There’s one common question in the turquoise market: is this real turquoise jewelry?
The truth is almost every piece of turquoise discovered naturally must undergo some type of treatment or stabilization before it is ready to be used in commercial jewelery. Indeed, it is actually quite rare to come across a variety of real turquoise jewelry that was made with untreated stones.
It’s important to note that treating turquoise is far different than creating a synthetic variety. Real turquoise is frequently injected with resin to ensure the stone will last a long time while maintaining luster and coloration. By nature, turquoise is a porous stone and is known more for its beauty than natural strength.
Buy Real Turquoise Jewelry From a Reputable Source
Real turquoise jewelry can be purchased through reputable retailers. You can often tell if it’s a quality operation by visiting a retailer’s website. The real turquoise jewelry product description will often list what mine the stones came from and the number of stones used in making the piece.
A reputable retail website will also publish customer reviews to give potential customers a better idea of what others are saying about their products. Read some reviews and determine whether other customers are happy with the quality of real turquoise jewelry purchased from the website.
There’s also a healthy market for synthetic varieties to meet growing demand for more cost-efficient alternatives to real turquoise jewelry. Some processes produce stones that have many of the same qualities as real turquoise jewelry, but can be offered at lower prices. Lower-grade synthetic turquoise is typically made of plastic and should only be used in costume jewelry.
American Real Turquoise Jewelry
Americans have sought out real turquoise jewelry since it became popular in the 19th Century, when a Navajo silversmith first began working with sterling silver. Soon, turquoise was worked into the mix and a classic style of real turquoise jewelry was born.
That style still attracts thousands of customers in the market for real turquoise jewelry, but those buyers need to be sure they are purchasing from reputable sources with access to real turquoise jewelry from trusted mines and suppliers.