• Spectroscopy and Spectral Analysis
  • Vol. 41, Issue 7, 2245 (2021)
Li-ying HUANG*, Quan-li CHEN*;, Xin-xin GAO, Yang DU, and Feng-shun XU
Author Affiliations
  • Gemmological Institute, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
  • show less
    DOI: 10.3964/j.issn.1000-0593(2021)07-2245-06 Cite this Article
    Li-ying HUANG, Quan-li CHEN, Xin-xin GAO, Yang DU, Feng-shun XU. Study on Composition and Spectral Characteristics of Turquoise Treated by “Porcelain-Added”[J]. Spectroscopy and Spectral Analysis, 2021, 41(7): 2245 Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    In recent years, a kind of turquoise treated with a new type of inorganic binder has appeared on the market. The turquoise treated by this method is very similar to the natural turquoise, which is generally characterized by a fine structure, glassy luster or greasy luster. It is called “porcelain-added” turquoise in markets. Conventional gemological testing instruments, infrared absorption spectrometers, UV-Vis spectrometers and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometers were used to systematically study and analyze the gemological properties, vibration spectrum characteristics and chemical composition characteristics of “porcelain-added” turquoise. The results show that the density of turquoise samples treated with “porcelain” is mostly less than 2.2 g·cm-3, and its density is related to the density of turquoise before treatment. The samples treated with “porcelain” are mainly turquoise with a lower density. The turquoise treated by “porcelain” is characterized by typical low density, delicate structural appearance and strong wax-glass luster combination, which is inconsistent with the characteristics of natural turquoise and can be used as an important auxiliary identification feature of turquoise treated by “porcelain”. The luminescence of turquoise treated by “porcelain” under long-wave and short-wave UV fluorescence is nearly consistent with natural turquoise. Under microscopic observation, the white melting matter often appears in the iron wire and crevasses, and hair-like crystals can be seen in the pores. The main chemical composition of “porcelain-added” turquoise is similar to the natural turquoise, with CuO, Al2O3 and P2O5 as the main components, and containing a certain amount of FeOT, ZnO, SiO2, K2O and CaO. Among them, the SiO2 content of the “porcelain-added” turquoise sample is basically above 6.40%, which is higher than that of the natural turquoise (1.96%~6.25%), and its Al2O3 and P2O5 contents are lower than those of the natural turquoise, and the proportion of phosphorus and aluminum is basically the same as that of the natural turquoise, about 1.10. The high content of SiO2 and surface feature in turquoise can be effectively distinguished from natural turquoise by “adding porcelain”. The infrared absorption spectrum of turquoise treated by “adding porcelain” is basically the same as that of natural turquoise, which is difficult to distinguish. The Ultraviolet absorption spectrum of turquoise treated by “porcelain addition” shows the absorption peak at 620~750 nm and the relatively sharp absorption peak near 425 nm. The peak positions are slightly shifted due to different colors, but the overall UV absorption spectrum characteristics are consistent with those of natural turquoise.
    Li-ying HUANG, Quan-li CHEN, Xin-xin GAO, Yang DU, Feng-shun XU. Study on Composition and Spectral Characteristics of Turquoise Treated by “Porcelain-Added”[J]. Spectroscopy and Spectral Analysis, 2021, 41(7): 2245
    Download Citation