This is a close-up of some stones from my squash blossom. I’m wondering if this is natural or is this some type of filler that was used?
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That’s interesting, I wonder too. I have a ring that has something a teeny bit like that, only not gold.
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I have a squash with a few cabs similar to this and to me it looks like the matrix is dried out. I have found this on a couple of pieces I purchased from Texas and some of the matrix is shiny and brown at the edge and then the dried out area. I even took one and sanded down into it and it was just dry and crumbling. It’s sad too because they are nice pieces of turquoise. I ended up taking out the two worst ones and shortening the squash. I’m waiting for my wire to come in the mail so I can put it back together.
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Hmmm, interesting! It feels flush, smooth.
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So does mine, same. Need 20 characters…
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Mine was smooth too. So I looked at it through a jewelers loop because it would get darker with a little dab of water with a q tip. It is very hard too, I couldn’t scratch it with my nail but under the loop a small part of the matrix was shiny still (at the edge) and drier in the middle. I can’t really explain it but under the loope it’s more yellow in the area, almost like it was kept in a damp area and then eventually dried out. The matrix looked gold but yellow under a loope.
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You could try a hot soldering pen with pointed tip. Devcon and other fillers are epoxy based. If you smell plastic it’s filler. Be careful not to press too hard. The hot pen might go right into it. Natural rock won’t melt at that temp.
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Here’s the full piece. I was just curious, a soldering gun and
me would be like giving a chimp a chainsaw.
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It’s gorgeous 
What a beautiful squash.
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So you sanded it out? What do you think it was once it came out?
I didn’t smell any plastic when I was using the dremel. I don’t have a soldering pen unfortunately or I would definitely try it.
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It was just like dust but no plastic smell at all. I wanted to see if it was just on the surface but it was all the way through. You squash is beautiful and your areas were much smaller than mine. Mine were so big it bugged me, so I wanted to see if it polished out but it didn’t.
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Try burning the dust (I know, it’s gone).
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I took a big needle and heated it until it was red and stabbed it into the stone and nothing. I pressed as hard as I could and it didn’t budge. I did it four times and nothing.
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As long as the needle stayed hot enough to burn cured epoxy. That’s why I prefer the soldering pen with constant heat.
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I actually took the turquoise out and put it in the flame for a while and nothing. No plastic smell either.
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It doesn’t look quite right, but could it be Ithaca Peak turquoise? I read that the pyrite can be brass colored.
All I know is it’s absolutely gorgeous. Almost makes me want to buy a squash blossom, but then I’d probably have to sell my car to do that 
It looks too cool!
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I have a couple of pieces with this kind of filler.
I think it is metal shavings or pyrite in epoxy.
Here is a GIA article about this filler.
It’s funny that the GIA had not seen it before, yet I have 2 or 3 pieces like this.
It just shows you that the big gemological labs don’t think turquoise is as important as diamonds.
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Interesting, I’ve never seen it before.