Hello, I’ve been reading posts on this site over the last few days and am a brand new poster. I’d like to know about the turquoise in this belt. I think it’s real but it’s so perfect that I’m also afraid to say it’s real without some expert opinions. Every piece is marked sterling and G. It seems like a lot of work to do on fake turquoise but maybe it’s a composite of some kind? Any help is greatly appreciated.
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From the photo, this looks like reconstituted or composite material of some type. Material that has been ground up and mixed with a colored fixing agent or epoxy — sort of like concrete. It may or may not contain turquoise.
This may or may not be an accurate take, and I’m sure others will have a look and offer opinions.
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Thank you, is there a way to test this? Would it decrease the value?
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I would take it to someone who deals regularly in higher end Native American jewelry and have them examine it. The texture of the material is really unusual, and looks can be deceiving. You really need someone knowledgeable to give it a first hand examination.
Composite material would not be as valuable as genuine Turquoise, but once again, until we know what it is, all bets are off.
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Welcome to the forum! You will learn a lot on here.
It’s a very pretty belt. I also agree that it would be worth getting it checked out further to know for sure.
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