Blue and green are two of the most popular colours among people and with nature - the sea, water, the sky and plants are all green or blue or turquoise, a greeny-blue. Turquoise is the colour of the open sea. It is not a difficult colour to like and it matches with most colour schemes.
Turquoise is not a especially rare gemstone, but it is rare in its finest state. It is mined in numerous countries including the USA, Iran, India and China. The word turquoise comes from an old French word for Turkey or Turkish, because it was first imported into Europe from Iranian or Persian mines via Turkey.
Turquoise is easily smashed and is just slightly harder than glass, having a hardness of 6. Turquoise is one of the oldest mined gemstones and still, most of the world's mines are small and hand-operated.
Some of the Iranian mines are 2,000 years old and still being worked. However, the oldest mines are on the Sinai Peninsular and they are known to be at least 3,000 years old as they were worked in the era of the pharaohs.
The colour fluctuates through greens and blues because of the existence or minerals. If there is more copper present the stone will be bluer and if there is aluminium or iron, it will become greener.
Iranian turquoise is among the best quality in the world and is used predominantly in the jewelery industry. Turquoise from some other locations, like the south-western states of America, is of inferior grade and is too chalky and powdery for this use.
Regrettably, chemists have discovered methods to enhance this gemstone, so that unless you are an expert or buying from a reliable source, you could easily end up purchasing low grade turquoise that has been treated. This is the case with other gemstones as well.
Some of the tricks that they use are:
Chemicals can be used to intensify the natural colour of the gem
Resin can be soaked into the pores of porous, friable, low-grade turquoise to 'stabilize' it - ie stop it flaking and falling apart.
Completely untreated, natural turquoise of pleasing appearance is very rare and so very expensive. It would be very hard to impossible for a layman to detect whether a stone has been treated or not, but you are unlikely ever to come across any.
Whatever, grade of turquoise you have, you will have to take care of it because it is fairly soft, easily scratched and quite easily crushed to powder.
Therefore, do not leave it to rattle about in your bag and store it wrapped on its own in a cool, dark box. Extremes of temperature may harm it as well. Turquoise is naturally porous, even if it has been drenched in resin, so do not permit oils or perfumes to soak into it.
If you need to clean a turquoise, you will require nothing but a soft cloth and warm, but not hot, water. Dry the stone immediately after washing with a second soft duster. Be cautious not to score the surface with the dirt that you are washing off.
Turquoise is not a especially rare gemstone, but it is rare in its finest state. It is mined in numerous countries including the USA, Iran, India and China. The word turquoise comes from an old French word for Turkey or Turkish, because it was first imported into Europe from Iranian or Persian mines via Turkey.
Turquoise is easily smashed and is just slightly harder than glass, having a hardness of 6. Turquoise is one of the oldest mined gemstones and still, most of the world's mines are small and hand-operated.
Some of the Iranian mines are 2,000 years old and still being worked. However, the oldest mines are on the Sinai Peninsular and they are known to be at least 3,000 years old as they were worked in the era of the pharaohs.
The colour fluctuates through greens and blues because of the existence or minerals. If there is more copper present the stone will be bluer and if there is aluminium or iron, it will become greener.
Iranian turquoise is among the best quality in the world and is used predominantly in the jewelery industry. Turquoise from some other locations, like the south-western states of America, is of inferior grade and is too chalky and powdery for this use.
Regrettably, chemists have discovered methods to enhance this gemstone, so that unless you are an expert or buying from a reliable source, you could easily end up purchasing low grade turquoise that has been treated. This is the case with other gemstones as well.
Some of the tricks that they use are:
Chemicals can be used to intensify the natural colour of the gem
Resin can be soaked into the pores of porous, friable, low-grade turquoise to 'stabilize' it - ie stop it flaking and falling apart.
Completely untreated, natural turquoise of pleasing appearance is very rare and so very expensive. It would be very hard to impossible for a layman to detect whether a stone has been treated or not, but you are unlikely ever to come across any.
Whatever, grade of turquoise you have, you will have to take care of it because it is fairly soft, easily scratched and quite easily crushed to powder.
Therefore, do not leave it to rattle about in your bag and store it wrapped on its own in a cool, dark box. Extremes of temperature may harm it as well. Turquoise is naturally porous, even if it has been drenched in resin, so do not permit oils or perfumes to soak into it.
If you need to clean a turquoise, you will require nothing but a soft cloth and warm, but not hot, water. Dry the stone immediately after washing with a second soft duster. Be cautious not to score the surface with the dirt that you are washing off.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a number of subjects, but is now concerned with Baby Birthstones. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Jewellry but Watches.
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