Turquoises fake or real

[Jens Nordlunde]

In Indian Art at Delhi 1903 George Watt on page 75 writes the a large trade of turquoises comes from Kashmir, and he writes forther on.

"A large trade is done in India in the manufacture and sale of jewellery of various sorts made in turquoise. Perhaps with no other stone has the art of fabrication been carried to a higher perfection than with the turquoise. Glass coloured on the surface is produced with all the defects natural to the true stone, so that, unless scratched to ascertain if the colour is only on the surface, it is next to impossible to detect the true from the false. To give a deeper shade, a surface dressing in colour is sometimes imparted to the true as well as the false stone. This may be instantly detected by rubbing the stone between the fingers with a little oil or butter. If the stone becomes lighter coloured on the side rubbed with the fat, it is of necessity either a false stone or a poor coloured turquoise that has had its tint artificially deepened."

Few weapons from India are decorated with turquoises, but the stone was often used for decoration of weapons from Tibet, Buthan and other countries north of Kashmir.