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One of the most reliable way of identifying true raw turquoise is by doing a scratch test. Fake turquoise typically uses softer material which means that this type of stone is much softer than raw turquoise. This can make it much easier to find out if your turquoise is fake or raw.
Jan 25, 2024 · Identifying raw turquoise involves checking for blue to greenish-blue colors, veined patterns, and waxy luster. It’s not magnetic, leaves a greenish-bluish streak on porcelain, and has a Mohs hardness of 5 to 6. Turquoise is typically opaque with a specific gravity of 2.6 to 2.9. Raw Turquoise vs Turquoise
- Color. Authentic turquoise ranges from robin’s egg blue to greenish blue. Turquoise only comes in these colors, so if you see white, red, purple, yellow, or bright green turquoise, it’s fake.
- Pattern. Real turquoise has a unique webbing matrix that fakes can’t imitate. Turquoise forms inside limonite and sandstone, so it often contains thin lines or thick splotches of brown rock throughout, which is called a spider web matrix.
- Weight. Authentic turquoise is heavier than plastic or resin fakes. If you suspect that you have inauthentic turquoise, hold it in one hand and a similarly sized piece of plastic or resin in the other.
- Fingernail Test. Real turquoise’s spider web matrix catches on your fingernail. Lightly run your fingernail over your turquoise piece if it has a spider web matrix.
This type of turquoise is natural, despite being cut and polished. Pieces can be polished, but if it is real it has not been treated beyond that. These gems can have the classic veins found in raw turquoise and may even contain some patches of white or black, however they must maintain a robin’s egg blue-to-green hue throughout.
Oct 9, 2023 · Raw turquoise is a bit softer than many might think. On the Mohs hardness scale , which is a tool that tells how hard minerals are, turquoise scores between 5 and 6. This means it’s not as hard as, say, quartz or diamond.
Sep 19, 2022 · What Does Real Turquoise Look Like. Real turquoise is an opaque gemstone with intense neon blue color and often with limonite or sandstone matrix in the form of splotches or veins resembling a spider web. In a polished state, it has a waxy luster. Real turquoise never has white zones or spots and sparkling glassy luster.
Jan 21, 2023 · If you’re unsure if your turquoise specimen is real, you’re in the right place. This is all you need to know about real and fake turquoise and how you can tell!
