Turquoise is generally a bluish/greenish color, with some matrix that is brown or black. So what are these stones for sale called yellow turquoise and purple turquoise?
While I can’t answer that question definitely, I can shed a little light on the subject. Turquoise doesn’t come in purple, at least not from nature. Purple turquoise may very well by dyed turquoise, but don’t let anyone fool you into thinking that bright, almost magenta colored stone is natural.
Yellow turquoise, on the other hand, is trickier. I’ve heard that there is a rare variety of turquoise that is yellow in color. The keyword here is rare — and so-called yellow turquoise beads are most definitely not rare. Most of the beads I’ve seen that people are calling yellow turquoise don’t even really look like turquoise to me. Sure, they have some matrix, but a lot of stones have matrix. A yellowish stone with matrix does not equal yellow turquoise.
Why do I care about this? Mostly for the same reasons I cared a few years ago about “Cherry Quartz” which turned out to be glass, and why it irritates me that so many greenish stones are being called jade. I want people to be honest about what they are selling, and I have a selfish motivation for that. If I buy something from a vendor, and I’m told that it’s yellow turquoise, I might use it in a piece of jewelry and go on to sell that piece of jewelry, all the while claiming that I made it with yellow turquoise. Although I haven’t intentionally mislead a customer at that point, there is a chance that if the customer finds out the stone is not what I said it was, that I could be found guilty of fraud. Besides, I just don’t think it’s nice to lie to people in order to get their money.
Sometimes customers will ask my what kind of stone or shell I’ve used in a piece of jewelry – and often my answer is simply, “I’m not sure, but I thought it was pretty.” I like to use big stone beads – and big beads tend to be made of less expensive raw materials – stones like serpentine and various types of jasper and agate. These stones come in lots of different colors, and some of the jaspers and agates have really beautiful patterns in them – naturally. I see no reason to pretend that the pretty yellowish stone beads with the interesting matrix, which I bought in Tucson, are actually turquoise when I know full well that real turquoise beads (yellow or not) in that size would have been about ten times the money. Are my beads any less beautiful by not being turquoise? Absolutely not, and by being honest with my customers, I am able to build trust, and feel good about myself and the way I do business. Of course, I would like to know what these beads actually are, but that’s a whole different topic…
June 27th, 2007 - 8:37 pm
Hello I think that the way you feel about knowing that what you are buying should be what you are told the item is.And honesty to your customers can only come when you start beeing honest with our selves,follow are harts and then the other things will fall into place.We are just starting our store and web site and we fill the same about those thing also . I have been a silver smith off and on for about 16 years now we are going to start doing alot more to keep up going to all the pow-wows. About the purple turquoise i herd they are baking it in some way because of the copper its found with causes it to turn purple?.thats what i am trying to find out about. If you find anything else out you can find us at ottersdentradingpost.com. thanks otter.
June 28th, 2007 - 1:49 pm
Hi, I did find out a bit more on the purple turquoise. It’s not baked at all it’s it is turquoise ships and nuggets from the Kingman mine. They are broke down to a smaller size then they mix up epoxie and add purple dye.Then they heat it up. then that is mixed with the turquoise.The turquoise is so pourice its like a spunge and soaks all of the dye mixture up though out there for it is a consitence all the way through. and is supose to a really nice color to it.it is not ground into a powder form like some are saying. this is what I had found out last night after the first posting here. this comes from “LQGEMS” on a differant forum about purple turquoise So it is not baked to cause a reaction with the copper in the stone. thanks for the mail. Otter.
June 28th, 2007 - 3:11 pm
That’s really interesting – thanks for posting the information for me!
March 22nd, 2008 - 6:43 am
I bought some of the purple turquoise off eBay and no the sell
ers didnot say dyed The advertized it as real turquoise
shame cause it is pretty so I bought it anyway and when I make necklaces I will say this is what the seller told me but I am not sure I think it was dyed
not sure what else to say
bj
May 6th, 2008 - 1:33 pm
just about every stone, gemstone, on the planet is treated in some way before going to market. Sapphire is heated, emerald is oiled, Blue Topaz is heated or irradiated, and on and on and on. The turquoise you see that is the natural turquoise color, is probably crushed and reconstituted and you never knew it. If you are buying at a bead show, you can be almost certain that whatever you get is not in it’s natural state. That does not mean that it is not beautiful or wearable. It just means you can get it at a reasonable price so you can sell it or wear it and not spend your last dime. And what you tell your customers is exactly that. It is a form of (?) that has been treated. Or it could be glass like the “citrine” I bought from a show the other day, but it was nugget with some of them being little bueles (I think that is the word) . that tells me it is glass when I look closer.
May 6th, 2008 - 4:17 pm
Patty, I think you are right. I have some “smoky quartz” that is glass. Pretty glass, but glass all the same…I know most stones are treated, but at least an oiled emerald is still an emerald and not something completely different. Know what I mean?
January 5th, 2009 - 4:33 pm
I too have been studing exactly what “purple turquoise” is one reference site that I found refered to purple turquiose in two ways, the first actually being a dyed form of very blue turquoise that is added to a red resin and heated, the red resin acting as the dye or the purple stone being refered to as turquoise actually being sugilite. A newly found rare stone that is mined oin Africa, Canada and a few other places.
May 11th, 2009 - 10:42 am
Both yellow and blue “turquoise” have amazing spiritual properties.
When correctly sold they are a cure for poverty.
May 11th, 2009 - 12:27 pm
that is hilarious….
June 9th, 2009 - 8:15 am
“when correctly sold”
so true, Leah, hilarious…well “nice work if you can get it” eh?
November 19th, 2009 - 8:29 am
I have recently bought some blue amber and some purple turquoise, knowing full well that at the price I paid for it, it could not be the true form of these beautiful stones. Before I bought the blue amber, I contacted the seller, an e-bay jewelery retailer, who was open and honest with me, and told me exactly what he was selling, ie. amber which had been reconstituted and dyed, although blue amber does, rarely occur in nature, buying the real thing would require a large mortgage! The result of the interest in his subject, his honesty, and his enthusiasm for his subject have made this seller a favourite with me. His stuff is reasonable, well set, and I love wearing it. Which brings us back to the first comment. Honesty is really the best policy!
November 19th, 2009 - 8:36 pm
Absolutely Angela – I have no problem with people selling stones that aren’t natural – as long as they tell us that up front!
November 20th, 2009 - 5:36 pm
Sugilite is not exactly “newly discovered”, I have been buying sugilite jewelry for 15-20 years, and have numerous necklaces and earrings in Indian/Native American style sterling silver jewelry. If it is mined in Canada, that is news to me, I have been told that there was one single mine in South Africa, where a “Volkswagen-sized chunk” of Sugilite was found, and furthermore that the mine was being bought by Tiffany… these are unsubstantiated statements, maybe just rumors, But I’m really interested to hear where in Canada it has been mined if that is actually true.
November 20th, 2009 - 7:06 pm
I have no idea where sugilite is mined, the point of my post was that it’s not ethical for stone dealers to call things turquoise that aren’t actually turquoise. But maybe someone else knows the answer for you.
December 21st, 2009 - 8:07 pm
There really is no such thing as “Purple Turquoise”. Purple turquoise is really blue turquoise that has been stabilized and injected with red dye resulting in brilliant bright purple shades of color. The areas where the stone is hardest, remain turquoise in color, but in the areas where the stone is more porous, the red dye produces brilliant shades of purple. And the matrix, turns a gold color! I know of several Native American artists who are using “purple turquoise” in their jewelry, and they are honest & upfront about it and describe it as what it is – color enhanced stabilized turquoise. I actually am selling a beautiful “purple” turquoise pendant and a pair of earrings on my website, made by Navajo artists, Everett & Mary Teller. Visit http://www.tumbleweedsjewelry.com and enter purple turquoise in the search box!
January 28th, 2010 - 8:02 am
What is being marketed, cheaply, as Yellow “Tuquoise” is actually a blend of jaspers and/or serpentines and quartz and hematite providing the black veining. Often it is dyed blue or blue-green and is practically indistinguishable from real turquise.
January 28th, 2010 - 9:31 pm
I thought some of it might be serpentine – and I actually really *like* serpentine, just wish people would call it what it is….
February 10th, 2010 - 8:22 am
I am making jewelry with natural components. It is believed that gemstones are vibrating with energies and they have the ability to adorn, to protect, to manifest and to transform energy. It is extremely important for me to know if beads are made out of natural gemstones or dyed or if it’s the result of chemical reaction. So thank you all for this info.
February 10th, 2010 - 10:12 am
Maria, I agree that it is important for vendors to be honest about what they are selling, for the reasons you mentioned as well as many others. Thanks for the comment.
June 10th, 2010 - 8:22 am
good info folks…thanks! recently jtv (jewelry television) has been selling “purple turquoise”, calling it a “natural” gemstone. gimme a break……..that shade of magenta does not occur in nature, at least not on this planet. if they would be honest about what they are selling i would buy, but their deception about this product makes me doubt their veracity concerning al their products. reputation is everything in this business.