dentistry
as well as a different idea for adornment. It was also extensively used
around 200 BC, by both southwestern US Native Americans and by many of
the Indian tribes in Mexico. The Anasazi and Hohokam mined turquoise...
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Turquoise Facts
Turquoise came in Europe through Turkey, but
its origin was Persia, where it has been mined for thousands of years.
The blue color of turquoise was thought to have powerful metaphysical
properties by many ancient cultures. In ancient Mexico, turquoise was
reserved for the gods and could not be worn by mere mortals. In Asia,
turquoise was considered as effective protection against the evil eye.
In Tibet even today, turquoise is by far the most popular of all
materials used for personal adornment, and still play an important part
in religious ceremonies...
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Turquoise Myths
Turquoise has been a treasured gemstone around the world for thousands
of years. It was used for beads by the Egyptians as early as 5500
BC. The deposits in Sinai were already worked out by 4,000 BC. In many
cultures, Turquoise is regarded as a harbinger of good fortune, success
and health. In ancient Persia it was once believed that the wearing of
turquoise talismans would protect the wearer from death. It was
also believed – not only among Persians but also among a number of other
cultures – that a change in the color of the turquoise was a sign of
danger or illness...
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The Lore and Beliefs
The lore, beliefs and myths of turquoise not
just date back to the ancient times, but some people still hold some of
these beliefs today. Good Luck Charm? Because, over the millennia of its
use, much of the world's supply of the stone has come from Persia, the
number of superstitions surrounding Turquoise that originate from Persia
and the surrounding area of the Middle East is great. To begin, Hebrew
tradition states that Isaac opened the first mines in Persia. Having
seen the reflection of the new moon in a stone of Turquoise, a person
was believed to encounter good luck soon, according to Persian lore.
Arabian superstition said it was a lucky stone and that it had good
powers of benevolence. They also attributed the accumulation of wealth
and prosperity with the stone...
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Back to 'All About Turquoise' Summary
Turquoise, the robin's egg blue gemstone worn by Pharaohs and Aztec
Kings, is probably one of the oldest gemstones known. Yet, only its
prized blue color, a color so distinctive that its name is used to
describe any color that resembles it, results in its being used as a
gemstone. The true value of turquoise is in the beauty of the
stone. Buy at the level you can afford and buy what speaks to you, what
you find most attractive. There's no stone like turquoise, and rarely
are two pieces alike...
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What are Turquoise Imitations?
