How To Tell If Turquoise Is Genuine...

Did you know that most Turquoise sold today is fake? 

Did you know that most jewelers are fooled by artificial Turquoise?

Sadly, it's true. Most of the Turquoise you see is in fact dyed Howlite (a white gem that resembles Turquoise with natural black color veins).

So how do you tell if your Turquoise is genuine? You smash it! Yes, that's right, you take a sample piece of Turquoise from the same lot and you smash it to take a look at the inside of the gem. Although it's an expensive way to test if Turquoise is genuine, its also the best way.

What you are looking for is a good consistent color throughout the Turquoise (dye won't penetrate the entire gem). If the fragments have color on the outside but not inside then the Turquoise was dyed.

There are many shades and tones of natural Turquoise, from rich deep greens with black spider veins, through to bright Robin's Egg Blue 'Sleeping Beauty' Turquoise. Natural Turquoise is also sometimes color enhanced.

There are also Turquoise composite gems, which are made from genuine Turquoise which has been ground into powder and then bonded together. This is genuine Turquoise however it is not 'natural' Turquoise as it is not in its original and natural form.

Of course here at Biographie we test every piece of Turquoise in this way and we'll let you know whether the piece of Turquoise jewelry you're purchasing is handmade with 100% natural Turquoise.

Check out our collection of Turquoise Jewelry for some examples of genuine Turquoise.