Editing Turquoise (section)

=== Stabilization ===
Material treated with plastic or water glass is termed "bonded" or "stabilized" turquoise. This process consists of pressure impregnation of otherwise unsaleable chalky American material by [[epoxy]] and [[plastic]]s (such as [[polystyrene]]) and [[water glass]] (sodium silicate) to produce a wetting effect and improve durability. Plastic and water glass treatments are far more permanent and stable than waxing and oiling, and can be applied to material too chemically or physically unstable for oil or wax to provide sufficient improvement. Conversely, stabilization and bonding are rejected by some as too radical an alteration.<ref name="Purists">{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/harriss75007/turquois.htm |title=Tantalizing Turquoise|last=Harriss|first= Joseph A. | access-date = 2007-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201025038/http://www.geocities.com/harriss75007/turquois.htm|archive-date=2008-02-01}}</ref>

The epoxy binding technique was first developed in the 1950s and has been attributed to Colbaugh Processing of Arizona, a company that still operates today.