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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. The
myths are many but the following are the facts.
The majority of the world's finest-quality turquoise comes from the
United States, the largest producer of turquoise!
Did you know that no English gentleman of the 17th
century was regarded as well dressed or well adorned
unless he wore jewelry of turquoise?
Did you know that turquoise was so highly valued that
all 79 of the emeralds in the crown that Napoleon I gave
his consort Empress Marie Louise were replaced with
Persian turquoise cabochons?
For thousands of years, the finest intense blue
turquoise in the world was found in Persia, and the term
"Persian Turquoise" became synonymous with the finest
quality. This changed during the late 1800's and early
1900's when modern miners discovered or rediscovered
significant deposits of high-quality turquoise in the
western and southwestern United States. Material from
many of these deposits was just as fine as the finest
"Persian." Today, the term "Persian Turquoise" is more
often a definition of quality than a statement of
origin, and today, the United States is the largest
producer of turquoise although the mines in the West are
depleting rapidly.
Turquoise is the birthstone for the month of December.
It is also associated with both the fifth and eleventh
wedding anniversaries.
This mystical gemstone has been mined for thousands of years by various
cultures, with evidence suggesting that the ancient Egyptians mined
turquoise as far back as 6000 B.C.
In modern day, turquoise is mined in a number of places including the
United States, Iran, China, and Tibet.
In 1810, Napoléon Bonaparte presented his Empress Marie Louise with a
wedding gift -- a breathtaking crown of diamonds and turquoise.
Originally the crown was made up of diamonds and emeralds, but Napoléon arranged
to have all 79 emeralds removed and replaced with turquoise prior to
giving the crown to Marie Louise.
Throughout the centuries various cultures have believed that turquoise
jewelry brings luck and possesses a variety of powers, including the
ability to promote wealth, attract love, and bring happiness.
During the 16th century there was a misconception among Europeans that
the turquoise gemstones which were bought from Turkish traders actually
originated in Turkey – thus the term derivative – when in fact those
specific stones actually originated in Persia.
Turquoise jewelry and its symbolism are often mentioned in literary
text. In Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, Leah presents
Shylock with a turquoise ring as a symbol of adoration, which a gift of
turquoise jewelry can often represent – particularly in Europe.
The medieval scholar Amoldus Saxo wrote that turquoise helped preserve
eyesight, and Muhammed Ibn Mansur noted his belief in the protective
powers of turquoise in his Arabian writings dated circa 1300 A.D.
The bible mentions the presence of turquoise on Aaron’s breastplate in
the book of Exodus. In 17th century England, gentlemen would not step
out in public without wearing turquoise jewelry.
The wearing of turquoise jewelry was considered to be a sign of a
well-dressed gentleman.
In Europe, Turquoise seems to have been worn almost exclusively by men
at the beginning of the 17th century and was so highly regarded by them
that no man considered his hand to be well adorned unless he wore a fine
Turquoise. At that time the stone was used for jewelry, amulets and in
the preparation of cosmetics.
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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The Origin of the Name
The name means "Turkish stone" because the trade route that brought it
to Europe used to come via Turkey. Some say that in the thirteenth
century, Turquoise was named in the mistaken belief that it came from
Turkey. Others say that the name comes from the Persian word for
Turquoise, firouze, since Persia has been a major source of this
gemstone for thousands of years. When turquoise first came to the
attention of man is unknown. There are archeological as well as literary
references that pre date the Christian era by five millennia. The word
“turquoise” is also believed to have been derived from the German term
“turkisher steins” which means “Turkish stones”.
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...
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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...
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...
Read more...
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Turquoise Facts
