Turquoise...

by Julie Lee of Julie's Jewelry Design, LLC

    Turquoise is one of the few major gems of which the U.S. is the leading world producer. It is mined primarily in the Southwest United States, particularly in Arizona. It's often said that turquoise from Iran has the finest color, a clear sky blue with no green modifying color and no black veins running through it, but material just as fine is produced in Arizona and New Mexico. In general, the bluer the blue the more highly valued is the stone. A clear, even texture without mottling or veins is also preferred.

    A semi-translucent to opaque stone, turquoise is usually fashioned into cabochons, beads, or carvings. It's major appeal lies in its color and its ability to take an excellent polish. Turquoise is a popular birthstone choice for the month of December and is also given to honor the Eleventh Wedding Anniversary.

    Turquoise is one of the oldest known gem materials. The world's oldest turquoise mines are on the Sinai Peninsula.  Beads in prehistoric graves show Egyptian kings were wearing turquoise as early as 5500 BC. For two thousand years they sent huge, annual mining expeditions to Sinai.  Two to three thousand laborers, plus a military escort, might bring back almost 900 pounds in a good year.  Modern attempts to revive these mines have all failed.

    Presently the most important deposits of this gem are in the U.S., but other sources include Australia, Chile, China, Mexico, and Iran. Turquoise is a mineral usually found in association with copper deposits. It is sometimes mined as a by-product of copper mining.

    The finest turquoise once came from ancient mines on Mount Ali-Mirsai, near Neyshabur in northeastern Iran. For centuries, nearly all the turquoise used in Europe and western Asia came from these Persian mines. The French term pierre turquoise, meaning "Turkish stone," appeared in the thirteenth century; the gemstone probably first reached Europe through Turkey.

    Many cultures have valued turquoise and assigned spiritual meanings to its color. Native Americans, for example, saw turquoise as a sign of divinity and power because it stole its color from the sky and sea.  The Hopi still worship a god of turquoise and embed the stone into the beams and posts of their places of worship.

    The blue was thought to have powerful metaphysical properties too. The Apache believed it helped warriors and hunters to aim accurately. The Zuni believed that turquoise protected them from demons. In Asia, it was considered protection against the evil eye. Ancient manuscripts from Persia, India, Afghanistan, and Arabia report that the health of a person wearing turquoise can be assessed by variations in the color of the stone. Turquoise was also thought to promote prosperity.

    Like most power symbols, turquoise adornments showed wealth and rank. In some tribes, only men could wear it, in others, only the chief or elders. In ancient Mexico, turquoise was reserved for the gods; it would not be worn by mere mortals.

    Turquoise has been associated with horses for centuries, by protecting any rider wearing the gem from injury if they were to fall off of the horse. Tibetans consider turquoise a stone of good fortune. In the 17th century, the stone was only considered effective if received as a gift. In Europe, even today, turquoise rings are given as forget-me-not gifts.

    We currently offer you several sizes in four shapes of cabochon genuine turquoise. These cabs are available in round, oval, marquise, and pear shapes. They are bight, light to medium blue, with no veining, and very good cut and polish. We also carry reconstructed turquoise fashioned as oval scarabs. These scarabs may be slightly greenish and/or have veining unlike our genuine turquoise.