Phosphate minerals
Minerals or mineral groups whose principal anionic group is phosphate.
What this family is
Turquoise anchors this family, and the confusions cluster around it: variscite is a green phosphate that may be mistaken for turquoise, while howlite, commonly dyed to imitate it, is a silicate and sits elsewhere. Apatite is a group name, so blue apatite states a colour only and fluorapatite must not be assumed.
Stabilised turquoise carries its polymer impregnation as a declared treatment.
Scope of this family
Minerals or mineral groups whose principal anionic group is phosphate.
Representative members (8)
The standard materials in this family: mineral species, varieties, rocks and other materials whose name identifies what they are. Trade names are listed separately below.
Common confusions
Names in this family that do not by themselves say what the material is, and man-made or assembled products recorded against its materials. Each line says what the item actually is.
Trade names in this family
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type of name | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| Stabilised Turquoise | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | Porous turquoise impregnated with polymer or resin to improve durability and color. It is a treated product and cannot be called natural. |
Member entries (9)
Treatments recorded on member entries
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Treatment | Member entries | Disclosure requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Filled / Fracture-filled | Stabilised Turquoise, Turquoise | Name the filler (resin, oil, polymer, glass or lead glass) and bear in mind that fillings can be unstable and may deteriorate or change colour over time. LMHC Information Sheet #3 treats corundum with glass in two ways: glass in fissures or cavities is still reported on natural corundum as a filling, and only a badly fractured single piece infused throughout, or small fragments bound together with glass, is reported as a manufactured product. |
| Dyed | Stabilised Turquoise, Turquoise | Must be disclosed. Dye may fade, bleed or dissolve in solvents (alcohol, acetone), and dyed material must not be labelled "natural colour"; dyed jadeite counts as B/C jade and must be conspicuously labelled; dyed agate and chalcedony are extremely common. |
| Waxed | Turquoise | Must be disclosed. CIBJO's care annex counts wax among the treatments that are not permanent, so the matching care must also be passed on to the buyer: keep it away from solvents, household chemicals and heat. |
| Impregnated | Stabilised Turquoise, Turquoise | Must be disclosed. Where the impregnation also brings colour, as in jadeite that has been acid-treated and then impregnated with polymer and colour, or Zachery-treated turquoise, the colouring is part of what has to be declared. |
Care codes on member entries
Member entries cite these CIBJO special-care codes: special-care code a, special-care code b, special-care code c, special-care code e, special-care code j, special-care code k. General gem care gives the full wording of every code.
Where members are recorded
Some member entries record the localities where their materials are found; Recorded localities shows them on a sketch map and lists them by continent.
Names
- 简体中文
- 磷酸盐矿物
- 繁體中文
- 磷酸鹽礦物
- English
- Phosphate minerals
- 日本語
- リン酸塩鉱物
Authority source
- Authority source
- Review status
- Reviewed against CIBJO, GB/T and IMA boundaries.
Distribution across the other axes
All 9 members share these values:
- Origin class
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Mineral chemical class
- Phosphates
Identity level
Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown (8)
- Natural; treatment common (require certificate to distinguish) (1)