Artificial or Imitation Turquoise

Welcome back to my blog about turquoise and turquoise jewelry. The last few posts have been about processes that stabilize or harden turquoise stones so they can be used to make jewelry and other items.
Sometimes stones that look somewhat like turquoise are actually turquoise-colored plastic. These stones can be deceptive and can be sold by unscrupulous dealers. They are easily scratched, and their color will fade. They can also melt. They are fine to use if jewelry dealers are up front with their customers and the customer wants a piece of jewelry just for a souvenir at a low price. However, off shore “turquoise jewelry makers” from Korea and other places will set these fake stones in silver settings and try to pass them off as Native American-made. So be careful. Often these stones will appear oily.
Turquoise can be imitated by using other rocks that look a lot like turquoise. Malachite and Azurite are copper ore stones, beautiful stones in their own right, but sometimes passed off as turquoise. Chrysocolla, Variscite, and Faustite are other minerals sometimes used as turquoise. Reputable dealers will let you know exactly what stones are in your new piece of turquoise jewelry.