Dream Interpretation Udilova 

Red turquoise. How to distinguish natural turquoise from a fake. What is it - pressed turquoise

Forging turquoise began in ancient Egypt - craftsmen painted glass with cobalt, copper and other components with a similar shade. Later, high-quality fakes made of porcelain, bone, etc. appeared. In general, any materials with pigmentation identical to the color of brilliant turquoise were used - they were crushed to a powder state, mixed, pressed and polished to a shine. And today there are numerous fakes of turquoise on the market.


Natural turquoise has a certain hardness, density, color, luminescence, waxy sheen, as well as a certain structure that can only be seen under a microscope - a light blue background is decorated with dark blue discs, as well as small particles of white shades. Artificial turquoise is dominated by bluish particles.


The easiest way to identify a fake, which is made by surface staining of gypsum or plastic. One of the simplest and most proven tests is the hot needle test. Heat the needle on the fire and press on the stone. If the turquoise is synthetic, then the place of contact becomes discolored, or the “stone” is smelted like paraffin.


Often, colored quartz and minerals are given out as turquoise, which look very similar to this stone. Such fakes are much more difficult to recognize. Since natural turquoise has a wide range of physical properties, counterfeit detection is often carried out using X-ray electron microscopy and other professional techniques. Some types of synthetic turquoise are so similar in composition that even experienced professionals have to spend a certain amount of time to distinguish a fake from the original.


But most often, turquoise is imitated from plastic, since this is the cheapest way to fake it. Exposing plastic "turquoise" is quite simple with a needle and a burning match. Although it is worth recognizing that such fakes are distinguished by perfect coloring.

The main ways to determine a fake:

  1. Wipe the stone with a damp cloth - the painted material may leave traces of paint. If the dye is of high quality and has not left a trace, then you can wipe the stone with a cotton swab with alcohol. Some dyes cannot be recognized even with the use of alcohol.
  2. Fake turquoise will turn black and melt when held over a hot match. The plastic will immediately give itself away with the characteristic synthetic smell of burnt plastic.
  3. If you heat native turquoise, then the stone is very likely to crack along the veins, so you need to check very carefully and not overheat the natural crystal.
  4. Painted plastic is easily identified with a regular needle - scratch the stone. If it is easily scratched and sprinkled with chips or white powder, then it is undoubtedly a fake. Natural turquoise is colored throughout the thickness of the stone. And a plastic fake under a thin colored layer will have a light synthetic base.
  5. Painted faience is useless to scratch - chips are not formed, and the needle can even be rubbed against a stone, since the hardness indicators of faience are much higher than the hardness of turquoise. The same result will be obtained if you scratch a fake made on the basis of varieties of chalcedony.
  6. When choosing beads or a bracelet made of turquoise, carefully look at the hole for the thread - if the inside of the beads is lighter or darker than the surface, then this is undoubtedly a fake.


A fake stone almost always deteriorates after checking, so it is better to perform all procedures not from the front, but from the back.

One of the main characteristics of natural turquoise is the size of the stone. In nature, turquoise is found in small pieces. For example, turquoise the size of a walnut is considered a rarity. Large stones are colored unevenly. Therefore, if you have a large stone with a uniform color in front of you, then this is most likely a fake. Although pressed turquoise is quite common, which is made from crumbs of natural stone.

Another important characteristic is the price. Turquoise is a precious stone that is quite rare in nature, so turquoise jewelry cannot be cheap. Hence such a huge number of fakes in the jewelry market.

What is turquoise not made of? Even the painted teeth and bones of fossil animals are used. Sometimes on sale such material is called “bone turquoise”. Very often, stones similar in color are offered instead of real turquoise. Most often it is chalcosiderite, as well as dozens of types of stones with different unfamiliar names, which are significantly inferior to the original in terms of characteristics.


The highest quality substitute for turquoise is turkvenite. It is close in its characteristics to natural turquoise, but has a strong porcelain luster.

Turquoise characteristics

One large piece of rock can produce many uniformly colored turquoise stones.

According to its composition, it belongs to the aqueous phosphates of copper and aluminum, which can be partially replaced by oxide iron. Turquoise colors vary from bluish to greenish tones. The most attractive is blue turquoise without visible inclusions. The advantage of such stones is a harmonious combination with a gold frame. But often turquoise is processed with the parent rock, so it often contains various inclusions. By the nature of the inclusions, the following varieties of turquoise are distinguished: veined, patterned, interspersed, cobweb (net). Turquoise is opaque, but gem-quality stones show through in thin layers. Turquoise has a waxy luster and density on the Mohs Scale within 5-6 units. The density of turquoise is from 2.6 to 2.75. This mineral is very fragile, it is not recommended to heat it above 200 degrees Celsius. The uneven density of turquoise causes increased porosity in less dense samples. Therefore, the properties of turquoise depend on its quality. Highly porous turquoise is exceptionally matte, it is almost not polished, if it is processed, it is almost always impregnated.

The name of this mineral, known since antiquity, is of Persian origin. It is formed from "firuza", which means "stone of happiness". Someone suggests that the root is in another Persian word - piroza - "victory". The British call turquoise - turquoise - having changed the French phrase pierre turquoise - in Russian it sounds like "Turkish stone".

Brooch and polished turquoise beads from the Arizona Sleeping Beauty Mine. Turquoise of this color and smooth surface is most valued by collectors.

The Aztecs considered turquoise to be the petrified tears of the heavenly goddess. Turquoise was for them a symbol of health, prosperity and love. The Spaniards of the times of the Conquista called turquoise the "Aztec stone". But among the Mexican Indians, turquoise was the "stone of war", it was used to encrust the skulls of defeated enemies. Today, such exhibits are on display at the New York Museum of North American Indians. For some of these tribes, fragments of turquoise played the role of money.

Blue sky turquoise is considered "young", this color causes the presence of copper ions. For its bright blue color, turquoise was naturally called the "heavenly stone". Turquoise with a greenish tint is considered "old". This shade is given to the stone by iron compounds, sometimes coloring the mineral in yellowish-green or apple-green shades. Turquoise is generally resistant to light fading, but heat can change its color and damage the surface layer.

The ancient Egyptians already 6000 years ago carved scarab figurines symbolizing the world from turquoise.

The Aztecs inlaid ritual masks on her. American Indians carved animal figurines from the mineral - amulets of successful hunting.

The quality of turquoise is evaluated based on three parameters: color, surface texture and the presence or absence of a matrix - inclusions of the parent rock. Medium intensity blue is considered the most valuable, although some buyers prefer greenish blue, and modern designers boldly include avocado and lime green turquoise in jewelry models. Most varieties of turquoise do not have inclusions of the parent rock, but there are samples on the surface of which, as it were, variegated or dark spots are located, and sometimes thin veins connect them, forming, as it were, a spider web. Such stones, due to their relative rarity, also attract collectors. Most often, turquoise is given the shape of a cabochon, round beads, less often - the shape of a walnut, but they are never cut, but only polished. In Arab and Persian countries, stones of excellent quality are sometimes set in gold.

Turquoise imitations

As early as the 16th century, Agricola wrote about the ease of counterfeiting turquoise. Today, the most common way to fake turquoise is to press blue-dyed aluminum phosphate.

They have a very similar appearance to real turquoise and the corresponding density and hardness. However, unlike natural stone, these fakes melt already in the flame of a soldering torch. "Pressed" turquoise is made from slightly colored or loose turquoise. The raw material is crushed and then pressed with polystyrene resin. There are also imitations made of painted fired plaster or alabaster. "Viennese" turquoise is produced by joint crushing, heating and pressing a mixture of malachite, aluminum hydroxide and phosphoric acid.

Fraudsters do not stop trying to enhance the color of turquoise by impregnating it with Prussian blue. But turquoise has only surface permeability, it is not difficult to detect this artificial coloring on the surface of the "improved" one.

Low-quality turquoise is often impregnated with paraffin or wax, hiding the imperfections of the polish. In the past, ondolite, a fossil ivory, was often passed off as turquoise. You should know that the minerals variscite and lazulite occasionally show similarities with turquoise; both are copper-free hydrous aluminum phosphates. The density of lazulite is higher (about 3.1) and that of variscite is lower (about 2.4) than that of turquoise. It is also often passed off as a dyed howlite from California.

Fans of cheap jewelry should be aware that there are many materials in the world that imitate their favorite gossamer turquoise. The binding mass in them is synthetic plastics or colloidal silica.

Synthetic (artificial) turquoise

The real artificial variety of turquoise was not known until 1972, when P. Gilson opened the production of his synthetic turquoise. Unlike alexandrite, turquoise has never been expensive, so the main motive for its synthesis cannot be commercial.

This turquoise has undergone a detailed analysis by Robert Webster. He noted that the color of the synthetic sample is more similar to the turquoise of American origin than to the higher-quality Iranian one. The grain structure of artificial turquoise is easily different from the structure of a natural mineral. Its characteristic feature is the formation of blue particles on a whitish background. However, the researcher added that Gilson's material has a very pleasant appearance and is also suitable for high-end polishing. Gilson's untreated artificial turquoise in medium blue (Cleopatra brand) and intense blue (Farah brand) is sold depending on its quality at a price between 135 - 750 US dollars per kilogram of raw material. Polished faux turquoise beads cost $8 per carat, six times the price of high-quality natural turquoise.

Turquoise deposits

This photo shows inclusions of turquoise in an Iranian parent rock.

Turquoise deposits are located in the countries of the former USSR - Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan. They are also present in the Caucasus, in Iran. In the United States, turquoise is found in Clark and Esmeralda counties, Nevada, Lake, Saguache, Mineral, and Coneyos counties of Colorado, San Bernardino county, California, Culberson county, Texas, and Los Cerrillos and Jerilla counties, New Mexico; good crystals are also mined in Virginia. There are deposits in Chile, Ethiopia, Australia, China (in the region of Tibet), Israel. Turquoise, mined in the Sinai Peninsula, was called "Egyptian" in the past. Serabit al-Khadem and Wadi Mogara are considered ancient mining areas there.

The most beautiful blue turquoise comes from mines located in the vicinity of Nishapur in the province of Khorsan in Iran. It occurs in the same rock as limonite, which fills cracks and voids in brecciated porphyritic trachytes. If the fragments of turquoise are very small, then in these cases they are not processed separately, but are sawn together with the accompanying limonite and sold as spider turquoise.

Natural turquoise is a fairly common mineral, although high quality specimens are rare.

Mystical properties of turquoise

Turquoise of excellent quality, like a blue fresh spring sky, sets you in an optimistic mood.

In the Middle Ages, turquoise was revered as a strong amulet against poison. Modern myth-making prescribes it to brave people, fighters against evil. Turquoise jewelry corresponds in character to warriors - those who are ready to take risks for victory. Since ancient times, turquoise has been used to encrust the guards of knives and swords. Jewelry with turquoise characterizes a person as a fearless warrior, strong in spirit and impudent. It was believed that a turquoise stone around the neck would protect the rider from falling. Also, according to legend, turquoise improves the eye of an arrow or a hunter, so bows used to be decorated with pieces of turquoise, and in our time - guns. Turquoise, according to the beliefs of financiers, ensures success in money matters. They say that turquoise maintains peace in the family, eliminates the causes of marital quarrels, so once in Russia they even cut out turquoise.

Turquoise is a stone of Taurus and Sagittarius, the planets Jupiter and Venus. It is categorically contraindicated for virgins.

The healing properties of turquoise

Turquoise has Yin energy. Sky-blue turquoise is recognized as the most active. If the decoration from it has become dull, then this may indicate the onset of the disease. Turquoise improves eyesight, banishes insomnia, relieves nightmares, and soothes headaches.

Indian lithotherapists call turquoise the most important stimulator of the throat chakra, this mineral, according to them, has a positive effect on the vocal cords, as well as on the thyroid gland. Mongolian lamas recognized turquoise as an indicator of human health: its color reflects the state of the owner.

A fading or green stone can serve as the first signal of an onset of the disease (but remember that the color of the stone deteriorates under the influence of soap, alcohols and alcohol perfumes, fats). It is assumed that the color of turquoise can be restored if it is worn by a perfectly healthy person with a strong aura. Only real turquoise has healing natural properties. Its imitations and artificial stones do not give any effect.

Elwell D. Artificial gems. - M.: Mir, 1986.

  • Reed P. Gemology. - M.: Mir, 2003.
  • http://www.gia.edu/

    • How to distinguish natural turquoise from a fake?

    Paradoxically, all over the world, turquoise mines are steadily reducing production due to depletion, and the number of products with "turquoise" and the size of inserts in jewelry is constantly increasing. For example, since the late 60s of the XX century, Uzbekistan has been the main supplier of turquoise for the jewelry industry of the USSR. As of 2011, according to the author, turquoise is not mined in Uzbekistan at all.

    A couple of decades ago, when buying jewelry made of turquoise, no one could even imagine that the product might contain not a natural stone, but an imitation. Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, the opposite picture is observed - most buyers have no doubt that any bright blue inserts in jewelry are real turquoise, and everything else is unknown, but certainly not it: “We don’t know real turquoise !?”… This is hardly surprising. We delight in chemically-derived flavors, consume genetically engineered foods, dress in oil-derived clothing. The world has become synthetic and artificial to such an extent that the muffled and refined naturalness is rejected by us as imperfection.

    I was prompted to write an article about turquoise by numerous notes on various sites, controversy on forums, differences in terminology and translations, “educational” opuses from stone sellers, “explaining” what is considered real and what is not, where everyone tries to whitewash their own and denigrate competitors. Unfortunately, most of the information in the virtual space brings us little closer to answering the question: what is in front of us, the beauty of nature or the human mind? I want to warn you, in this article, as well as in any other, you will also not find a definite answer. Nevertheless, I hope that the information given here will help you navigate this complex issue and help you avoid misconceptions and gross mistakes when choosing jewelry.

    So, turquoise, a charming stone more than other gems, surrounded by a halo of mystical beliefs and endless quackery.

    Properties.

    Turquoise is one of the most variable minerals. We all know and use the word “turquoise” in relation to color, but we don’t think about how incompletely it characterizes the color of natural turquoise. Indeed, in addition to the classic turquoise, there is white, blue, green, salad, yellow, brown turquoise, as well as various intermediate shades and color combinations. The color of turquoise can vary within a single deposit and even within a single piece of raw material.

    In addition to uniformly colored, turquoise is found with color transitions, inclusions, a network of other minerals - the so-called "turquoise matrix".

    Sometimes the host rock gives turquoise its own tone - reddish, black, brown or darker shades of green and blue. Such motley turquoise is highly valued, first of all, by collectors, netted turquoise, as well as stones with a host rock, heterogeneous and variable-colored, becomes less and less every year.

    Turquoise is the brightest and most intense "turquoise" color in the global gemstone market and is considered ideal. The color of such turquoise is called "royal blue" ("Royal Blue"). The vast majority of deposits in the world do not contain such turquoise at all, and only in some mines it is found in an amount of no more than 100 grams per ton (!) of a lower grade. Nevertheless, almost all turquoise produced is used, regardless of quality. Of course, no one uses a chalk-like substance of an indeterminate pale color in jewelry. Such raw materials are either "improved" (stabilized) or used as a basis for the production of the so-called reduced turquoise.
    In addition to color, turquoise differs in density and hardness. Usually these two characteristics are related. That is, the higher the hardness, the denser the stone and the higher it is valued. It is clear that harder stones will be less scratched and worn out during the operation of jewelry.
    Another property is porosity. To one degree or another, it is inherent in any turquoise. Of course, monolithic aggregates are less porous and therefore valued more.

    Due to its porous structure, turquoise is able to absorb fats, oils and liquids and change color at the same time, which, apparently, gave rise to legends about the variability of the stone when changing hands. From the point of view of physics, there is no mysticism in this. Each owner of jewelry has his own habits, and therefore, when one person, for example, is constantly in contact with liquids, the turquoise in his ring will be saturated with moisture and, accordingly, will be darker. If the ring has a more “dry” owner, then after some time the stone will evaporate the internal moisture and fade. Why not a script for a superstitious story?
    It is worth noting that the color saturation of natural turquoise in jewelry will change in any case, depending on the wearing style and habits of the wearer. In the Middle Ages, turquoise was called the "butcher's stone" due to the fact that people who came into contact with animal fat had the juiciest turquoise jewelry. Apparently, this observation further contributed to the emergence of processes for improving the quality of stones by impregnation.

    Since ancient times, turquoise mining has not been able to cover the high demand for the stone. And at all times, merchants indulged in all sorts of tricks to improve the quality and cost of goods. History has not preserved the names of the "inventors" who once came up with methods for improving the appearance of turquoise raw materials, but now many of these ancient methods have been developed with modern technology. Nowadays, turquoise raw materials are impregnated with paraffin and wax, acrylic paints and epoxy resins, bombarded with electrons and boiled in autoclaves…

    The processes for improving turquoise are numerous and are applied depending on the quality of the raw material. Usually manufacturers are not inclined to share technological secrets with competitors and therefore in many cases are limited to only mentioning changes without going into details. The international gemstone market has developed a terminology for how turquoise has been exposed to.

    Terminology.

    Natural turquoise (natural turquoise).

    Stone without changing the chemical composition and without any manipulations to change the hardness, color, porosity. Those. a stone that was found in nature and shaped according to the master's intent. In addition to turning, grinding and polishing, the stone is not subjected to any processing. Natural turquoise, due to its natural porosity, to one degree or another, may change color over time due to the absorption of oils and fats upon contact with the human body and the environment.

    Stabilized turquoise.

    Natural stone that has been chemically modified to reduce porosity. The purpose of the stabilization process is to prevent further discoloration of the stone due to unwanted absorption and subsequent leaching/evaporation of fats and liquids. As a result of stabilization, the color of the stone becomes more saturated. The effect is similar to the brightening of the color of, for example, a fabric when wet, or the darkening of a wood surface when wet. Stabilization by impregnation with wax, fats or oils has been used since ancient times. And until now, paraffin impregnation is one of the most accessible methods for improving the external characteristics of natural raw materials. In industrial conditions, impregnation with epoxy resin or polystyrene is more often used.

    Ennobled or improved turquoise (“color-treated turquoise)”, “color-enhanced turquoise”, “color-infused turquoise” - an approximate translation: “color impregnation”, “color improvement”, “soaking in dye”).

    Natural turquoise impregnated with a coloring chemical to enhance the color. In some cases, in addition to the dye, substances that increase the hardness of the stone are added to the composition of the impregnation. Refined turquoise usually looks more juicy, often with a characteristic plastic sheen. Processes of ennoblement and stabilization are close. Both in the first and in the second case, the porosity of turquoise and the ability to absorb chemical compounds are used. Sometimes in American publications impregnation with oil or paraffin (wax) is separated into a separate refining method (waxing and oiling), and impregnation with dye is called staining (dyeing).

    Reconstituted or pressed turquoise (reconstituted turquoise) - is practically not produced at the present time (editor's note - 05.2014).

    These are turquoise chips, substandard fragments and other turquoise waste, bound with epoxy resin or polystyrene and pressed into pieces suitable for processing. Often, a dye is added to the binder polymer.

    Synthetic turquoise (synthetic turquoise).

    Nowadays, it is difficult to find a gemstone that has not been synthesized in the laboratory. In some cases, synthetic stones are practically indistinguishable from their natural counterparts either in chemical composition or in physical properties. It happens that the cost of synthetic analogues is commensurate with the cost of natural stones. This is due to the fact that many synthesis processes are very laborious, and some are unprofitable for obtaining jewelry raw materials.
    Let us recall at least the history of the synthesis of diamonds. The Swedes first obtained synthetic diamonds back in 1953, but gem-quality diamonds were synthesized in the USSR only in the late 1960s, and profitable synthetics were brought to the diamond market only in the early 2000s by US manufacturers.

    Attempts to synthesize turquoise also have a long history. Here is what you can read about this in the book by T.I. Menchinsky "Turquoise":
    “Synthetic turquoise was first obtained by M. Hoffmann in Germany in 1927. In terms of hardness, density and chemical composition, it practically corresponds to natural turquoise. In 1972, synthetic turquoise was obtained in France. This synthetic material is homogeneous, has a beautiful turquoise-blue color and is closest of all synthetic imitations to the best examples of Iranian turquoise. Cabochons made from this man-made turquoise are indistinguishable from natural turquoise even with precise examination. [...] In terms of basic physical properties, artificial turquoise is identical to natural varieties. Differences exist in the microstructure. [...]
    Synthetic turquoise, almost indistinguishable from natural, was obtained in the late 70s. at the All-Union Research Institute for the Synthesis of Mineral Raw Materials E.E. Lisitsina. Both homogeneous varieties of bright blue color of various shades and varieties with characteristic textural features, close to reticulated or cobweb turquoise, are synthesized. The chemical composition of this turquoise is similar to natural.

    Distinguishing synthetic turquoise from natural is not an easy task. Indeed, in addition to the same appearance, they are identical in chemical composition and physical properties. The only reassurance is the fact that synthetics are actually turquoise. That is, a real mineral, and not a hoax.

    The above methods for improving and synthesizing turquoise are based on manipulations with a natural mineral or a raw material synthesized in strict accordance with the natural formula, and therefore, in the author's opinion, the term "turquoise" is applicable to them. Below are descriptions of imitations based on which there is no natural turquoise as such at all, and therefore the use of the name of this mineral in them is an outright deception and is intended to mislead gullible and ignorant buyers.

    Imitation of turquoise with other minerals (imitation turquoise).

    Some minerals are similar to turquoise in appearance and can therefore be passed off as turquoise in jewelry. Of these, one can mention fostite, rashleichite, variscite, chrysocolla and others. The list of similar minerals is quite extensive and readers can search the Internet for possible imitations.

    Some minerals are able, like turquoise, to absorb chemical compounds. This allows you to create imitations by coloring. One of the most famous imitating minerals is howlite (synonyms: silicoborocalcite, kaulite, turquenite). It is a white or grayish-white mineral, sometimes with brown or black streaks similar to a turquoise matrix. It is easy to color and therefore is widely used in the form of imitations of turquoise, other jewelry and ornamental stones, as well as corals. Howlite imitations are very similar to natural turquoise. Usually gives a more juicy color and low price.

    There are imitations of a complex composition, such as "Viennese turquoise" - a mixture of malachite with aluminum hydroxide and phosphoric acid; neolithic or turquoise Riza - imitation of turquoise with host rock made of artificial bayerite - a by-product of aluminum production; neo-turquoise - an imitation of turquoise made from gibbsite and copper phosphate.

    According to my observations, mineralogical imitations are becoming less and less common nowadays, due to the victorious march of artificial turquoise from polymer and ceramic substitutes.

    Artificial turquoise (simulated turquoise).

    A material similar to turquoise only in color. Usually plastic, ceramics, glass, enamel are used as replacements. Artificial turquoise is a product of chemical manipulations, which does not make sense to discuss within the framework of the article.
    It is worth recognizing that the vast majority of crafts with bright blue "turquoise" inserts - jewelry, beads, beads, brooches, souvenirs - on the price tags of which the term "turquoise" proudly flaunts have nothing to do with either turquoise or minerals in general.

    Buying turquoise.

    The decision to buy this or that product with turquoise or imitation is made by everyone. Someone prefers only natural stones, for someone the color or size is more important and it does not matter what processing the natural raw materials have undergone. Well, for some, the low price and flashiness of the product is primary, and it doesn’t matter at all what it is made of. The ignorance and tastelessness of consumers encourages manufacturers to create frank mass consumer goods from chemical production waste and cheap raw materials of dubious origin. Alas, we ourselves form the offer with our underestimated demand, and then we try to find pearls in the mountains of garbage ...

    When buying, you need to understand that purchasing products from natural turquoise, or at least from improved turquoise raw materials, is not an easy task. Usually, when selling jewelry, sellers refer to product label data that cannot be fully trusted. Firstly, information about gemstones in large jewelry stores is not checked, but simply copied from accompanying documents. At the same time, stones from mining to a jewelry store pass through many hands, and it is almost impossible to establish at what stage and by whom the gemological certification was carried out, authenticity, grade, value were determined. Secondly, there is no proper international control over the gem market, and sellers have a natural desire to change the characteristics in their favor. Thirdly, experience, professional knowledge and special equipment are needed to determine the quality and authenticity of stones. And even if the store employs a professional gemologist, its technical equipment may not be enough to establish the authenticity and quality of the stone. In addition, a full-time gemologist is more interested in the well-being of the employer, and not in establishing the truth.

    There are special independent certification centers in the world, which carry out a comprehensive check of jewelry stones with the issuance of a certificate. Gemological certificates are the guarantor of the authenticity and value of the stone. Often an examination is done on a batch of stones if they have not yet been set.

    Unfortunately, there is no unambiguous methodology by which one could distinguish natural turquoise from fakes and improvements, but with some experience and care, obvious misunderstandings can be avoided when buying jewelry. Often a cursory examination of the mineral is enough to distinguish the natural originality from the stereotyped imitation. In other cases, complex gemological expertise is required to establish the truth. I will give some indirect signs that allow you to distinguish natural stone from imitations.

    Price.

    Natural turquoise cannot be cheap. In the mineralogical and jewelry markets, the price of natural turquoise varies from tens to several hundreds of dollars per 1 carat (0.2 grams) and strongly depends on the quality of the raw material. The richer the color, the more uniform the color and the more homogeneous the fragment, the more expensive the stone. The cost of stabilized and refined turquoise is lower than natural turquoise with similar external properties. When buying products, this can be used as an indirect sign.

    As a rule, high-grade turquoise is used in expensive jewelry in combination with gold and diamonds. With silver, either natural turquoise of lower quality, or stabilized, improved or restored, is used.
    It is naïve to assume that beads made of single-coloured large blue stones with the inscription "turquoise" on the label priced under $1,000 contain natural turquoise. At best, this is a mineralogical imitation, at worst, ceramics or plastic.

    A few words about turquoise of lower grades. Typically, such turquoise is traditionally used in the national products of the American Indians, in Tibetan jewelry, in handicrafts of the craftsmen of the Middle East and Central Asia. It can be natural turquoise with uneven and “non-standard” color, reticulated, interspersed with host rock, etc. Sometimes such turquoise looks very original, at the same time it has a relatively low price and, most importantly, it was born by nature. Example - Turquoise in silver Tibet

    The size of the stones.

    To meet a large fragment of high-quality turquoise is a great success. Inserts made of high-grade natural turquoise cannot be large. Fragments the size of a walnut or more are exceedingly rare. Large fragments are usually unevenly colored and are either sawn into smaller uniformly colored pieces, or ennobled by any of the above methods. If in an expensive product there is a uniformly colored stone of rich turquoise color the size of an almond, then most likely it is ennobled, synthetic or restored turquoise. In turn, turquoise with uneven coloration, spotted, reticulated, interspersed with rocks, etc. usually used in the form of large inserts, allowing one fragment to show all the shades of an unusual natural mineral.


    Color.

    The richer the color, the more likely it is, at best, a refined or synthetic turquoise, at worst, a plastic imitation. The most expensive first-class turquoise has a uniform rich color. More pale is valued lower. Large and uniform stones of non-classical coloration can also have a high cost, especially collectible samples. According to the author, products made from natural turquoise of uneven color sometimes look more advantageous than plain turquoise stones, which raise doubts about their authenticity and are associated with cheap imitations or chemical improvements.

    "Presumption of Guilt".

    To paraphrase the folk miner's postulate - "if you doubt that you have gold in front of you, then it's definitely not gold", - you should not consider any turquoise natural, the naturalness of which you doubt. If you are assured otherwise, then offer to provide evidence or ask permission to test the stone.

    Unfortunately, it is much more difficult to identify stabilized and synthetic turquoise or mineral imitations. Without special laboratory tests, this is not always possible even for a professional gemologist.

    Conclusion.

    According to the author, even the most nondescript, but natural stones are much more valuable than refined and altered minerals. Natural stone is a part of nature - natural, unique, unique. It is impossible to find two identical stones, since nature is not capable of unification and replication, unlike a person who, by his actions, tries to improve the creation of nature, make it outwardly perfect and ... depersonalize a stone, bringing it closer in appearance to a piece of colored plastic.

    According to the International Gem Society, only 0.1% of the turquoise mined in the world belongs to the highest grade, and less than 3% of turquoise jewelry contains natural turquoise. Therefore, one should not flatter oneself about jewelry stones in jewelry that filled the markets of the post-Soviet space. Surely the statistics of the ratio of natural stones to all kinds of imitations and fakes is even sadder here. The range of products with "blue stones" is large and continues to expand, and we can conclude that buyers are not interested in the naturalness and naturalness of natural beauty, but rather in brightness, size and price. Demand, as you know, generates supply and the desire to satisfy this demand in any way, even dishonest. That is why this unnatural blue in all kinds of jewelry on the shelves of jewelry and tinsel stores, offered at bargain prices.

    In jewelry stores, I have only a few times encountered products with natural or outwardly indistinguishable synthetic turquoise. They were gold jewelry with a corresponding price. The vast majority of jewelry and products with "turquoise" inserts, sold both in reputable stores and souvenir shops, have nothing in common with natural stone.
    What about lovers of the refined natural beauty of natural stones and connoisseurs of art products of true masters and honest jewelers? Alas, there is no single answer to this question. We can only advise you to be careful. Do not buy jewelry and gems in dubious places, ask for a certificate, consult with experts and connoisseurs ...

    Article about turquoise fakes on our website - Turquoise fakes

    List of used literature:

    1. Menchinskaya T.I., Turquoise, ed. 2. - M.: Nedra, 1989

    2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turquoise

    3. http://www.mindat.org/min-4060.html

    4. http://www.skystonetrading.com

    5. State Committee for Geology of the Republic of Uzbekistan, State Enterprise "Geological Museum".

    6. Sergey Denin, http://protey-wood.com/

    The first to imitate turquoise were the Egyptians. Interestingly, fake turquoise was made in ancient Egypt, where craftsmen used glass dyed with cobalt, as well as a sinter of calcium carbonate, soda, silica and copper components to make a material similar to turquoise, as early as the 5th millennium BC.

    Later, crafts made of colored glass and porcelain appeared; from bone impregnated with copper salts, painted plastic masses (first - galalite and celluloid), and other simple imitations.

    Blue and blue material of different tones was sometimes ground into powder and then pressed together with powder or crumb of natural turquoise, achieving a "natural" heterogeneity of the stone.

    Natural turquoise differs from its imitating minerals and other materials in its physical properties.(hardness, density, color, luminescence, wax luster, etc.). Under the microscope, the surface structure of natural turquoise has a characteristic appearance: dark blue discs or whitish fragments and inclusions are observed against a light blue background.

    In synthetic turquoise, at sufficiently high magnification, angular blue particles are observed against a lighter background. The absorption line characteristic of natural turquoise is absent in the absorption spectra of synthetic turquoise and imitations. The hot needle test can reveal ennobled turquoise: paraffin is melted at the point where the hot needle is touched or the stone becomes discolored. Plastics and resins from a hot needle melt.

    Synthetic turquoise differs from natural texture (under a microscope) and different nature of interaction with dilute HCl.

    Since turquoise is characterized by a fairly wide range of physical properties, it is identified by a comprehensive study using X-ray, spectral (in the IR and visible regions) methods and electron microscopy (platy-prismatic microcrystals are observed).

    Today, artificial turquoise for jewelry is used most often. It is made from copper aluminophosphates, dyed synthetic plastics and ceramic materials with coloring additives (sometimes natural turquoise waste is used as additives), and chrysocolla, variscite and blue-colored howlite serve as an imitation.

    The situation is especially difficult (with regard to the definition of imitation and fake) with turquoise, since it is counterfeited not only by surface staining of plastics and gypsum, but similar minerals are also painted, for example, howlite and various quartzes. Now they have even learned how to create synthetic turquoise, which is very similar in composition to natural, and even experienced gemologists cannot accurately identify it.

    So, at first - you need to carefully consider the holes-holes (turquoise is porous): if the material inside the hole is white, it is a fake.

    You can rub the stone with a damp cloth and see if the paint remains on the fabric, but this is not very reliable - the dye can be strong. Or try a good rub with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. If the stone is colored, the fleece will get dirty. But this method reveals only superficial cheap painting.

    You can hold turquoise over a match: if it turns black and melts, if a characteristic plastic smell appears, then this is plastic under the guise of turquoise. All actions must be carried out from the back of the stone, since basically the check results in damage to the stone.

    Try scratching the turquoise with a needle. If the stone is not scratched, but a needle is erased on it, then you most likely have an imitation made of faience, glass or chalcedony (when the hardness of the stone is more than 5.5 according to Mohs, this cannot be the case for turquoise).

    If turquoise scratches too easily, with shavings or white powder, it's plastic. White stripes under the top color layer are also doubtful, since natural turquoise is colored throughout the depth.

    Heat the needle and touch the stone. On ennobled turquoise (dyed, impregnated with resins or wax), the color will change at the point of contact or a drop of impregnation will come out. Plastic imitations will start to melt with a characteristic smell of burnt plastic. Odontolith emits the smell of burnt bone.

    A good criterion for the "naturalness and naturalness" of turquoise is its size and price. The size of more than half a centimeter is already quite large inserts, they say that this is either a crumb press or an imitation. Remember that natural jewelry turquoise is a rare and expensive mineral, moreover, it occurs in nature only in small pieces, it is unlikely that beads will be made from it.

    The price of a product even with a small insert of natural turquoise starts at an average of $ 200, everything that is cheaper is not turquoise!

    As already mentioned, bones or teeth of fossil animals can also serve as a substitute for turquoise. They are stained with iron or copper salts. When stained with iron, it turns blue, and it will be green when stained with copper. Such bones are well cut, polished, and products from them are often sold as turquoise. So, if you see such an incomprehensible name - bone turquoise, or western turquoise, be sure that this has little to do with natural turquoise.

    Today there is many stones sold under the guise of turquoise. The most commonly offered are chalcosiderite, alumochalcosiderite, raschleite, fostite (faustite), vardite, variscite, chrysocolla, dontolite, stellarite, etc. Many of them are inferior to turquoise in quality. Dyed howlite (silicoborocalcite), much brighter, lighter and softer than turquoise. Often offered from the USA, quartz and colored chalcedony are more transparent and have a lower density.

    But some of the "understudy-analogues" have good characteristics. For example, turkvenite is a very worthy substitute for turquoise (its deposits are severely depleted), surpassing even ennobled turquoise in some characteristics. It does not crack from heating, does not change color, is not afraid of water and light. In essence, turquoise differs from turquoise only in its porcelain luster (as opposed to the waxy or silky luster characteristic of natural turquoise).

    Variscite and lazulite

    Variscite and lazulite are minerals similar to turquoise; both are hydrous aluminum phosphates but contain no copper. The density of lazulite is 3.1 g / cm3 (more than that of turquoise), hardness - 5.5, refractive index 1.61 - 1.64. Sometimes lazulite is called "blue spar". Unlike cryptocrystalline turquoise, it is represented by a fine-grained material.

    Variscite has a density of about 2.4, hardness - 4 - 5, refractive index up to 1.57. Coloring green, dark green, blue, yellow. Glass luster. Forms crusts, nodules, rarely octahedral crystals. Cleavage is absent. The most common varieties of variscite develop in the form of eyes, which is not typical for turquoise.

    High quality variscite is just as rare as good turquoise, if not rarer.

    Colored minerals:

    painted howlite- silicoborocalcite, lighter and softer than turquoise. The color of the dyed material can be very bright, the price is much lower.

    Stained quartz and chalcedony- a material much cheaper than turquoise, offered by American suppliers. These stones are more transparent than turquoise, lighter (density 2.63 g / cm3), with a lower refractive index - 1.53 and greater hardness (6.5 - 7).

    Organic Compounds:

    Odontolith. In the past, odontolith was often passed off as turquoise - fossil ivory, fossilized teeth or bones of fossil animals, partially replaced by iron or copper phosphates and colored blue and green. Externally, the material is very similar to turquoise. The refractive index of odontolite is 1.57 - 1.63. Hardness 5. Density above 3g/cm3. Boils from hydrochloric acid. Thin sections show the primary organic structure of the mineral.

    A reliable way to separate turquoise from ornamental materials of organic origin is the ability of organics to burn.

    Artificial minerals and materials:

    Successful imitations are obtained by pressing a precipitate of aluminum phosphate dyed blue with copper oleate, since it has almost the same appearance, hardness and density as turquoise. Unlike natural stone, artificial material melts in the flame of a blowpipe.

    "Viennese turquoise"- this is an imitation obtained by joint crushing, heating (more than 100 o C) and pressing mixtures of malachite, aluminum hydroxide and phosphoric acid. The formula of this material is different from turquoise. The hardness of pressed turquoise is about 5. The density is 2.4, when saturated with water it increases to 2.6 g/cm3. Refractive index 1.45. When heated, this fake turns black or fuses into black glass rather than cracking like turquoise.

    "Synthetic Turquoise"(Neolithic) - common since 1957. A stone of a pleasant blue color, sometimes with sinuous veins of the "main mass". This is a mixture of bayerite and copper phosphate, and the bulk is an amorphous iron compound. Bayerite is a by-product of aluminum production, similar in composition to hydrargillite. Hardness about 4. Refractive index 1.55. Density 2.4 g/cm3. Almost the Neolithic is identical to the Viennese turquoise.

    artificial turquoise, consisting of small grains of blue and white material cemented with alkyd resin, was created in 1953 in America. The hardness of this turquoise is about 2.5. Density 1.85 g/cm3. In some samples, the hardness reaches 3.5, and the density is 2.39 g/cm3.

    Glass and enamel- were first used as imitations by the Egyptians for 5 thousand years BC. e. to obtain a material similar to turquoise. Blue glass beads were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun (1350 BC), they were dyed with cobalt. Modern glass beads are also made to look like turquoise. Enamels imitating turquoise are slightly discolored silicate glass with an admixture of a mixture of metal oxides. Most glass imitations have a higher density than natural turquoise.

    Plastic- this is of course the cheapest imitation of turquoise. Cabochons are cast from it, sometimes with a cobweb pattern characteristic of turquoise. But the coloring of plastic products is too perfect. They are lighter, softer, non-porous and without a characteristic waxy sheen, on the contrary, they shine glossy. When using colloidal silica as a binder mass, the density of the resulting material is 2.65.

    Doublet. For turquoise, a doublet of chalcedony and glass is also often given out.

    Currently used in jewelry and synthetic turquoise.

      Let's see what varieties of natural turquoise exist in nature and how they differ?

      Capricious turquoise

      The stone is fragile, brittle, afraid of sunlight, overheating, hypothermia and any chemical reagents. It can be lubricated with animal oil, occasionally washed in water at room temperature.

      What is turquoise?

      Turquoise refers to hydrated copper and aluminum phosphates. It is a semi-precious and ornamental stone with a rich color palette ranging from azure blue to pale green. Opaque, has a waxy sheen.

      It occurs in clusters of round nodules, cryptocrystalline forms, small round grains, veins and crusts similar to plaque. The congregations are streaked with dark veins.

      Turquoise has been highly valued since antiquity, because in the past there were no large deposits. This gave rise to many stories about its origin. In Asia, it was believed that the bones of people who died of unhappy love turn into turquoise. Now turquoise is mined in copper mines as a by-product.

      How does turquoise die?

      The mineral "lives" for a short time - several years. If the stone is handled with care, it can live up to 150 years, but this is a great success and a rarity. That is why in Tibet it was considered a living being in a mineral guise.

      With such properties, turquoise is difficult to process, create jewelry and use it. In its raw form, whole turquoise is now almost impossible to find.

      Stone cutters and jewelers use various methods to strengthen and extend the life of a gem.

      Fortified Turquoise

      Increased softness is characteristic of turquoise rock. Porous, brittle turquoise is impregnated with special transparent resins and compounds, resulting in hardened turquoise. It does not completely get rid of the capricious and inconvenient properties of natural turquoise, it can burn out in the sun, but to a much lesser extent. Modern methods of strengthening the mineral are so perfect that such turquoise does not outwardly differ from natural in any way.

      Ennobled turquoise

      Ennobled turquoise is an "improved" turquoise fortified. Turquoise refining usually means coloring and adding shine to the turquoise rock. Ennobled turquoise is very bright, glossy, has a rich color. Despite the "plastic" appearance, this technological type of turquoise is quite expensive. Only a high-grade mineral is required for its manufacture.

      Pressed turquoise

      Waste of high-grade whole turquoise is used for the production of pressed (restored) turquoise. Turquoise is ground into a powder, and then fastened and pressed with the help of special cements.

      This results in a product that is completely natural, and, moreover, more durable than solid turquoise: resistant to light and temperature effects, durable and cheap.

      When you create jewelry from natural turquoise, handle it with care, do not leave it in direct sunlight, in a humid place. Do not wash it with powders, soaps or other cleaning products in hot water.