Our Product Story
Turquoise, the gemstone worn by pharaohs and Aztec kings, is probably one of the oldest gemstones known. Native Americans and many of the Indian tribes in Mexico used turquoise for currency, and the stone is still associated with the religious rites of the Navajo. Because it remains fashionable, turquoise is quite highly prized, although it is fairly plentiful.
Turquoise is the birthstone for December. Europeans give turquoise jewelry as keepsakes or as a pledge of adoration. In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare uses this symbolism when Leah gives a turquoise ring to Shylock to win his favor.
The name turquoise means "Turkish stone" because the trade route that brought it to Europe came via Turkey. Turquoise is a non-translucent stone of which the most valuable specimens are robin's egg blue or deep-blue azure. Many of these fine specimens come from Iran and indicate the presence of copper within the stone. Less precious stones come from North America and are greener (from iron) than the Persian stones. North American specimens also contain impurities that form matrix streaks within the stones. The veins are inclusions from nearby rock fragments or oxides that form during the creation of turquoise.
|
