Can anyone comment on the origin and. quality of the Turqoise on this buckle? Thanks!
More photos of the front and back please.
1 Like
The turquoise could probably have originated from a 1000 mines, but after i saw your post i went browsing elsewhere online (i’m bored lol) and saw this Turquoise Mountain stone that i thought looked a lot like yours:
1 Like
Thanks for looking. Not at all familiar with Turqoise and was wondering if the black spots on the sides of the stone were good or bad, real or fake and if it’s quality stone or not so much.
The black spots are part of the matrix which is what remains of the host rock, and is perfectly fine. Your stone could be stabilized, but I can’t tell. Stabilization is used to harden the turquoise, because most of what is mined is fairly soft. That doesn’t mean it’s not real turquoise, or bad. I have some jewelry with stabilized turquoise, and it’s still beautiful. Natural turquoise refers to turquoise that has had nothing done to it treatment wise, and is much more uncommon. Very little turquoise is high grade natural. Lower grade natural stones can change color after years of contact with skin oils, etc.
It is impossible to say for sure what particular mine your stone came from, because turquoise from the same mine can look completely different. But we often make educated guesses here. I really have no clue where yours is from, but maybe Kingman (the above mentioned Turquoise Mountain mine is in the Kingman mining district in north western AZ). The Kingman mine puts out A LOT of turquoise.
3 Likes
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with me. Much appreciated and glad to know black spots are ok. Happy New Year!
1 Like
You’re very welcome! It’s a very pretty piece of turquoise. Be careful, it’s easy to get addicted 
1 Like