Types of Fake Turquoise Nuggets

Howlite

• Howlite, a white to light gray mineral, features black streaks and web-like markings similar to the turquoise matrix. Slightly more porous than turquoise, howlite is easily dyed, stabilized and advertised as genuine turquoise by disreputable gemstone distributors around the world. Since the discovery of the rare sacred buffalo turquoise in Nevada, fake white turquoise --- also howlite --- has flooded the turquoise market. Dyed howlite is also often sold as Chinese or Australian turquoise.

Utah Turquoise

• While Utah does produce a limited amount of soft, pale blue to green turquoise from an open-pit copper mine, the mineral varascite is often erroneously referred to as being Utah turquoise. Slightly softer than turquoise, raw varascite can resemble turquoise although the stones are more green than blue. Found in aluminium-heavy rock deposits, finer stones are used as gemstones in jewelry production. Some of the palest varascite nuggets feature a white matrix.

Chinese Turquoise

• Despite the fact that the Chinese mine turquoise, fake nuggets of varying sizes and materials have been exported as genuine for years. According to Turquoisenews.com, the Chinese are now mass producing fake turquoise out of dyed and molded cement. Dyed howlite and mined chalk have long been exported as turquoise by China. The artificial nuggets, featuring fake matrices and colors, account for more than 70 percent of the international turquoise market.

African Turquoise

• A large percentage of African turquoise is not turquoise at all, but jasper, a semi-precious gemstone belonging to the quartz family. Mined primarily in South Africa, the stones all feature a matrix similar to that found in turquoise and are dyed in varying shades of turquoise. Legitimate dealers will honestly identify such stones or jewelry as being either treated jasper or jasper turquoise. Genuine African turquoise costs at least double that of jasper turquoise.

Synthetic Turquoise

• Synthetic, or block, turquoise contains no turquoise whatsoever. Although it's made of a combination of man-made and natural ingredients, some synthetics have been formulated to the point of being almost chemically identical to genuine turquoise. At first glance it may look real, but a synthetic stone will not stay cool to the touch when held in the hand and the surface will have a too-glossy finish minus the natural indentations or irregularities of turquoise.