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Is your turquoise real?
The great majority of commercial turquoise is treated. Stabilisation (plastic or waterglass impregnation) is near-universal for chalky material; dyeing (often Prussian blue), waxing and oiling are common; 'block' or reconstituted turquoise is powdered stone in resin; and dyed howlite and magnesite are sold outright as turquoise. Untreated natural turquoise is a small fraction of the market. Turquoise is 5, 6 and resists a steel knife on the harder material; dyed howlite and magnesite (3.5) are cut easily by a knife and show colour concentrated in the veins with a white core visible under a scratch. Acetone on a cotton bud lifts blue dye from howlite and leaves turquoise unchanged. Look at a drill hole: dyed stone shows a white interior. The great majority of commercial turquoise is treated. Stabilisation (plastic or waterglass impregnation) is near-universal for chalky material; dyeing (often Prussian blue), waxing and oiling are common; 'block' or reconstituted turquoise is powdered stone in resin; and dyed howlite and magnesite are sold outright as turquoise. Untreated natural turquoise is a small fraction of the market. A photograph gets you most of the way; the physical test settles it.
Option one
Upload a photo
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Option two
Tell us what it was sold as
Pick the name on the label and we will give you the physical test for that stone, and the imitation it is most often swapped for.
Your stone
You said Turquoise.
Turquoise is commonly faked, treated or sold under the wrong name, so the visual match is where the checking starts, not where it ends. Run the test below.
The test that settles it
Turquoise is 5, 6 and resists a steel knife on the harder material; dyed howlite and magnesite (3.5) are cut easily by a knife and show colour concentrated in the veins with a white core visible under a scratch. Acetone on a cotton bud lifts blue dye from howlite and leaves turquoise unchanged. Look at a drill hole: dyed stone shows a white interior.
Sold under the wrong name
The great majority of commercial turquoise is treated. Stabilisation (plastic or waterglass impregnation) is near-universal for chalky material; dyeing (often Prussian blue), waxing and oiling are common; 'block' or reconstituted turquoise is powdered stone in resin; and dyed howlite and magnesite are sold outright as turquoise. Untreated natural turquoise is a small fraction of the market.
Confused with
howlite, magnesite, dyed-howlite, chrysocolla, amazonite, reconstituted-turquoise, block-turquoise
phosphate · CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O · Mohs 5-6
Check your whole collection. Oraclite identifies any stone from a photo, flags the fakes, and tells you what each one means for you. Free to start.
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A photograph cannot measure hardness, streak or specific gravity. We tell you what the visual signs suggest and give you the test to be certain yourself.
Common questions
How can you tell if turquoise is real?
Turquoise is 5, 6 and resists a steel knife on the harder material; dyed howlite and magnesite (3.5) are cut easily by a knife and show colour concentrated in the veins with a white core visible under a scratch. Acetone on a cotton bud lifts blue dye from howlite and leaves turquoise unchanged. Look at a drill hole: dyed stone shows a white interior. A photograph cannot measure hardness, streak or specific gravity, so treat a visual match as a strong hint and run the physical test to be certain.
Is turquoise sold under the wrong name?
The great majority of commercial turquoise is treated. Stabilisation (plastic or waterglass impregnation) is near-universal for chalky material; dyeing (often Prussian blue), waxing and oiling are common; 'block' or reconstituted turquoise is powdered stone in resin; and dyed howlite and magnesite are sold outright as turquoise. Untreated natural turquoise is a small fraction of the market.
Is turquoise treated, dyed or heated?
The great majority of commercial turquoise is treated. Stabilisation (plastic or waterglass impregnation) is near-universal for chalky material; dyeing (often Prussian blue), waxing and oiling are common; 'block' or reconstituted turquoise is powdered stone in resin; and dyed howlite and magnesite are sold outright as turquoise. Untreated natural turquoise is a small fraction of the market.
What is turquoise confused with?
howlite, magnesite, dyed-howlite, chrysocolla, amazonite, reconstituted-turquoise, block-turquoise.
What is turquoise made of?
Its formula is CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O, and it measures 5-6 on the Mohs scale. A hardness test against a known material is the cheapest way to rule out a substitute.
Is turquoise safe to handle or put in water?
it should not be soaked or put in water.
Check the rest of your shelf
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