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History
of Turquoise
Turquoise
is one of the oldest known gem materials. The Egyptians were mining
turquoise in the Sinai as early as 5,500 BC. Turquoise was worn by
Pharaohs and Aztec Kings. Its prized blue color, is so distinctive that
its name is used to describe any color that resembles it. Pre-Columbian
Indians used turquoise for beads and pendants. From,500 BC Burial
grounds, in Central America and Mexico. Teeth were found decorated with
turquoise. A tribute to early dentistry as well as a different idea for
adornment. It was also extensively used around 200 BC, by both
southwestern US Native Americans and by many of the Indian tribes in
Mexico. The Anasazi and Hohokam mined turquoise throughout our
Southwest. Absolute evidence exists that these prehistoric people mined
turquoise at Cerillos and the Burro Mountains of New Mexico, Kingman and
Morenci in Arizona and the Conejos areas of Colorado. Turquoise was not
specifically mentioned in the Bible, but scholars believe that the robe
worn by the high priest Aaron was decorated with turquoise. Aristotle,
Pliny, and other philosophers refer to stones that must have been
turquoise. After the 4th or 5th century A.D., many writings that
appeared discussed the stone. The Zuni Indians, have been inhabitants of
what is currently New Mexico for thousands of years!
Turquoise
jewelry has been found buried with a 7,500 hundred-year-old Egyptian
mummy. Turquoise beads from at least 5000 B.C. were traced back to
Mesopotamia, the name for ancient Iraq. Turquoise has been uncovered in
burial sites all the way from Argentina to the American Southwest.
Popular and Precious Trade Item
Turquoise was a popular trade item. We know this because so much has
been found in archeological sites. Many hundreds of miles away from its
source. A prime example is the Cerillos, New Mexico, turquoise found
with the Aztecs. The Native American Jewelry or "Indian style" jewelry
with turquoise mounted in or with silver is relatively new. Some believe
this style of Jewelry was unknown prior to about 1880, when a white
trader persuaded a Navajo craftsman to make turquoise and silver jewelry
using coin silver. Prior to this time, the Native Americans had made
solid turquoise beads, carvings, and inlaid mosaics. Explorers such as
Marco Polo took time to write about it. Certainly, the prehistoric
peoples of the Western hemisphere knew about turquoise; pieces have been
found in burial and archeological sites throughout the two continents.
Turquoise came to Europe only during the time of the crusades.
Prominent Gem of Native Americans
The Native American Jewelry or "Indian style" jewelry
with turquoise mounted in or with silver is relatively new. Some believe
this style of Jewelry was unknown prior to about 1880, when a white
trader persuaded a Navajo craftsman to make turquoise and silver jewelry
using coin silver. Prior to this time, the Native Americans had made
solid turquoise beads, carvings, and inlaid mosaics. American Indians of
Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico have long fashioned turquoise
into ornamental jewelry, inlays and carvings. The Navaho believe
turquoise is a piece of the sky, which has fallen to earth. The Apache
think it combines the spirits of the sea and sky to helped warriors and
hunters aim accurately. The Zuni believe that turquoise protects them
from demons, while the Aztecs reserved turquoise for the gods and was
not to be worn by mere mortals. Montezuma's treasure, now displayed in
the British Museum in London, includes a carved serpent covered by a
mosaic of turquoise. Recently, turquoise has found wide acceptance
among people of all walks of life and from many different ethnic groups.
Turquoise Facts
Turquoise came in Europe through Turkey, but
its origin was Persia, where it has been mined for thousands of years.
The blue color of turquoise was thought to have powerful metaphysical
properties by many ancient cultures. In ancient Mexico, turquoise was
reserved for the gods and could not be worn by mere mortals. In Asia,
turquoise was considered as effective protection against the evil eye.
In Tibet even today, turquoise is by far the most popular of all
materials used for personal adornment, and still play an important part
in religious ceremonies...
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Turquoise Myths
Turquoise has been a treasured gemstone around the world for thousands
of years. It was used for beads by the Egyptians as early as 5500
BC. The deposits in Sinai were already worked out by 4,000 BC. In many
cultures, Turquoise is regarded as a harbinger of good fortune, success
and health. In ancient Persia it was once believed that the wearing of
turquoise talismans would protect the wearer from death. It was
also believed – not only among Persians but also among a number of other
cultures – that a change in the color of the turquoise was a sign of
danger or illness...
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The Lore and Beliefs
The lore, beliefs and myths of turquoise not
just date back to the ancient times, but some people still hold some of
these beliefs today. Good Luck Charm? Because, over the millennia of its
use, much of the world's supply of the stone has come from Persia, the
number of superstitions surrounding Turquoise that originate from Persia
and the surrounding area of the Middle East is great. To begin, Hebrew
tradition states that Isaac opened the first mines in Persia. Having
seen the reflection of the new moon in a stone of Turquoise, a person
was believed to encounter good luck soon, according to Persian lore.
Arabian superstition said it was a lucky stone and that it had good
powers of benevolence. They also attributed the accumulation of wealth
and prosperity with the stone...
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Chinese Turquoise
Chinese turquoise today is usually stabilized meaning it
is epoxied. A side effect of the process is that stabilized stone is
less likely to absorb lotions and body oils, which may change the color
of the stone over time. Today China has mines that produce a great deal
of turquoise. Northwest of Shanghai is the Ma'ashan turquoise mine, and
the Hubei Province produces turquoise in colors reminiscent of the now
closed mines in Nevada. This turquoise ranges in color from sky blue to
spring green as well. Today there are no known producing mines.
Turquoise from mines in China accounts for about 80% of the stone on the
U.S. market today, due to the scarcity of American turquoise. Only a
handful of turquoise mines in the American southwest are commercially
operating...
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Turquoise Imitations
How does one select good-quality natural turquoise and
not get caught by natural substitutes or the multitude of synthetics and
imitations that have infiltrated the industry over the years? Turquoise
is often dyed and stabilized with resins to produce a harder stone,
which retains its color and polish. Reconstituted turquoise is made from
small chips and "chalk" to which dyes and plastic resin is added. Pure
turquoise is a relatively soft stone ranging between 5 and 6 on the Mohs
scale of hardness. Most turquoise specimens are cryptocrystalline,
meaning that the crystals can only be seen by...
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How to Tell Original Turquoise from Fake?
Of all the natural substitutes, there are a few common
culprits. To distinguish between these and natural turquoise, it is
always good to know a bit of gemology.Turquoise is often imitated by
"fakes" such as the mineral chrysocolla. This is actually a part of the
chalcedony group of stones, in which the mineral chrysocolla is finely
disseminated, giving the chalcedony an intense medium blue green
color...
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more...
How to Care for Turquoise
Turquoise is a naturally porous gemstone and
as a result it can suffer from color change if it is not cared for
properly. Exposure to oils, perfumes, cosmetics, chemicals, high
heat, and direct sunlight can all affect the color of this gemstone;
therefore, it is essential that you avoid prolonged exposure of your
turquoise jewelry to those elements. It is also recommended that
you clean your turquoise jewelry with warm soapy water and a soft cloth
– thoroughly drying the gemstone immediately after washing. When
storing your turquoise jewelry, remember to keep your turquoise jewelry
separate from your other jewelry to avoid scratches...
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Back to 'All About Turquoise' Summary
Turquoise, the robin's egg blue gemstone worn by Pharaohs and Aztec
Kings, is probably one of the oldest gemstones known. Yet, only its
prized blue color, a color so distinctive that its name is used to
describe any color that resembles it, results in its being used as a
gemstone. The true value of turquoise is in the beauty of the
stone. Buy at the level you can afford and buy what speaks to you, what
you find most attractive. There's no stone like turquoise, and rarely
are two pieces alike...
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History of Turquoise
