Turquoise

🔍How to identify Turquoise

1. Waxy, matte surface
2. Often shows dark brown or black veins of host rock (matrix)
3. Softer than quartz: it does not scratch glass

👯Often confused with

• Dyed howlite or magnesite
• Glass
• Plastic
• Chrysocolla
• Variscite

🧪Real or fake?

• Dyed howlite and plastic are very common; very uniform, bright, cheap 'turquoise' is a warning
• A hot needle test is used by experts but damages the stone; do not do it on a piece you want to keep

💰Is Turquoise valuable?

Varies from cheap stabilized stone to expensive natural stone; many are treated.

Typical retail prices

Natural untreated turquoise from famous mines costs far more.

Typical retail ranges in US dollars, compiled from public dealer and marketplace listings in October 2026. Real prices vary widely with quality, size and origin. This is general information, not an appraisal.

What changes the price

• Color: even, medium-to-deep sky blue ('robin's egg') without green or gray is best
• Matrix: a fine, attractive spiderweb matrix can add value, heavy brown matrix lowers it
• Hardness and treatment: natural untreated stone is rare; stabilized (resin-hardened) turquoise is common and much cheaper, and dyed howlite and plastic are sold as turquoise
• Origin: Sleeping Beauty, Persian (Nishapur) and old-mine stones with documentation command premiums