Stabilization

All, Stabilization is a process of cleaning the material, immersing it
in a liquid, then applying vacuum to the bottom of the container to
suck the liquid into the stone. For years people used opticon to do
this process. Some used other highly viscous two part epoxies. The
new process on the market is a trade secret that they are sharing
with no one. Usually dyes are added to the liquid so that at the
same time the liquid is absorbed into the stone the color is
enhanced. I would estimate that near 100% of turquoise is stabilized
in some manner. During the 80’s we cut pounds of turquoise and sold
the cabs to manufacturers by the pound. Enhancement and backing were
acceptable procedures. In this age of disclosure these procedures
would be highly unethical without disclosure.

Gerry