"Recon" stone is "reconstructed" stone used in the jewelry (and other) industries. Basically, it is the "waste" stone bits and pieces, or pieces otherwise too small to do anything with, or pieces that don't have the "desired" look to them for jewelry, that is then powdered or ground up and bonded together with some sort of resin. A great deal of the turquoise you see in inexpensive jewelry is actually "recon stone". If the process is done correctly, it looks almost "identical" to the fine quality natural stone. Unfortunately, is is seldom done "correctly". About 80% of the "junk" recon stone I see out there, I wouldn't line my driveway with. I use "recon" turquoise (Iron, copper Phosphate), Malachite (copper carbonate) and Sugelite (Manganese ore) frequently as spacers in my knives. It works easily with wood working tools, polishes well and adds color that I like. I have also found it to be a bit more resilient to shock (in some cases), than the natural counterpart.
Michael
