Real Turquoise vs Howlite, Magnesite and African Turquoise
Real turquoise is a copper aluminum phosphate mineral, sky blue to green, 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale and often veined with brown or black matrix from the rock it grew in. Its most common look-alikes are howlite and magnesite, soft white stones dyed blue, and African turquoise, a green-blue jasper that contains no turquoise at all. You can usually tell them apart by the matrix, the drill holes and the price, and a careful acetone test shows surface dye. Below is what each stone is and a side-by-side table, with our turquoise beads linked by name.
What Is Turquoise?
Turquoise is a hydrous copper aluminum phosphate. Copper gives it the blue and iron shifts it toward green, so its color runs from robin's egg blue through teal to apple green. It forms near the surface in dry climates, where rainwater seeping through copper-bearing rock deposits it in thin veins, crusts and nodules. It almost never shows visible crystals; it is a dense mass of microscopic ones with a waxy luster.
That microscopic structure leaves turquoise porous. The densest material takes a high polish and holds its color, while pale, chalky turquoise is soft and absorbs skin oils, lotion and water, which can darken or green it over time. At 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale it is softer than quartz, so it wears best in pieces that do not knock against hard surfaces.
The matrix is leftover host rock: brown or black iron oxide, gray chert, sometimes golden pyrite. When it forms a fine net around small islands of blue, it is called spiderweb matrix, and in the American Southwest it is prized as much as the blue itself. Our Turquoise w/ Matrix rounds show the look.
Where Turquoise Comes From
Iran's mines near Nishapur have produced the classic even, sky blue Persian turquoise for many centuries, and Egypt's Sinai mines are among the oldest known. In the United States, turquoise comes from Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado; Arizona's Sleeping Beauty mine, famous for clear blue without matrix, stopped producing turquoise in 2012, and Nevada's many small mines are known for greens and spiderweb patterns. Today Hubei Province in central China, especially Zhushan County, is the largest commercial source in China and a major supplier of turquoise beads.
The Look-Alikes
Dyed howlite
Howlite is a calcium borosilicate, first described by the Canadian chemist Henry How in Nova Scotia in 1868. It forms chalky white nodules with fine gray to black veins in a web pattern that looks remarkably like turquoise matrix, and it is porous, so it takes dye easily. Dyed blue, it is the most common turquoise substitute. At 3.5 on the Mohs scale it is noticeably softer than turquoise. Our Turquoise Howlite (dyed) and Howlite Turquoise (dyed) are dyed howlite, and their titles and descriptions say so.
Dyed magnesite
Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, white and chalky with tan, brown or gray veins that are often wider and blockier than howlite's. It is 3.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, a little heavier than turquoise in the hand, and like howlite it takes dye readily. Dyed blue, it is sold as turquoise magnesite.
"White turquoise"
Stones sold as white turquoise are almost always white howlite or magnesite, attractive white stones in their own right. Our post What Is White Turquoise? covers it in more detail, and you will find White Howlite under its own name.
African turquoise
African turquoise is a trade name for a green to blue-green jasper from Africa with dark brown and black spots and patches. It is a quartz-based stone, harder than turquoise at about 6.5 to 7, and it contains no copper phosphate at all. Our African turquoise beads are described in their listings as jasper sold under the trade name.
Hubei turquoise
Hubei turquoise is not a look-alike: it is real turquoise from Hubei Province, China, often blue-green with a dark brown to black web matrix. Our Hubei Turquoise rondelles are named for it.
Variscite and amazonite
Both are real stones with their own names. Variscite is an aluminum phosphate without copper, so it is usually greener than turquoise; it comes from Utah, Nevada and Australia, about 4.5 on the Mohs scale, and Nevada variscite can carry a black spiderweb matrix that invites confusion. Amazonite is a blue-green microcline feldspar, 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, with white streaks or a faint grid pattern and no matrix.
Turquoise and Its Look-Alikes Compared
| Stone | What it is | Color | Matrix look | Hardness | Price level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turquoise | Copper aluminum phosphate | Sky blue to green, rarely even | Brown, black or golden host rock, irregular web or patches, or none | 5 to 6 | Moderate to high |
| Hubei turquoise | Turquoise from China | Blue-green to green | Often a dark brown to black web | 5 to 6 | Moderate |
| Dyed howlite | Calcium borosilicate | Bright, even blue | Thin gray to black web, very regular | 3.5 | Low |
| Dyed magnesite | Magnesium carbonate | Even blue to green | Tan, brown or gray veins, often wide | 3.5 to 4.5 | Low |
| "White turquoise" | White howlite or magnesite | White | Gray, brown or black veins | 3.5 to 4.5 | Low |
| African turquoise | Jasper | Green to teal | Dark brown and black spots and patches | 6.5 to 7 | Low to moderate |
| Variscite | Aluminum phosphate | Mint to apple green | None, or a black web | About 4.5 | Moderate |
| Amazonite | Microcline feldspar | Aqua to blue-green | None; white streaks or a grid | 6 to 6.5 | Low to moderate |
How to Tell Them Apart
Look at the matrix
Turquoise matrix is host rock, so it is irregular in width and color and often sits slightly lower than the polished blue. Howlite veins form a fine, even web that can look almost printed, and on dyed stones the dye often pools in the veins and cracks, tinting their edges blue. A 10x loupe makes that pooling easy to see.
Check the drill holes and chips
Dye does not always reach the center of a bead. Look into the drill hole and at any chipped edge: a white or much paler core points to dyed howlite or magnesite. Turquoise's own color runs all the way through.
Weigh it in your hand
Weight sorts out plastic and resin imitations, which feel light and warm, but not the stones. Turquoise, howlite and jasper weigh about the same for their size, and magnesite is only slightly heavier.
The acetone test
Moisten a cotton swab with acetone or acetone nail polish remover and rub a hidden spot, such as inside the drill hole, for a few seconds, then wipe the bead with a damp cloth. Blue on the swab means surface dye. Use this test with care: acetone can soften or dull resin and plastic, and it can weaken some stringing materials, so test a loose bead rather than a finished piece.
Compare the price
Fine turquoise is costly, and perfectly matched, evenly bright blue strands are rare. A low price with flawless even color usually means dyed howlite or magnesite. The surest guide is a seller who names the stone in the listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is African turquoise real turquoise?
No. African turquoise is a trade name for a green to blue-green jasper with dark matrix. It is harder than turquoise and contains no copper phosphate.
Is howlite turquoise real turquoise?
No. Howlite turquoise is howlite, a white calcium borosilicate, dyed blue to imitate turquoise. It is softer than turquoise and much less expensive.
What is white turquoise?
Almost always white howlite or magnesite sold under a borrowed name. It is not turquoise.
Is Hubei turquoise real turquoise?
Yes. Hubei turquoise is genuine turquoise from Hubei Province, the main commercial source of turquoise in China.
Shop Turquoise and Look-Alike Beads
Browse our turquoise bead collection, the jasper in our African turquoise beads and the white and dyed stones in our howlite beads. Turquoise is a December birthstone alongside tanzanite and zircon, all in our December birthstone beads. See also our posts on white turquoise and the Mohs hardness scale.
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