Torn about new Turqouise Pendant.

[Gypsy]

My grandmother was visiting family overseas last month, and whenever she comes back it is with a gift for all of us. Last night she gave me my present which was something I had really been wanting. A (genuine mined) turqouise pendant. She has one and she was originally going to give me that one (which I love), but while she was there she ran across this one, and decided to get me my own.

It looks very lovely on. And when you flip it around you can tell it''s a genuine turquise... but (and I know grandma doesn''t know to look for this) it''s been dyed. Which is sad for me because I actually prefer a lighter undyed color of turquise, even if it''s not "top" color, to a ''top color'' dyed turquoise.

I OF COURSE love it because it''s a gift... but, well.. is there a way to get the stone repolished/buffed or something to remove the dye? Only the top is dyed, the bottom shows the true color of the stone (which is gorgeous).

I will post (crappy camera phone) pics in a second I promise.

 

[Gypsy]

Here is is.

The first pic is the color I think it would be without the dying (it's the same color as my grandmothers), the second is of the back of the pendant, and the third is close to the color in real life... which is very enhanced.

Also, will the dye just fade maybe? If that's the case, maybe I can just give it a nice tan on a window sill.

 

[innerkitten]

I love turquoise and am also very picky about it. I just bought a cab myself that I''m hoping to have made into something. I can''t wait to see a pic of your new pendant. I don''t think dye can be removed from the stone though. Turquoise is one of those stones that can be easily damaged like pearls. Where is the turquoise from?

 

[Gypsy]

Hi InnerKitten, pics are posted above. the turquiose is from Iran. So it is natural (though dyed) persian turqouise. Grandma paid a LOT for it based on the ''perfect'' color... so I guess I''m just irked that I feel it was misrepresented to her.

 

[innerkitten]

Oh there''s the photo! It''s very pretty! Are you sure it''s dyed? maybe they just used the part with the matrix on the back of the cab because they wanted the more solid part to show on the front.

 

[Gypsy]

Not positive. But strongly suspect it is. Just because of the color of the stone from the back and then on top. The back has a nice amount of green in it. The front is very blue and very very uniform. It could just be the way it is naturally. With a little dye. I'm probably just being too picky.

 

[innerkitten]

I like how you can see the turquoise from the back. Most of the US turquoise has a backing to keep it from cracking which means you can't see the back.

p.s. I guess you could try putting it in the sun to see what happens.

 

[T L]

Something to also note about turquoise, and I''m not 100% sure about this, so I hope someone chimes in, but it will go greener over time. Robin''s egg blue turquoise is also very valuable and difficult to come by, so if you''re looking for that color in a natural colored stone, it might be difficult. At least your stone isn''t reconstituted material (ground up first and then dyed). It''s very pretty and I hope you can find some resolution to your issues with it.

 

[Gypsy]

I think I''m gonna try tanning it. LOL.

The setting kills me because it''s so ''grandma''... but that only makes it more special. If I had my way... it would be set completly differently ... probably just like this in white gold.

 

[Indylady]

Your pendant is very pretty! How sweet of your grandma!

No idea about un-doing treatments though.

 

[Linda W]

Layla,

I love the pendant. Ok I am weird, but I like the setting it is in.

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I don''t know the answer to your question, but the pendant is lovely.

 

[Gypsy]

The setting it''s in is very fancy. And it fits the stone pretty well. So I''m not planning on changing it. I will send it in for appraisal by Richard and hope it comes back undyed because my grandmother let slip exactly what it cost (last night she only said that it cost more than my mother and my aunt''s pendant''s combined, which were all diamond and high carat weight) today and I about keeled over, she also said the jeweler was one my (very wealthy) great aunt uses, and he assured her it''s ''completely natural.''

I''m gonna wear it a couple times this week. I have quite a bit of turqouise in my wardrobe, and a lot of grey, black and navy so it will be a nice pop of color.

Now I just need to find a nice turqouse oval cab (a real one) with good color soon. My great aunt had gifted me one in a halo setting for my graduation from law school and it was stolen in the robbery. Grandma doesn''t know this and keeps saying she can''t wait to see my ''set.''

So I gotta replace that rock so I can tell her I reset it.

Anyone know where I can get nice "natual mined" (and undyed) turqouise from? I need an 8 x 10, but will settle for a 6 x 8 size (approximately). That stone also had the matrix on the bottom so the top was completely unblemished, but it was a less vivid greener shade.

My mother is getting me earrings to match the pendant next year she says. I''m gonna be a tuquoise queen. LOL.

I''m a blessed. And thank you all for the comments and compliments. I''ll get it in the mail to RIchard to see what he says next week. And I''ll take it from there.

In the meantime. Innerkitten... where''d you get your turqoise from... I''m on the hunt!

 

[RubyCharm]

Gypsy, your pendant is very beautiful! I hope the appraisal goes well.

 

[FrekeChild]

Gyps--there is turquoise ALL OVER New Mexico, so if you want me to poke around, just let me know!

 

[chrono]

Oh boy…I would not tan it or do anything right now other than send it to Richard for a review. You don’t want to cause any damage to the turquoise just in case it really is untreated. Who knows? The setting, shape and colour is absolutely beautiful; I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s untreated.

 

[simplysplendid]

The blue on the face of it and the back of it looks exactly the same on the photos, so hopefully it is untreated. I wouldn''t change the setting, I like it the way it is. If you change the setting and also tan it, how would grandma feel?

 

[simplysplendid]

I went back to take a look at the turquoise again. It is really very beautiful, I wish I have one like that but I have never seen any being sold in my country.

 

[Cind11]

Gypsy, the color of the turquoise is really beautiful. I actually really like the setting too. I hope you find out it isn''t dyed.

 

[Gypsy]

I hope it''s not dyed too. But I''m really starting to like it more and more. Either way, it''s a lovely gift. I want to wear it this week, then after that I''ll send to Richard (he is the colored stone appraiser right? I sent my diamond and setting to Neil and love him, and would happily use him again).

 

[chrono]

You’ll be in great hands with Richard Sherwood. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

 

[RubyCharm]

Date: 7/7/2009 8:14:20 AM
Author: Chrono
You’ll be in great hands with Richard Sherwood. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.

DITTO!

 

[partgypsy]

I personally think it''s such a lovely gift, and I like how the setting is "grandma-like" so it reminds you of your grandma. Even if it were dyed it would not prevent me from enjoying it and wearing it. It is crazy how much good turquoise can cost. Keep my fingers crossed for a good report.

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 7/6/2009 2:52:59 AM
Author: FrekeChild
Gyps--there is turquoise ALL OVER New Mexico, so if you want me to poke around, just let me know!

Freke - I''m a big fan of Cerrillos turquiose, having picked up a couple of rings and a pendant set in sterling on my last visit to Santa Fe. It is gorgeous material. But, I suspect that isn''t Gypsy''s style.

Very pretty pendant, Gypsy. A picture of your upcoming turquoise suite would be great.

 

[Gypsy]

Thank you Freke honey. I'm not sure what to ask for in Turqouise, so I'm not sure what to have you hunt for. I know I don't want a stabilized one or a dyed one, and I don't know enough about American mines to say where I'd like the stone from. I do know that ACstones used to carry some 'sleeping beauty' turqoiuse and that Sleeping Beauty is a US mine. But as I had my ring then, I never pursued it. I might give Barry a poke to see if he can help me out. But I suspect my best bet is going to be calling my great aunt up and asking her to buy a nice lose piece for me and sending it over.

I've checked ebay and there was one that looked authentic (it was set), but it was too tricky as color and polish are so hard to judge on a computer screen.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

You might be too quick there in assuming it''s dyed, Gypsy.

If your grandmother paid a lot of money for it from a trusted jeweler who assured her it is natural, then chances are greater it is than not. The vast majority of jewelers are very painstaking in what they buy, and how they sell it. Their rep is everything to them, and it is the minority who misrepresent or are uneducated (or naive) enough to sell a treated stone as natural.

As innerkitten and simplysplendid point out, the color (from the photos) of the back looks similar to that of the front. The matrix being located in the back while the uniformed texture is located in the front would be typical of how a cutter would orient the stone for maximum beauty. Although the color looks to be the same hue in the photos, you mention that the back seems to have more green to it. That again could be the way the cutter oriented it.

It also could be that the top appears more intense because it has been impregnated with paraffin wax for color stabilization, a common (and practical) treatment. As tourmalinelover mentioned, turquoise can take on a green tint with wear. This is because the porous stone can take in acids and oils, causing it to green. (not to be confused with turquoise which has a higher iron content and is more green orginally).

Paraffin wax fills the pores and prevents this "greening" from occuring. It also tends to intensify the color, which might be what you''re seeing. The majority of modern turquoise has had this simple treatment done to it for color stabilization. Sometimes sodium silicate ("water glass") or a plastic coating is used on more commerical turquoise, but I would consider that a less likely treatment on a fine Iranian turquoise.

Iranian (Persian) turquoise is typically priced the highest, by the way, because of its "robins egg blue" color and the clearness of it''s texture. There are some Southwestern pieces which I regard as just as beautiful, matrix and all, but it is generally quite a bit less expensive because it is less rare.

I love the color of the stone, and the look of the pendant. Very classic stying.

 

[chrono]

Thanks for the educational post, Richard.

 

[Gypsy]

Hi Richard, that''s so helpful! Thank you! I have been doing a little reading on turquoise and know that much of it is treated for color and texture stabilization, but I what I was unable to figure out which types of treatments were ''logical'' and even desirable and which ones were used to pass off ''shoddy'' goods to unsuspecting customers.

Jewelers reputations are important to them, but this was bought overseas in a country with little or no control of merchants and quality enforcement. Through personal family experience I have seen goods (especially gemstones) come over from there that have turned out to be much less than advertised. The biggest check on this is a person''s pesonal knowledge of the goods, and a long time relationship with the seller. In this case, the relationship was there, because it was bought from one of my great aunt''s preferred jewelers, and one of my cousin''s did reject 6 or 7 pieces of turqouise before this one, but I don''t know his expertise in these things.

You will be seeing it soon enough in person. And I look forward to your appraisal.

Thank you very much for chiming in Richard. I will take your advice and wait for your evaluation before making any assumptions.

 

[partgypsy]

The "darkening" of the color with wax or polish makes sense actually. It''s probably similar to when you wet a dry rock and the rock''s color is darker, shinier and more intense.

 

[Miscka]

It''s lovely Gypsy! I was about to wonder out loud if the color difference could be due to the matte/shine difference between the back and front, and then I read Richards great post. I think its a gorgeous piece, how sweet of your grandmother. Wear it in good health!