Search "turquoise necklace" and most of what comes back isn't turquoise. It's howlite — a naturally white, veiny stone — dyed blue and sold as the real thing. It's not a scam exactly; a lot of sellers don't know the difference either. But if you're paying turquoise prices, you should know what you're getting.
The weight test
Real turquoise is denser than howlite. Hold a strand in your hand — genuine turquoise beads feel slightly heavier than their size suggests. Dyed howlite feels light and a little too smooth.
The color test
Dye pools in the veins and cracks of howlite, so the matrix lines often look darker or more saturated than the rest of the bead — almost like a marker was traced along them. Natural turquoise matrix veining varies more randomly, and the color sits *in* the stone, not on top of it.
The water test (if you already own it)
A cotton swab with a little acetone or nail polish remover, dabbed gently on an inconspicuous bead, will pick up blue dye from howlite almost immediately. Real turquoise won't transfer color.
The price test
If a full turquoise strand costs less than a fast food combo meal, it's howlite. Genuine turquoise is a mined, non-renewable stone, and the price reflects that.
What we sell
Every strand in our Jewelry Spot is genuine stone, one strand at a time, never dyed and never restocked once it's gone — including our turquoise strands, sourced and strung as one-of-a-kind pieces, not mass runs. When a strand sells, that exact strand is gone for good.