@TaraFawn75
Here is a pin/pendant that I have.
I think the metal shavings are brass, because of the yellowy color.
2 Likes
I don’t have any turquoise like you show @Stracci but it does look like fine brass filings. Natural iron in nature does take on a variety of colors from red to black and of course pyrite (fools gold).
3 Likes
@StevesTrail
This pin was given to me by a lady who said the matrix was gold.
Well, I never believed that, of course!
Under the loupe, you can clearly see that this sparkly matrix is not natural to the stone …
4 Likes
Thanks so much Stracci 
That makes sense, I’m not a fan at all. I took some close ups of mine and they did a terrible job filling it because mine aren’t even sparkly. Not even a little bit. Just weird area with what looks yellow in places. I took some microscope pictures. They may look shiny because of the light source but they aren’t at all. The first picture is from a different stone. The last three are from the same stone.
@Stracci @CyanideRose18
If you had any around I would be happy to X-ray the material for you.
2 Likes
Hmmm. I woulda thought that is matrix/host rock. It looks different from @Stracci’s.
1 Like
Idk but I would like to know for sure. I thought it was matrix at first.
I’m curious too. The magnified pic does look odd.
1 Like
Looks exactly like mine
2 Likes
I guess when these pieces were made ,1960s-80s, jewelers were looking for a way to improve the look of stones. Maybe it was even a trend to mimic pyrite in a stone .
This idea of metal shavings in epoxy was made with materials every jeweler had on hand.
So it was cheap and easy.
Plus, they were selling to tourists who didn’t know better…?
@CyanideRose18 , maybe whoever cabbed the stones in your squash was being creative with filler.
Who knows what substance could have been used, something made from epoxy and misc. crushed stones?
1 Like
This whole process reminds me of kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold colored filler, thereby enhancing the break instead of hiding it.
3 Likes
Late to the thread, but to me it looks like epoxy intentionally mixed with metal filings to make the matrix look more interesting and attractive. The type of epoxy one would use for this has sort of a mildly unpleasant smell before it sets, but wouldn’t smell or melt like plastic when heat is applied.
I’ve personally used this technique to dress up otherwise ‘not so great looking’ matrix, and fill in nasty voids in otherwise good looking stones.
ETA: From the color it looks like brass filings were used. I used to use silver filings which gave the filling a cleaner more metallic look.
8 Likes
Epoxy tends to yellow with age, and because it sets hard and polishes well, it’s also ideal as a filler material.
3 Likes
@CyanideRose18
You said you removed the worst segments from your squash.
Perhaps you could experiment with them and try to replace the filler with something more attractive…aka. …metal filings mixed with epoxy!
Then sand and repolish.
It may or may not help, but what do you have to lose?
If it turns out ok, you could wear the piece as a pendant, or even a decoration on your purse.
2 Likes
am i hallucinating this, or have i read that some folks used bondo putty with filing dust mixed in to fill matrix gaps? maybe thats why this doesnt look like epoxy.
2 Likes
Thanks so much mmrogers, mystery solved 
3 Likes
That may be something I could experiment with, but I definitely prefer the silver shavings as opposed to the gold tone ones 
3 Likes
So I sanded them all and polished them up a bit and this is what the one stone I showed earlier looks like now. I restrung the squash a few different ways while I wait for the sterling string and decided to keep it in after the repolish It’s about six inches or so shorter. Not sure what kind of turquoise it is but I do like it much better now
5 Likes