The turquoise stone is one of the most beautiful and striking gems in menudo; It is highly coveted by mineral collectors and by people who like jewelry made with this deep blue stone. However, its popularity has led to the creation of imitations that can easily fool the most expert eye.
Currently the market for different types of gemstones is plagued with a lot of fake turquoise stones that are being sold at unfair prices. In this post we wrote a brief guide that explains how you can recognize a real turquoise stone and differentiate it from a fake turquoise stone.
How to recognize a real or true turquoise stone?
It is important that you learn to recognize a real turquoise stone, whether it is polished or rough it will retain its physical, optical and chemical properties. Please note that the turquoise stone can appear in colors of sky blue, teal, green and yellowish green; the sky blue variety being the most coveted as a precious stone and in jewelry.
The royal turquoise stone will have a dull, subvitreous, waxy luster when worn. It is a moderately resistant mineral to wear and shock because its hardness on the Mohs scale is from 5 to 6; its stripe color is bluish-white to greenish-white. Finally, its transparency is opaque, that is to say that light does not pass through the stone.
A polished or rough turquoise stone is almost always characterized by a black to brown matrix in the form of a spider web, in addition, due to its porosity, it can have a specific gravity between 2.5 to 2.9, a little heavier than quartz.
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Characteristics of a fake turquoise stone
Next, we are going to give you a series of characteristics and properties that a fake turquoise stone. If you notice some of these characteristics in your stone then you should start to doubt that it is real.
Is its color completely uniform?
If you notice that the turquoise stone that you are going to buy has a uniform color, that is, it is completely sky blue on all its faces and on the entire surface; then it could be fake as real turquoise stone usually has a black to dark brown web-like matrix. This matrix can be very fine but it almost always appears.
You should also note if the color becomes intense or concentrated in the pores of the stone; if this happens then surely it was painted and was made of some other material.
Does the turquoise stone have opaque or translucent clarity?
A real turquoise stone does not allow light to pass through because it is an opaque mineral. If you notice that light can pass through the mineral or you can easily see through the stone what is on the other side, then you are looking at a fake turquoise stone that will surely be made of glass or some synthetic material.
The fake turquoise stone will be made with artificial materials
The fake turquoise stones other materials that simulate the color of the mineral and its texture are manufactured and are known as synthetic or imitation turquoise; The most common materials for making fake turquoise are: epoxy resin, plastic, ceramic, glass, hardened clay, plastic, and some polymers. To differentiate use these recommendations:
If it is made of resin, plastic, and polymers, then they should be lighter than a real turquoise stone.
If it is made of glass then it must be brighter and will allow light to pass through; while a real turquoise is dull and waxy in luster. Finally keep in mind that real turquoise stone is porous while artificial materials do not have pores.
The fake turquoise stone is not porous or very little porous
Keep in mind that a real turquoise stone is characterized by having medium to high porosity. Instead, a faux turquoise Being made with synthetic materials it will have almost no pores. Also, if you notice that the color becomes more intense in the pores then you are looking at a fake turquoise that was painted.
Analyze the hardness and streak color of the turquoise stone
One of the best ways to recognize a turquoise stone is by analyzing the hardness and color of its line. The Mohs hardness of the turquoise stone is 5 to 6, it will be harder than a resin, a plastic and a ceramic. Also, when you scrape the mineral, the color of the powder that comes out of the stone should be bluish-white or greenish-white, if it has another color then it is a fake turquoise stone.
A fake turquoise stone will have a lower price
Although this is one of the least reliable indicators because sometimes sellers want to sell a fake turquoise stone for the price of a real one; yes, it may happen that you notice that fake turquoise stones are much cheaper.
| royal turquoise stone | price in dollars |
|---|---|
| Small turquoise stone ring | over $70 |
| Necklace | over $200 |
| 3cm stone | over $30 |
| collection stone | over 1000 USD |
Analyze the matrix of the turquoise stone
You will easily realize that a royal turquoise stone will have a dark to brown matrix that is either fine or sometimes dominant in the form of a spider web. while a fake turquoise stone it will not have that matrix or it will have a matrix with various colors and angular shapes made of polymers.
Tips to recognize a fake turquoise stone
Next, we leave you a table that will provide you with tips and steps that you should consider in order to differentiate a real turquoise stone from a fake turquoise stone.
| Properties | fake turquoise stone | genuine turquoise stone |
|---|---|---|
| Color | very uniform | It is not uniform (it has several pigments) |
| Brightness | Vitreous | waxy, opaque, earthy |
| Transparency | Transparent (allows light to pass through and can be seen through the stone) | Opaque (does not allow light to pass through and cannot be seen through the stone) |
| Porosity | Very low to none | high |
| Weight | Low (plastic, resins, polymers) | similar to quartz |
| stripe color | Variable | Bluish white, greenish white |
| Hardness | Low (plastics, polymers, resins), medium (glass) | Medium, 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale |
| Matrix | Angular and variable colors made of polymers | Black to brown web-like |
Fake turquoise stone made from other minerals
You should also be careful with the minerals that, due to their shape and texture, are used to make fake turquoise stone; We specifically talk about Howlite and Magnesite. If you look at these stones, you will notice that they have a certain resemblance to turquoise, but they are white. Jewelers paint howlite and magnesite sky blue and make it look like a real turquoise stone.
How to know if it is a howlite or magnesite?
You will be able to identify these minerals because when they are painted to simulate an authentic turquoise stone their color will not penetrate the entire stone effectively. All you have to do is scratch the stone with your fingernail to discover the real white color and therefore realize that you have a fake turquoise stone.