It is very easy to find unscrupulous sellers who are selling either fake Native American jewelry, or selling a piece with turquoise that has been stabilized or reconstituted from powder or artificially tampered with in some way. This has happened to me numerous times, especially in the beginning years of my collecting turquoise jewelry. I have found that the only way to be certain, without spending years learning about natural turquoise from all the Southwest American mines throughout history, is to find one dealer who is reputable and who has the knowledge you are looking for. I found two dealers who have helped me over the years. And I had to travel to the Southwest to meet one of them. The other I met at a Native American Art Show in my area. The dealer I met in my travels has helped me the most to learn about turquoise. He is Barry Simpson from Twin Rocks Trading Post. He has spent many hours with me in his store, showing me how to discriminate between a natural piece of turquoise, and turquoise that has been tampered with. He has also taught me how to spot turquoise from China and Tibet. It has taken several years to feel confident, but now I can go to a show or a trading post and pick out the natural turquoise from Southwest mines. The other dealer who has helped me through the years is Gene Waddell from Waddell Trading. Both of these dealers sell on EBAY. So, if you want to safely buy turquoise on EBAY, get to know the seller, and find out how he learned about turquoise. Only deal with dealers who you know and trust. This has worked out for me. I now only sell items purchased from my trusted dealers. I am a collector for the most part, but I sell to help support my retirement income. Andy Todd