How can you tell if Sleeping Beauty turquoise is real?

Search for pieces of lumpy dye or places where the color may actually be peeling off. And if the color looks too strikingly blue, it may be fake. Real sleeping beauty stones are a 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which means they don't scratch easily.

What color Is Sleeping Beauty turquoise?

Sleeping Beauty turquoise is noted for its solid, light blue color with no matrix. The host rock is granite. Sleeping Beauty turquoise is the favorite of Zuni Pueblo lapidaries and silversmiths for the purity in color. This mine was one of the largest in North America.

How much is raw Sleeping Beauty turquoise worth?

Rough from the mine used to sell for as low as $10 per carat in a wholesale atmosphere. Nowadays, if it can be found, rough can go for as much as $50 – or even higher as demand grows!

Why is Sleeping Beauty turquoise so expensive?

In 2012, the Sleeping Beauty mine closed and sent prices skyrocketing (not because the mine was spent, but because the copper mine that owned the mining concession sold the mine, and its new owner decided not to pursue the turquoise mining operation, according to Foutz). Buyers used to pay $10 per ct.

How can you tell if turquoise is stabilized or natural?

After treatment, stabilized turquoise is harder and is unlikely to break or crack. The stone is no longer porous, so it doesn't absorb liquids or oils and the color is "locked" - unlike natural turquoise where the color can change, or deepen, over time. The cheapest forms of "turquoise" are block and imitation.

How to Test Turquoise at Home

What happens if you get turquoise wet?

Can you shower with a turquoise jewel? As mentioned before, water and humidity are not recommended. This mineral from dry and arid environments will absorb liquids and chemical products (water, soap, cream, ...) and the colour will be altered.

Is Sleeping Beauty turquoise still mined?

The Sleeping Beauty mine was closed in 2012, making its turquoise even more valuable. The “Robin Egg” blue makes Sleeping Beauty turquoise stand out. The Kingman turquoise mine is one of the largest in North America.

Can Sleeping Beauty turquoise Be green?

These rounded tumbled nuggets of natural Sleeping Beauty Blue Green Turquoise Beads are comfortable to wear while looking great. These natural, untreated beads are beautifully matched and flow along the the strand so well. The saturated blue-green stones have great natural hardness.

How do you evaluate turquoise?

The Turquoise Quality Index (TQI) is a measurement of the quality of the turquoise stone. The TQI is a number on a scale between 8 and 100. The higher the TQI number, the better quality the turquoise, the higher the grade and the more valuable the stone.

Is Chinese turquoise real turquoise?

Chinese Turquoise is simular to American Turquoise in that the mines produce Turquoise in almost every color and matrix variation. Turquoise was never as popular in China as Jade until recently. But here in the United States some of the finest Turquoise ever sold has come from China.

What's the best turquoise?

Damele Turquoise

Most desirable is the bright lime green turquoise that comes from this mine. Most of what the mine produces today is variscite, the turquoise coming from older collections. This makes Damele a highly-sought after turquoise.

Does Sleeping Beauty turquoise have pyrite in it?

Morenci and Kingman are two of the best known mines for having pyrite. However, there is pyrite in Mexican (and other) turquoise as well. Some have told me Sleeping Beauty never has pyrite, but others swear it occasionally does. Some people automatically say anything with pyrite is Morenci.

What is the rarest turquoise?

Lander Blue Spiderweb Turquoise is some of the rarest Turquoise on earth and in high demand, Buyers must beware of impersonators, the highest grade of Chinese Spiderweb Turquoise is often sold as Lander Blue Turquoise, it takes an experienced professional to detect true Lander Blue Turquoise.

Does turquoise turn green with age?

The oils in our hands have a very similar affect as water. Over years, or even decades, of touching a turquoise stone with our fingers can lead to the stone changing color. Treatments of the stones called stabilization actually help prevent this process from happening.

What does Bisbee turquoise look like?

Bisbee turquoise can be found in many different shades of color and quality, from soft, low quality pale blue, to the quality hard brilliant blue turquoise and almost every shade of blue in between. The highest grade of Bisbee Blue turquoise is almost lapis lazuli blue and has a brownish-red spiderweb matrix.

Can Sleeping beauty turquoise get wet?

As turquoise is porous it is important to keep it away from any lotions, alcohol, perfume hair spray or other cosmetics and never wear your turquoise jewelry in the shower, hot tubs or swimming. Important: Turquoise should never be cleaned with an ultrasonic or steam cleaner.

How do you clean real turquoise?

It's safe to clean turquoise jewelry with warm, soapy water, but it should never be cleaned with steam or ultrasonic cleaners. Some turquoise is treated to improve its surface appearance. Heat or solvents can damage the treated surfaces.

Can you clean turquoise with baking soda?

Making a baking soda bath

Place a sheet of aluminum foil in a bowl. Then mix one tablespoon of baking soda into a quart of hot water. After this, place your Turquoise jewelry for half an hour in the bowl. Now take out your sterling silver rings with stones and buff them gently, with a dry cloth.

How can you tell if turquoise is dyed?

Acetone: This involves either soaking your stone in acetone, or rubbing part of the stone with acetone to see if any color comes off. If it does, this means you have a dyed stone.

Is stabilized turquoise valuable?

Gem grade stabilized stones usually sell for 3 – 25 dollars per carat depending on the mine they came from, color, and matrix pattern. Gem grade natural Turquoise usually sells from 5 – 300 dollars per carat. There is a wide range of values for both types of Turquoise.

What are the different grades of turquoise?

Standard natural Turquoise is what most mid-range to high end production jewelers use. These Turquoise Grades are rated by AA-, A, B and C. These are the Turquoise Grades that were most common to see during the early years of the Turquoise boom in the 1950s through the 1980s in America.

Is Sleeping Beauty turquoise hard?

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise ranks 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness. The preferred color of Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is a medium sky blue hue.

What is Stabilised turquoise?

What is stabilized turquoise? Soft, low grade, turquoise that has undergone a stabilization process to enhance its hardness and color. During this process, the stone is put under pressure, causing it to absorb a clear epoxy or plastic filler. This results in a harder stone that is suitable for use in jewelry.