Turquoise market is a bit messy

In recent years, turquoise, one of China's four famous jades, has become famous in the jewellery and jade market, and its prices have soared. It has turned dozens of times in five years. However, with the increase in market demand, a large number of imitation, optimization of turquoise products are full of them, making it difficult for consumers to discern.

It is understood that there are numerous products on the market that are known as turquoise, and the types include bracelets, carved pieces, hand pieces, and rough stones. Due to factors such as sparse production and government restrictions on mining, the turquoise price has doubled in the past five years. “In 2009, I bought some turquoise ore of raw ore in Gansu. At the time, the price was only three or four yuan per gram, and the quality was good at only ten yuan per gram. Now, the price of a little better turquoise is as high as gram per gram. More than 2,000 yuan, and there is still a rising trend. According to Mr. Zhang, a person in charge of a wenwandian store, "I have been doing turquoise business for more than 10 years. In my opinion, its price has never fallen. It was just a comparison of previous increases. Small, because the market is out of stock these two years, prices have risen so much."

With the reduction of mining volume and the increase of market demand, turquoise is taken seriously by some unscrupulous criminals. They mix fakes or optimization products in the market and deceive consumers. According to reports, the main counterfeiting methods for turquoise include firing and powder pressing. Among them, firing is the dyeing of a white stone, and then high-temperature firing, so that the color attached to the surface of the stone; powder pressing is to smash some cheap mineral materials into a powder, inject color and then pressed. At present, the fraudulent technology of turquoise is very high. It is difficult to accurately distinguish authenticity from mere appearance, and looking at weight is a more effective method of distinguishing. “The fake turquoise that is pressed out is lighter in weight and slightly darker in color than the real natural turquoise.” According to industry sources, the turquoise of high quality has a very high density with a rich porcelain luster and a dark blue or sky blue color.

In addition, there is also a way to identify the way in which turquoise is soaked in water. The turquoise is soaked in water to see if it is discolored. Discoloration means that it is a counterfeit product. If it is unchanged, it means that it is genuine. However, in the eyes of the industry, this method of identification does not accurately determine the authenticity of turquoise. An insider in the industry demonstrated to the author: First, a light blue turquoise bead was soaked in clean water to expose half its surface. After 30 seconds, he removed the bead. The author found that some of the colors soaked in water became darker and felt a bit sticky. He then picked up a smooth turquoise bead and soaked it in water in the same way. After 30 seconds, he took it out. The author saw no change in the color of this turquoise bead. Next, he dipped a fake turquoise ball pressed from powder into water. After 30 seconds, the reporter found that the color of the beads did not change. The person in the industry told the author that the first and second bead were turquoise authenticity, but the first bead was loose in texture and easy to absorb moisture, which caused discoloration after soaking. The second turquoise texture is tight, and it is not easy to absorb moisture, so there is no discoloration after soaking. The third false turquoise is relatively high in density because of artificial treatment, so it is not easy to absorb moisture after soaking, and thus no discoloration occurs. This shows that the identification method of water soaking is not reliable.

Regarding how to maintain the turquoise, the personage inside the industry introduced, there are three fears of turquoise: fear of corrosion, fear of high temperature, fear of collision. Due to its delicate color, Turquoise is very susceptible to contamination and should be kept away from contact with tea, soapy water, oil, rust, and alcohol to prevent discoloration. In addition, be sure to take off the turquoise jewelry when swimming and bathing, because the water in the swimming pool contains a lot of disinfectant and bleach, which will cause it to change color after contact. The bath water, due to the higher temperature, easily opens the turquoise pores and accelerates the decomposition of the mineral components, which in turn causes the color to become dull. In addition, do not let the turquoise near the fire or in the sun, so as not to fade, crack or burst, do not put the turquoise into the ultrasonic instrument, because this instrument is easy to shatter the turquoise. If it needs cleaning, wipe it with a damp cloth.