Turquoise

Is it obvious that we have gemstones on our mind all the time? We know this is the third blog this week about gemstones, first Amethyst then Jasper, and now Turquoise. Well, we've been hard at work designing new pieces and have of course been thinking a lot about the gemstones we use and where they come from, ways to use them, etc, etc. The gemstones we have been blogging about have some very colorful history behind them and we figured it was worth sharing as generally people simply admire the beauty of these stones but don't often think about where they come from, how they're made, history, etc. Anyway let's get onto the Turquoise.

Across most cultures Turquoise has been regarded as a stone that offers protection to all that wear it. The earliest known uses have been dated to 3,000 B.C where it was found lining the tombs of ancient Egyptians. Later on it was noted to often be worn in the ancient Persian kingdoms in hopes of protecting the wearer against unnatural death. It was from these Persian kingdoms that the stone made its way to Europe and this is also when it got its modern name Turquoise, meaning "Turkish". Several cultures also believed that if the Turquoise changed colors it meant that an unfortunate event was coming to the wearer. While Turquoise can change color it's usually due to body oils, cosmetics, or heavy sun exposure, as the stone is generally porous compared to other gemstones.

The color of Turquoise varies from pale blue to dark green. It's the sky blue color which is most sought after and generally the less veins the better, although we like the veins as it is what creates its unique individual qualities, while the pure non-veined variety is more sought after it does not determine value, it has to do more with hardness and color intensity. Because of its porous nature and vulnerability to color change mentioned above, Turquoise jewelry should be worn and stored with a little more care than other jewelry, cleaned after wearing and stored in a separate area from your other harder gemstones that may scratch the Turquoise. To read more on the long history of Turquoise read the Wiki Article.

Our Turquoise Jewelry ranges from using a few small to medium sized accent Turquoise beads to larger Turquoise nuggets as a pendant. Here are a few of our favorite pieces that use Turquoise.

• Turquoise Necklace with Shiva Pendant
• Turquoise Lotus Blossom Necklace
• Turquoise Mala Bracelet
• Turquoise & Aventurine Bracelet
• Turquoise Pendant Necklace