On this page
UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural inorganic gem materials · Trade name: colour / appearance variety · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Stabilised Turquoise
Also known asResin-treated turquoise · Waxed turquoise (conditional name)
Porous turquoise impregnated with polymer or resin to improve durability and color. It is a treated product and cannot be called natural. Also known as Resin-treated turquoise, Waxed turquoise. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Stabilised Turquoise forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify Stabilised TurquoiseHow far lab testing can go
- Treatments and enhancements of Stabilised TurquoiseThe enhancements and treatments the GB/T and JJA/AGL tables list
- Caring for and wearing Stabilised TurquoiseCleaning, heat, chemicals and light, as the cited sources give them
- Hardness of Stabilised TurquoiseEach value with its source and check date
- Stabilised Turquoise in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Listing and disclosing Stabilised TurquoiseThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
Resin-stabilized turquoise is a treated gem material: porous, coarsely textured natural turquoise is impregnated (stabilised) with resin, so it is a manufactured product rather than a natural one. Turquoise is an aggregate of crystals, and the looser the packing, the greater the porosity, the rougher the texture and the less bright the polish. GIA observes that stones which are coarse and porous are typically treated so they become smoother, glossier and easier to sell. Under CIBJO wording, impregnation means to soak right through, and a resin is described as a solid-to-semisolid organic substance. This entry deals only with that treatment, its effects and its stability limits, not with how the natural material formed.
Scope: Applies to treated gem products in which natural friable / porous turquoise is impregnated with polymer or resin (stabilisation) to improve durability and colour; not applicable to natural untreated turquoise, and not an identification conclusion for any specific sample.
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · G&G Summer 2010
Where it forms
No natural formation environment applies: this is an impregnation (stabilisation) treatment in which resin/polymer is introduced into the stone's pores; the sources give no temperature, pressure or curing conditions.
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · G&G Summer 2010
Its parent turquoise has its own natural setting, but that describes the rough (host-rock matrix and porous aggregate), not the resin-stabilised treated product.
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · G&G Summer 2010
How it forms, step by step
Select highly porous, coarsely textured natural turquoise (GIA: such coarse, porous stones are usually treated).
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Introduce resin/polymer so that it permeates and fills the stone's pores (CIBJO: impregnation means to fill throughout; saturate).
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
After curing, the material is smoother, shinier and more marketable, with improved colour and durability.
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Per CIBJO naming rules, the finished product must be named as treated and the impregnation/stabilisation disclosed.
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Link to appearance
The appearance (smoother, shinier, more even colour) results from the resin/polymer filling the pores and altering the surface and light behaviour; GIA notes fine-textured turquoise has a waxy lustre by itself, while coarse, porous material has improved appearance after treatment.
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · G&G Summer 2010
Timescale
The sources state no process duration for the resin impregnation treatment and no historical date for its use.
Sources GIA Turquoise Description · CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022 · G&G Summer 2010
Related base materials
- Turquoise (hydrated copper aluminium phosphate): Natural porous parent material impregnated (stabilised) with polymer/resin; the treatment improves its durability and colour without changing the species of the parent material
Recorded localities
Authoritative sources list the localities below; the list is not exhaustive.
Asia
- Zhushan County, Hubei, ChinaZhushan is the most abundant source of commercial turquoise in Hubei; study samples were resin-treated there
Sources Gems & Gemology Spring 2021
These are localities recorded by authoritative sources, not an origin finding for any individual piece. The CIBJO Gemstone Book (2022, §4.2.3) says a place of origin names where a gem was mined or harvested, is a matter of opinion, does not imply a level of quality, and that cutting, processing or exporting centres must not be used to imply origin. See how far testing can go on this page, the origin determination guide and the overview of recorded localities.
Other research findings
Turquoise forms as a porous aggregate: the coarser its texture and the greater its porosity, the less bright the polish and potentially the weaker its toughness, and GIA observes that coarse, porous stones are typically treated to make them smoother, glossier and more saleable.
Evidence grade AScope: Applies to GIA's account of turquoise porosity, texture and 'usually treated'; it does not cover specific resin types.
Sources GIA Turquoise Description
CIBJO defines impregnation as 'to fill throughout; saturate' and resin as a solid to semisolid organic substance; resin stabilisation is the impregnation-type treatment that permeates and fills turquoise's pores with resin/polymer.
Evidence grade AScope: Applies to CIBJO's definitions of impregnation and resin; the sources give no specific resin formulation or curing conditions.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Such material is marketed as 'dyed and/or stabilized turquoise'; it is a treated product, not natural untreated turquoise, and its naming must disclose the treatment.
Evidence grade AScope: Applies to material GIA describes as marketed as dyed/stabilized; it does not judge any specific dealer or specimen.
Sources G&G Summer 2010
GIA has also examined composite turquoise in which turquoise pieces are bonded together with polymer; that is an assembled (composite) product, a different type from simple resin impregnation/stabilisation, and the two should not be conflated.
Evidence grade BScope: Concerns distinguishing GIA's polymer-bonded composite turquoise from resin-impregnated stabilised turquoise; the source gives no quantitative criteria.
Sources G&G Summer 2010
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- The authoritative sources give no specific resin type, degree of penetration or curing conditions for stabilisation.
- The sources give no historical date or process duration for the treatment.
- The sources do not quantify the service life or the fading/leaching risk after stabilisation; this record gives only a qualitative boundary.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Resin-stabilised Turquoise
16 CFR Part 23 §23.24
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Treatments recorded for this material: Filled / Fracture-filled (via parent material), Impregnated (via parent material), Dyed (via parent material)
Related:Disclosure and cautions
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
"Stabilised Turquoise" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Composition or process must be stated.
Evidence
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Resin-stabilised Turquoise" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- This entry's exact material identity is not fully settled.
- See “Disclosure and cautions” above
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Trade-name ruling
- Composition or process must be stated.
- Suggested listing name
- Resin-stabilised Turquoise
Care and wear
The item-by-item care advice that the GIA Care and Cleaning Guide gives for the whole class, and so for Stabilised Turquoise, is set out in full under care on the Turquoise entry.
Care
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Treatments and identification leads
One row per treatment, with three standards side by side: how often it occurs and how stable it is (CIBJO), its category in GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1 (this site's paraphrase) and how the JJA/AGL 2025 table lists it. Each CIBJO value links to its entry under “Testing and market”, where the wording and source are given in full.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Treatment | Market frequency (CIBJO) | Stability (CIBJO) | GB/T 16552 category | JJA/AGL listing | Identification leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filling | — | — | Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1 | — | — |
| Density optimization | — | — | Optimization (annotation required) | — | — |
| Dyeing | — | — | Treatment | — | — |
“—” means the cited source gives no value for that item, not “none”. Source: GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1 (row for Turquoise)
Whether a treatment has to show in the name differs between the two rule sets (this site’s paraphrase):
- GB/T 16552—2017: a method classed as treatment has to be stated in the name itself — the method put before the name, or added in brackets after it; a method classed as optimization does not need to appear in the name, though one marked “Optimization (annotation required)” still has to be noted in the quality documents. Source: §5.4.2.1 a), b); §5.4.2.2 a)
- CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022: no longer splits treatments into ones that need specific disclosure and ones that need only general disclosure: every treatment is to be disclosed, and the seller tells the buyer which treatment was used and what special care it calls for. Source: §4.2.5 Note 2, §4.2.5.1, pp.14–15
What this table covers
What this page can give
- Registered treatments, their stability and how often they occur (see the table above)
- Identification leads for each treatment, for use when sending a stone for testing
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Besides Stabilised Turquoise, the name register records "Resin-treated turquoise" and "Waxed turquoise", for which no restriction on use as a name is recorded.
Trade and mineralogical namesStabilised Turquoise is a trade name, not a mineral species name; the corresponding national-standard name is turquoise (treated), from GB/T 16552—2017, and the name itself is not listed in the original. Names in four languagesNames are given in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Stabilised Turquoise) and Japanese; the Japanese name is the entry's own, and the wording used by GSJ (Japan) for it is not yet verified by this site. Trade and mineralogical namesMarket names include Resin-treated turquoise and Waxed turquoise. Candidate search termsResin-treated turquoise may be matched automatically, while Waxed turquoise is a search candidate only. Trade and mineralogical namesThe mineralogical name is paraphrased as porous turquoise impregnated with polymer or resin to improve durability and colour. Institution usageAmong GIA, FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A, the FTC and CIBJO texts contain no wording for Stabilised Turquoise (checked), while GIA and Gem-A are unchecked; bodies without a recorded wording show the entry's own English name, Stabilised Turquoise, which does not represent the position of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A. Recommended listing nameThe suggested listing name is resin-stabilised turquoise.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (2) | ||||
| Resin-treated turquoiseEnglish | market name | matched automatically | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
| Waxed turquoiseEnglish | market name | search candidate only | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 樹脂安定化ターコイズ (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- GB/T naming counterpart (this name is not in the standard)
- 绿松石（处理） (GB/T 16552—2017 §5.4.2.2 a))
- Mineralogical name
- Porous turquoise impregnated with polymer or resin to improve durability and colour
- Trade names and synonyms
- Resin-treated turquoise (market name) · Waxed turquoise (market name; conditional name)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 树脂稳定绿松石
- 繁體中文
- 樹脂穩定綠松石
- English
- Stabilised Turquoise
- 日本語
- 樹脂安定化ターコイズ
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Browsing family
- Phosphate minerals
- Identity tier
- Trade name: colour / appearance variety
- Mineral chemical class
- Phosphates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Treatments listed by standards
For Stabilised Turquoise, this site applies the enhancement and treatment classification of the turquoise row of GB/T 16552—2017 Annex B Table B.1: filling is judged by the grades of GB/T 16552—2017; compactness enhancement is listed as an enhancement and should be disclosed with a note; dyeing is listed as a treatment. The notes to Table B.1 and the definitions of each grade are on this site's treatments page.
GB/T 16552-2017, Annex B, Table B.1
Under the “Turquoise” row of Table B.1: Filling Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1; Density optimization Optimization (annotation required); Dyeing Treatment. The full row, with the effect column, is on the Turquoise page.
What Table B.1 is, and how the “see 5.4.1” grades are defined: see the GB/T 16552: optimization vs treatment page.
What it is and how it's identified
Among the material facts for Stabilised Turquoise, the durability item is registered under GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing: the Mohs hardness of natural untreated turquoise (the parent material) is 3–6. The Mohs hardness of 3–6 is given by the cited clause for natural, untreated turquoise and is not a measured value for Stabilised Turquoise itself; the cited sources give no hardness for turquoise that has been stabilised (polymer-impregnated). The statement in the CIBJO Retailer's Reference Guide that polymer impregnation makes turquoise darker in colour and more durable refers to durability, not hardness.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Durability
Stabilised Turquoise — Mohs hardness: 3–6
GB/T 16553—2017
Reference points on this site: Talc 1–3, Fluorite 4, Apatite 5–5.5, Orthoclase 6–6.5, Topaz 8, Diamond 10 (Source: GB/T 16553—2017); Gypsum 1.5–2, Calcite 3, Quartz 7 (Source: Handbook of Mineralogy); Corundum 9 (Source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia (care guide))
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- natural, untreated turquoise (the parent material)
- Qualification
This is the figure the clause we cite gives for natural, untreated turquoise. It is not a measured value for stabilised turquoise: none of the sources we hold gives a separate hardness for turquoise that has been stabilised by polymer impregnation. The CIBJO Retailers' Reference Guide says polymer impregnation makes turquoise darker and more durable. That is about durability, not hardness.
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.13 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Testing and market
The CIBJO laboratory protocol covers Stabilised Turquoise under “Turquoise” (§6.1.88): see identification on the Turquoise entry; the required tests are listed on the CIBJO laboratory protocol table for Turquoise.
How far testing can go
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. Gemmological Laboratories Book (Blue Book), Gemmological Commission 2024-1.
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. The Gemstone Book (Blue Book), 2022.
- SAMR / SAC (China). GB/T 16552—2017 Gems — Nomenclature.
- GIA – Gemological Institute of America (United States). Gem Encyclopedia.
- Gem-A – The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (United Kingdom).
- Federal Trade Commission (United States). In the Loupe: Advertising Diamond, Gemstones and Pearls.
- eCFR (United States). 16 CFR § 23.24 — Disclosure of treatments to gemstones. In: 16 CFR Part 23 — Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries.
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Phosphate minerals | Live |
| Treatments recorded for this material | Filled / Fracture-filled (via parent material), Impregnated (via parent material), Dyed (via parent material) | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Stabilised Turquoise entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.