Some Useful Information about Turquoise

With the great popularity of turquoise in fashion and fine jewelry today and over the decades, you most likely own at least one piece of turquoise jewelry - be it a sterling silver turquoise pendant, bracelet, or necklace. And, in all probability, you will continue to add to your turquoise jewelry collection. This article has been prepared to provide some basic but useful and interesting information about turquoise and its applications in fashion and fine jewelry.

History

Man first discovered turquoise about six thousand years ago. Ancient Egyptians found this beautiful blue gemstone in the Sinai and immediately fell in love with it. They also attributed various spiritual and religious properties to it, and finally concluded that it was their way to connect with the gods. Only Egyptians with high standing in society were allowed to use this stone. About two thousand years ago, turquoise was discovered in Persia. The Persians are generally credited with facilitating the spread of popularity amongst the masses. Turkey became an important trading center for turquoise. Turkey is located between Asia and Europe and was very well located to bring this gem to European and Mediterranean civilizations. In North America, turquoise was discovered about eleven hundred years ago in New Mexico. Since then, Native Americans have held this stone in high esteem and use it as part of their culture and religious beliefs.

Turquoise Jewelry

They sky blue color of turquoise has made it very popular for fashion jewelry designs. The bright color is strong enough to punch up any outfit, but is still quite sober, making it suitable for even men's jewelry such as money clips and bolo ties. Women often wear turquoise jewelry for formal as well as for casual occasions. Class southwestern designs remain extremely popular the world over. Typically, these designs include inlays of turquoise and other local semi precious stones set in sterling silver. The motifs selected for these pieces reflect the beliefs and culture of tribes from where the artists come. Turquoise can be added to a white pearl necklace to add new character to a well-established classic.

Production

A look back through the history of turquoise reveals that many of the older mining locations of turquoise are no longer commercially viable. This is true about the Egyptians mines in the Sinai, and the Cerillos mine in New Mexico. One of the exceptions to this rule is Iran, which continues to produce some of the best quality of turquoise in the world. Specimens from Arizona have often been considered to be stiff competition to ones coming from Iran. In the US, Arizona and Nevada are the leading producers of turquoise. New Mexico and Colorado also produce minor but significant amounts of turquoise.