Featured Fake Green Turquoise? and other questions

I picked up these three pieces at the same time. One green turquoise ring with what I think is a Taxco mark, but I'm not sure. I like the bold, square design and it fits my ring finger, but I don't have any green turquoise to wear with it. I couldn't get clear closeups sorry, but there is a gold line through it. Is it real turquoise?

The second ring has some abalone pieces in it. It is marked sterling with a curved line above it. No other marks that I can find. I think the donor paired it with the small bracelet that had similar shell inlaid but is clearly newer and only stamped Mexico is teeny, tiny letters.

Does anyone have any comments about these pieces? I would appreciate any comments.

 

Yes, probably artificial turquoise. Could be resin, dyed stone, or compressed turquoise (which is kinda sorta real, but . . .). The other ring is very interesting though!

 

Looks like green turquoise to me. Otherwise variscite could be a possibility, but I think turquoise. A good solid Modernist style ring.
The marks are post-1980, so a few years after the period, but it is one of the styles Mexican silversmiths love.

 

Different types of green turquoise:
https://www.durangosilver.com/green-turquoise-cabochons.html

 

Looks like real green turquoise to me also.
I haven't looked at the links yet though... (thank you AJ)

 

Thanks for your thought. I'm never sure about stones except I can spot dyed howlite now

 

Excellent information as always. I am always grateful for you taking the time to look over my stuff. I was thinking Taxco would use real stones.

 

Great link!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I added it to my collection in case I run across another piece. It's pretty rare in my neck of the woods. Thank you.

 

Great. Thanks for the look see. I wasn't sure as I don't see much green turquoise around here.

 

The reason I say it, is simply law of averages. Almost all turquoise you come across is some manner of imitation. Unless it has significant age on it. I know this sounds insane! But the fakes are out of control and have been for decades now. I have just gotten to the point I assume it's all fake and vow to enjoy it anyway. Most of the American mines are closed, or only producing powdery stuff (the stuff that goes into the reconstituted/compressed pieces). This is not to say I have any knowledge that yours is definitely fake, or anything like that. This has just been my lived experience in buying Native American or Southwest jewelry. There are still some operating mines out there in the world but the nice pieces are very expensive.

Just wanted to give a little context to why I said what I did.

I don't really do the facebook anymore but there is a great informative group called Identifying Fake Native American Jewelry, if you ever want to dive deep.

 

I appreciate your input and the experience that it based on. You are not alone in the voices of caution about the fraud around a lot of jewelry and other objects that are on interest to people that come here like me. One of our members caution about the production of "beach" Mexican jewelry marked fraudulently Sterling all the time. These words of caution are always appreciated. I bought a dyed howlite necklace myself in my early days here.

This is why I come and present things, so I can get thoughts and ideas from all the interested people. As my title said, I was concerned about whether the turquoise was fake. I make mistakes all the time, though less now after hanging around here and reading the comments the members like yourself.

One of my favorite mistakes I made is a piece of furniture that I spent a lot of money for from an antique shop that when I got home, I saw the zip code on maker's label hidden in the back of the drawer.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

Taxco also used glass, especially during the Art Deco period. But it is always recognizable as glass, and never used to fake.

 

That depends on where you look. It is always good to study a piece, and a lot of sellers can't or won't tell the difference.
But that doesn't mean that almost all turquoise is some manner of imitation, or that pieces with a significant age are all turquoise.
There are still many later or even recent pieces with genuine turquoise to be found, and there is antique jewellery set with turquoise glass.

Satin, the ring is Mexican, not NA, whether SW or otherwise.

 

Perhaps it is gaspeite.
These are gaspeite earrings that have. Gaspeite is more of a spring green.


Or dyed howlite/ magnesite.
These are dyed howlite earrings that I have. They are more like an acid green.


On the screen it's hard to tell which tone of green is in your ring.

 

Excellent information, as usual.

 

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