Important Turquoise Vocabulary
Stabilized, reconstituted, color enhanced, natural... What's it all mean? The word “stone” can be a little deceiving when used in relation to turquoise. Most turquoise is better off being called “chalk” or even “powder”. Even the highest quality turquoise in it's natural state only has a hardness of 3 or 4 on the Mohs scale. Obviously this is not good for cutting shapes and using in jewelry. And, although turquoise comes in many colors, it is only the blue-green color that really sells. As a result, most turquoise undergoes treatment of some kind.
Stabilized -- This is the most common treatment. Turquoise nuggets are soaked in resin, taken out, and dried. What's left is natural turquoise held together with clear, wax-like substance. Without stabilized turquoise, turquoise would be one the rarest gemstones to exist. Prices vary, but 30 to 50 cents a gram is common.
Reconstituted -- When turquoise is mined there are always pieces that are too small or simply too imperfect to do anything with. The turquoise bits are ground up, reshaped, and stabilized. Usually it is also dyed as well. Reconstituted turquoise is considered simulated turquoise by many. Of course it is low quality, but it has its uses for those looking to make inexpensive jewelry.
Color Enhanced -- Basically, color enhanced translates to dyed. Dyed turquoise is very affordable and found in a lot of jewelry. Unfortunately, the dye will wear off as it rubs against a person's skin or if it comes in contact with moisture. On the up side, dyed turquoise has that perfect turquoise-blue color that makes it so popular in the first place. Dyed turquoise is better used in simple jewelry than in large elaborate pieces that need to last a long time.
Natural -- Natural, unstabilized turquoise beads do exist but they are very expensive and hard to find. Nowadays most vendors will use “natural” to mean “natural color”, not “straight from the mine”. If you are buying natural turquoise for under a hundred dollars there is probably a misunderstanding somewhere. Some vendors are starting to say “natural stabilized” to mean that the stone is stabilized but the color has not been tampered with. But not every store has caught on, so if you are looking for natural turquoise be sure to get as much information as you can.
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Turquoise Articles
Imitations and Treatments of Turquoise
The first people to develop imitation turquoise was the Egyptians in a kind of pottery called faience. “Viennese turquoise” refers to an early imitation turquoise made with aluminum phosphate and colored with by products of copper.
Turquoise Beading Tips
The best thing about turquoise is that even the most inexperienced beader can have fun with turquoise beads. No matter the season, turquoise is the most fashionable stone around.
Turquoise Around the World
The unique color of turquoise has endeared it to different cultures of the world throughout history. Despite the geographical features separating them, all of these cultures associated turquoise with fortune and health.
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