Discover Another birthstone for the month december
THIS BLOG GIVES YOU AN INSIGHT INTO ALL THE KNOW-HOWS OF TURQUOISE BY AN EXPERT GEMOLOGIST IN CANADA.
Turquoise is one of the December birthstones which is widely known for its soul satisfying color, texture, the spectacular matrix and history. Turquoise derives its name from French expression pierre tourques, or “Turkish stone”. This name originated in the thirteenth century. Which reflects that the material probably first arrives in Europe from the Turkish sources.
History
Turquoise is one of the world’s most ancient gem. It has been adorned by Ancient Egypt and Chinese artisans for more than 3000 years. It is also the national gem of Tibet and has been considered a stone that guarantees good health, good fortune and protection from evil.
Color
In ancient times, people used to believe that turquoise has supernatural power. That has the tendency to discolor which might be to represent the stone’s sympathetic response to its wearer’s mood. However, the scientific reason behind the myth is that the gem’s degree of porosity influences the change in its color over time.
The more porous the stone is the more it absorbs the foreign substance that can in turn damage the color. But not every natural turquoise will discolor. The most prized is an even, intense and medium blue in color gemstone. Some designers also prefer greenish blue as well as go for avocado and lime green turquoise.
Treatment and Quality Factors
Nowadays, most of the Turquoise undergo treatments like wax treatment, oil or polymer plastic impregnated, dyed treatment and so on. The most famous treatment was introduced in 1980 known as the Zachery method. After which more than 10 million carats of turquoise have been treated to be more resistant to discoloration, have less porosity and have the ability to take a better polish without using artificial additives.
While Turquoise treatment began to show a negative impact on the turquoise market and it became slow in terms of sales.
Formation and Sources
Turquoise is formed in arid regions that contain copper-rich groundwater, such as the southwestern US (Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, California, Sinai, Peninsula) are the largest producer of Turquoise, while China’s Hubei Province is the major source of top color.
Turquoise is plentiful and available in a wide range of sizes and shapes: Beads, cabochons, carvings and inlays. Some of the common terms you will hear are Persian blue which are mined in Iran, there is a high-value demand on other shades of blue. Turquoise with splotches of white or green in a bluestone will make it less valuable than one with uniform blue color. The fine texture is attractive and gets waxy luster once it is polished.
As Turquoise produces limonite or sandstone, it creates splotches or veins which in trade terms are tan markings. Presence of matrix lowers the value of the stone, but on the other hand some buyers demand stone with matrix as it influences its attractiveness and balances the fashion trend. Top-quality turquoise stone with no matrix at all commands the highest price. Wherein, attractive spider web matrix ranks second in value.
Turquoise market
Turquoise can be set in various metals from silver, gold as well as brass. The turquoise market has remained unchanged for several years. Native American people such as Pueblo, Hopi, Zuni and Navajo often handcrafted turquoise jewelry. Bead strand, squash blossom necklaces, crescent-shaped silver and turquoise pendant conch belts, sunburst silver bracelets were typical tradition styles of native Americans. Back then people were only trusting native American designers for using natural and non-treated turquoise for the purpose of trade.
In fact, turquoise was the first gemstone to suffer from publicity about the treatment. The local marker for turquoise has two categories:
- Inexpensive, mass-produced sterling silver jewelry. These pieces imitate native American style motifs often dyed, cast and are not even originated from the southwest America. Instead, these inexpensive goods come from Mexico or elsewhere in the U.S.
- American southwest higher quality – hand fabricated feature a traditional style and motifs using gold or platinum settings and top-quality turquoise. The supply of Turquoise is stable and plentiful with reasonable price. Commercial quality ranges from $7 to $17.
Properties
It is believed that Turquoise also has healing properties. It was believed in ancient time that turquoise could cure breathing problems, cure infections, improve eyesight and also help with depression and anxiety.
Conclusion
Turquoise is known for its beauty and color. The stone makes good gift commemorating for an engagement or anniversary. You can gift your loved one celebrating their 5th or 11th anniversary with a beautiful turquoise ring. Get in touch with one of the best Jewelry Designer in Canada – Jinagna Shah, to craft your turquoise jewelry today.
