Turquoise is a vibrant light blue stone often seen in southwestern jewelry. It is reasonably priced and quite lovely.
Turquoise Care, Treatments & Where
Turquoise's color ranges from sky blue to green. It has a hardness of 6.
Howlite is often dyed to imitate turquoise.
Turquoise made in a laboratory has a very uniform color. Chalky varieties of turquoise are often coated with wax or oil to enhance color - and when treated like this, the color change is not permanent.
Turquoise is often fracture sealed. This doesen't mean that it has fractures, it means that it was sealed with an acrylic resin to enhance it's color, texture, and hardness.
Turquoise is somewhat soft so avoid scratches and sharp blows. To be certain and coatings are not removed also avoid hot water and household chemicals.
Reputable dealers will not use the following misleading terms. However, for your protection, I am listing them here:
"Vienna turquoise" is really a glass imitation.
Turquoise is found in Australia, Chile, Iran, Mexico, Tibet, USA (Arizona , California and New Mexico).
Actual Gem-related books:
The Turquoise Trail: Native American Jewelry and Culture of the Southwest - by Carol Karasik, Jeffrey Jay Foxx (Photographer) Collection of 146 stunning colorplates shows turquoise in the context in which Turquoise is worn and used today.
The Allure of Turquoise - by Mark Nohl (Editor), Marc Simmons, David Gomez, Jon Bowman, ri McCord, Arnold Vigil (Editor), Gregory T. Smith (Illustrator) A book about Turquoise and New Mexico.
Gemstones of the World - by Walter Schumann A very well written source on gemstones with great descriptions and photographs
Books with Turquoise in their Title:
Snow Lion's Turquoise Mane: Wisdom Tales from Tibet - by Surya Das Authentic Buddhist teaching tales from the Hidden Kingdom of Tibet
Turquoise Boy: A Navajo Legend (Native American Legends - by Terri Cohlene, Charles Reasoner (Illustrator) Children's book: A retelling of a Navajo Indian legend in which Turquoise Boy searches for something that will make the Navajo people's lives easier
- December Birthstone: Modern and Traditional Birthstone
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Turquoise has been thought to warn the wearer of danger or illness by changing color.
In the 13th century, Turquoise was thought to protect the wearer from falling especially from horses.
Legend has it that the Indians believed that if turquoise was affixed to a bow, the arrows shot from it would always hit their mark. It was also believed to bring happiness and good fortune to all.
Turquoise started being used before 4000 BC.
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