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Turquoise
Turquoise has been valued by mankind
as ornamentation for thousands of years. Prized by pharaohs
and Aztec royalty alike, this blue-green semiprecious gem
was originally found in the dry, arid regions of the Middle-East.
For hundreds of years, deep blue Persian turquoise was the
standard against which all others were measured.
In the 1800Ős, turquoise was "discovered"
by settlers out West in the United States, though it had been
used for many hundreds of years by the indigenous people of
the Southwest and Mexico. These deposits, found in places
like Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada challenged the highest
quality turquoise from Persia.
Turquoise is created when ground water percolates
through aluminous rock in the presence of copper. This is
why turquoise is frequently found near copper producing areas.
Chemically, turquoise is a "hydrated
phosphate of copper and aluminum." Try that one out at an
upcoming Christmas party and watch your audiencesŐ eyes glaze
over...
Traditionally, the more blue and flawless
the stone, the more highly it was prized. Over the past half
century or so, however, there has been increased demand for
stones that are not perfectly flawless blue. Turquoise matrix,
that is turquoise with veins of other stone or metal inside,
are now sought after because they tend to have their own character.
Those veins within turquoise, by the way, are made up of minerals
like sandstone or limonite.
Turquoise varies in color from brown and yellow
to sky blue. In Tibet and other Asian producing countries,
green is more desirous than blue shades. In the contemporary
jewelry market, there is room for all shades of this beautiful
stone.
The past year and a half has seen a tremendous
resurgence in the popularity of a stone that most recently
had been favored by Western enthusiasts and flower children.
For those interested in the healing powers of stones, turquoise
is said to be the master healer. It protects against environmental
pollutants, strengthens the body, guards against disease and
improves the absorption of nutrients.
Most of the silver jewelry we sell comes in
several stone choices. We have a great selection of turquoise
items that can be found here.
(This
article written by Mike McGinnis and published originally
on indiasilver.com.
We allow republication provided the piece is copied in its
entirety with links and attribution.)
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