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About Turquoise
Turquoise is widely known as a costly mineral. It is arguably the most valuable opaque mineral used in the jewelry trade. It has been mined for thousands of years and has been the focus of beautiful and elegant ornaments from ancient cultures and around the world today. Although Turquoise has been consistently admired from ancient times to the present, it only came to Europe as recently as the Crusades. Turquoise was known otherwise from ancient Egypt to Persia and in North America. It has, for thousands of years, been appreciated as a holy stone, a good-luck-charm or a talisman. The oldest testament to this respect comes from ancient Egypt, where tombs have yielded artifacts set with Turquoise. Likewise, in the ancient Persian Kingdom, the sky-blue gemstones were originally worn around the neck or on the hand as protection from an unnatural death. It was thought that if the stones changed their color, there was imminent danger to the wearer. However, we know today that Turquoises may in fact change their color; this reaction is not necessarily an indication of impending danger. The reason for the color change is rather the influence of light, cosmetic products, dust or even the ph-value or oiliness of the skin, which may all trigger chemical responses.
Turquoise Today
Today, Turquoise is mined in several places; Arizona and New Mexico, USA; Australia; Iran; Afghanistan and other localities in the Middle East. Other minerals are often prepared to resemble or imitate turquoise. Howlite is often dyed a deeper blue, paying homage to it, but not usually to misrepresent its identity. Chrysocolla is a mineral that is sometimes misrepresented as turquoise. Softer turquoise is often stabilized with a coating of resin, but its color can still change with exposure to skin oils and other environmental agents
Turquoises are relatively soft gemstones and thus quite sensitive. Since the color may also fade out in the course of wearing, even the top qualities receive a waxing and subsequent hardening treatment. This stabilizing procedure will make the sensitive gemstone sturdier. Turquoises, which have been sealed with artificial resin, are also available in large amounts and at competitive prices. Their color appears fresh, and they show a high resistance. But one should be careful, because many of these stones have been additionally dipped in color before being sealed, and this coloring is a kind of treatment which according to the rules set down by ICA must be indicated. In addition, there are also so-called "reconstructed” Turquoises, which have been assembled from pulverized Turquoise.
Due to their high sensitivity, then, almost all Turquoises have been treated to preserve their beauty, however, the kind of treatment differs considerably. It makes sense, then, that naturally beautiful stones, which have simply been waxed or hardened with artificial resin, achieve higher prices and are more valuable than stones, which have received color-enhancement. Valuable Turquoise jewelry should therefore best be purchased from a jeweler you can trust.
History of Turquoise - By Jeremy Foster
In earlier times Turquoises were sometimes thought responsible for the material wealth of their bearers. For example, Persian philosopher Al Kazwini wrote: "The hand wearing a Turquoise and using it as a sealing stone, will never be poor." Turquoises were loved as ornaments decorating turbans, often set in a border of pearls, in order to protect the wearer from the "evil eye". They were used as talismans decorating daggers, scimitars or the horses' bridles. Turquoise came to Europe only during the time of the crusades. And from this period comes the name "Turquoise", meaning simply "Turkish stone".
Also in South, Middle and North America, Turquoise has always enjoyed a special position among gemstones. For example, the ancient Aztecs in Mexico used to decorate their ceremonial masks with this stone, a "holy stone" in their belief. The North American Indians, who are still producing quite a few pieces of traditional silver jewelry set with Turquoises today, believed that the gemstone the color of the sky would establish a direct connection between the sky and the lakes.
At all times in history, Turquoise was worn as protection to ward off the influence of dark and evil powers. In former times thought to protect riders and horses from accidental falls, they are nowadays considered the ideal good-luck stones for aviators, flight staff and other professions which need special assistance to ward off accidents.
In the contemporary teachings of the Healing Power of Stones, wearing Turquoise is recommended to solve the problems caused by a depressed outlook on life. The bright and happy color is supposed to lend self-confidence to subdued personalities, and it is also very popular as a token of friendship, since Turquoise is reputed to be responsible for faithfulness and reliable relationships.