Twist on Turquoise

Although often mistaken by fakes such as Howlite, Chrysocolla, and Magnesite (which are all natural gemstones in their own rights), Turquoise is generally very distinctive with its vivid blue-green color and smooth, waxy appearance. One of the most beautifully colored of all stones; turquoise is a phosphate that combines copper and aluminum. The copper causes the exquisite blue-green, but the color varies from green to yellowish gray. Pale sky blue, such as the most sought after Sleeping Beauty, is the most cherish gem color; especially when infused with fine veins of impurities that show it is natural and not artificial.

For thousands of year, the best Turquoise came from the deserts of Persia and was known as Persian Turquoise. In the late 1800’s, deposits of Turquoise were discovered in the American southwest, and this is now the world’s prime source of high-quality ‘Persian’ Turquoise.

Southwest turquoise mines cover Nevada (where the majority of turquoise deposits are found), Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado; with one lone mine in California.
Nevada hosts the majority of the turquoise mines such as Valley Blue, #8, Montezuma, Zuni, Lone Mountain, Red Mountain, and Godber just to name a few. Arizona of course has the famed Kingman and Sleeping Beauty mines along and Colorado has Cripple Creek, Kind’s Manassa and Leadville. And of course the lone mine of San Bernardino in California rounds out the southwestern turquoise mines.

Of course, the American Southwest is not the only place to find Turquoise. Excellent mine finds have come out of China, Mexico and parts of Africa.

This piece highlighted here is a twist on the old Turquoise favorite matched with Picture Jasper. I’ve highlighted some of the Picture Jasper stones with non-tarnish brass wire swirls. Dangle hoops complete this causal yet classy look in the same turquoise and picture jasper gemstones.







Traditional Gemstone Properties
Turquoise: Spiritual attunement, cleansing, healing, protection, valor, soothing, peace of mind, guidance through the unknown, romantic spontaneity.