Squash Bottom Necklace - Fake?

Can you say Mexican Beach Jewelry?

 

back in the 70's , their silver actually had some quality to it.
my pal came home with some for him and his lady friend that were actually quite nice..

 

Yeah Komo, most everything had some quality to it back in the 1970s!

 

Hell, back then....even I had some good qualities !!!

Heehehehe!!!!!!!!!

 

I have a small collection of turquoise jewelry that my ex-husband bought. Put away in a safe deposit box so my second husband doesn't stress, not that he would. Anyway, we bought it from a friend who traveled to Arizona every year to buy lump turquoise. We got to see the whole process from start to finish. We also bought some older, genuine pieces that he brought back. Much of what we buy today is from the Middle East. A lot of less expensive turquoise is made from real, but lower quality stone that has been injected with dye to make it a richer color and then a fixative. Then there is just plain fake turquoise. Unless you're dealing with someone you know and trust, it's a crap shoot.

 

At one time....even the Navajo used imported turquoise...

 

Probably still do, sometimes. They use other imported stones. You can get real turquoise from other sources if you know what you're looking at. Howlite and magnesite are both distinctive if you know what you're looking for. The dyed/chalk/mess stuff can be a bit harder.

 

Had a similar necklace at one point that was fake but real silver marked .925. Likely from Asia. Was happy to sell it for just over scrap.