Seller isn’t sure if this is turquoise or howlite. 
. What does the forum think? Wondering whether or not I should make an offer on this since returns aren’t accepted. They thought it was suspect (howlite) because it has “white specks”, they said.
Thanks!
It actually looks like good turquoise. The white stuff is pyrite. It is strung on bench beads. I personally would buy it if the price is right.
Does it have a hallmark?
No, no hallmark. The beads and pieces holding the stones are Sterling, the seller says, but not the hook and chain it’s strung on. I’m thinking the spots are embedded pyrite/natural material, too, as you say…unless there are some white rubs or something that’s not showing. I see some tiny, tiny white-ish specks in a few places but it still doesn’t scream fake to me. It’s hard to judge from a somewhat blurry photo or two! Thanks for the input!
If the beads and settings are sterling that’s good. Some makers use nickel silver foxtail to string necklaces because it doesn’t tarnish. That is ok. I think the white spots you are seeing may be reflections from the camera flash. How much is she asking? If she thinks it’s fake and the price is low, my advice is to buy it.
Yes, I agree that the beads look legit and that they’re sterling is a good sign. Ah, good to know about the stringing material…so that doesn’t make a red flag, then. They’re asking $190 starting bid but it’s an auction so could go higher. No bids yet…I keep looking at it. 
I messaged them to ask for more info about the suspected white spots and if they can provide another photo.
Hopefully they will send some more pictures. Just keep watching it and listen to your gut. Maybe you’ll get lucky and get it with one bid.
She did respond, but apparently isn’t taking additional pictures. She said she thought it was fake because the stone to the left had white on it and she’d read that real turquoise wasn’t white. I think it’s the natural color variances on the stone, if that’s what she’s basing that assessment on.
I’ll probably bid (carefully). Strike it up to learning experience if it turns out not to be real…the silver is worth the price if nothing else is.
it’s very pretty, Can howlite be that pretty?!
@TaraFawn75 Yes, I’m curious, too. I don’t know if the stones that are commonly used to fake turquoise have that much color and variation in them.
Looks good to me…I would buy it!!
Hi Guys, I here a lot of talk about dyed stones so I thought I would put this out there. The thing about turquoise is its appeal. If you like it buy it, if it’s stabilized, color enhanced, from a ditch or from the lavender pit. Those only really matters to a collector. But if you like it…buy it. Yes I agree you don’t want to pay Morenci prices for Campitos pieces. But if it a good price, silver and all, go for it.
White inclusions are not always bad. Sometimes the hose rock is whitish. Sometimes it’s a bad dye job. here is some in a photo. The top stone good turquoise with a whitish host rock. Some I have cut have been whiter. The bottom one is cheap dyed howlite I bought on ebay from China. Yes I knew what I was buying when I bought it. (cheap and good for my students to practice with) Notice the borders of the contrasting colors. The fade to white shows where the dye failed to penetrate. The stone was then stabilized to add hardness and color fastness. Very seldom would someone try to pass died material that shows a BAD dye job as real turquoise. Hope this helps, Kyle Here is a second example of “good” turquoise with white host rock.
@Greatrocks123, yes, a good point about buying what appeals to you… that’s the point, after all! 
Thanks for sharing the pictures… it’s helpful to me to see the differences. A picture being worth a thousand words! A trained eye is a must for turquoise, I’m finding.
You can definitely see the difference in dyed vs. real “white” in those.
Well… it’s done. We’ll see in about a week if I got a sleeper treasure or an expensive lesson in turquoise identification. 
. Made me feel better that there were other bids even if it drove up the price a bit; at least there were others who also figured it was worth something!
Thanks for the input, everyone!
I believe you will not be disappointed. That is nice looking turquoise! I would not worry about any white spots in it. Not all turquoise is colored. With that nice matrix it blends right in. Here is a picture of a nugget I have. You can see quite a bit of white on the edges.
Some white specks can also be the remnants of polishing compound.
I wish sellers would put more effort into decent lighting when listing turquoise items; flash is so unhelpful.
@markyboy57 thanks, it’s looking better and better and I hope we’re right! I do like the color and matrix variance, it makes the turquoise color stand out in it. Your chunk is awesome!! What are you going to do with that one?
@chicfarmer, oh, I so agree. It amazes me some of the awful photos of items I’ve seen online; I’d be ashamed to admit to taking some of the ones I’ve seen, and certainly it has to hinder their sales terribly!
I also wish people would model the jewelry on an actual person, too. That makes so much difference in gauging size and look of an item better than words and a tape measure.
I agree, It can really make it hard to judge the size of some pieces. I bought an Alvin Yellowhorse bracelet once that was so small when I received it my wife could not wear it. Child size, but I will save it for a granddaughter! As for the large nugget, it will stay as a specimen, unless I run out of stones to cut!
I’m glad you bought it. I think you made a good purchase! Kyle
