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Turquoise talisman: the stone of December!
Gemstone Education
Diamondsbyme
February 10, 2023
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It's been December for a while now, and that means: a new birthstone! This month's birthstone is the turquoise! The turquoise is a stone that we do not currently use in jewelry at DiamondsByMe, but definitely want to add in the future! In this blog, we will give you some more information about this marble-like gemstone!
Turquoise is an opaque blue or green stone with dark 'veins'. These veins give the stone a marble-like appearance! There are also turquoises without these veins, only these are very rare. Besides the dark veins, a turquoise can also have beautiful gold-colored inclusions. The turquoise scores a 5 or 6 on the Mohs scale. So it is not among the hardest minerals. However, this hardness can distinguish the real turquoise from the many imitation stones. The sky blue variety of the stone is the most common color.
The name 'turquoise' comes from the French ''Turqueise'', which stands for 'Turkish stone'. It got the name because the stone was initially always transported to Europe via Turkey. The blue color 'turquoise' is named after this gemstone. As such, this is the only gemstone with a color named after it! Besides the name turquoise per se, the gemstone also has several trade names:
- The Kingman Turquoise is a colorful turquoise from the Mineral Park mine in Arizona.
- The Navajo Turquoise is a gemstone from Southwest America. This stone has many brown or black veins.
- Finally, the Persian Turquoise. This gemstone originating from Iran is known for its high quality and full sky blue color!
Hence, in north-eastern Iran, you can find the best and most beautiful turquoise. In addition, sources have also been found in Afghanistan, Australia, Brazil, China, Israel, Mexico, Tanzania and the United States.
In history, turquoise has also gained quite a reputation among various peoples. In fact, this gemstone was important to the ancient Egyptians and Aztecs as a decoration and jewelry gemstone. King Tutankhamun's burial mask and tomb are also completely decorated with turquoise. Consequently, these are the most famous turquoises in the world. The ancient Egyptians believed that the color blue was a symbol of regeneration, and therefore this stone was widely used for decoration. The Chinese are also known for using turquoise. In fact, in China, this stone was used to carve ornaments. Indians used turquoise mainly in works of art and jewelry, as they believed the stone brought protection.
Turquoise has often served as a talisman or amulet throughout history. Today, many people still believe that turquoise brings protection and is conducive to careers and travel. Turquoise is also said to enhance leadership and good communication. In addition, this stone is said to relieve physical complaints, such as migraines, and is good for problems with the brain, eyes, ears, neck, lungs and throat. We have no experience with these healing effects ourselves, but maybe you can share your experience with us!
Do you have a piece of jewelry with turquoise? Then always be careful with bright sunlight, perspiration, oils, perfume, detergent or other chemicals. Turquoise is a fairly fragile stone that can be discolored by these products!
Unfortunately, we do not currently have the turquoise permanently in our range, but we definitely want to add it in the future! Of course, the fact that the stone is not in our permanent range does not mean that we cannot make a piece of jewelry with the stone for you. Are you looking for a personal piece of jewelry with turquoise? Feel free to contact us for all possibilities. Of course, we can always look for a beautiful stone for you! On www.diamondsbyme.co.uk we already have many designs in which we might be able to incorporate the turquoise for you.
