Turquoise

Turquoise is a blue, bluish green, to bluish gray gemstone, that is prized throughout the world for it's beauty, especially when it is polished and and adorned to gold, silver, or platinum.

Turquoise is a translucent, opaque, crystalline mineral with no cleavage and a medium hardness.

Since it has no cleavage and is generally soft and opaque, turquoise is shaped and polished to display it's luster.

Most turquoise is interspersed with varying degrees of copper and other minerals. Pure blue turquoise is rare and a sky blue variety, known as robin's egg, is the most desirable for making jewelry.

Throughout history, turquoise has been valued as jewelry, some being found on bracelets and necklaces in Egyptian burial tombs and used as artwork by the Aztec Indians of Mexico.

As the birthstone for the month of December, turquoise symbolizes prosperity and is used for brooches, pendants, rings, necklaces, and other ornamental objects of jewelry.

The gemstone was given the name turquoise, or "Turkish stone" because it passed through Turkish trade routes on it's way to European markets.

The best quality turquoise is found in northeast Iran and other important deposits are mined in China, Mexico, Israel, Argentina, Brazil, Tanzania, Australia, and the United States.

In the United States, turquoise is mined extensively in New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Arizona.

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