Turquoise jewelry has been in style for thousands of years. The beauty and lore of this captivating stone are hard to surpass. Steeped in legend and mystery, it has been entwined with human history for over 6000 years. Its archeological and literary references predate the Christian era by five millennia.
Turquoise jewelry has been unearthed in ancient Egyptian tombs because it was considered the stone of life. It was written about by Aristotle and Pliny as well as by Marco Polo.
Native Americans also have used turquoise for more reason than just it’s beauty For thousand of years they have used it for protection and healing as well as for adornments. It has been part of their culture and used in their religion, art, trade, treaty negotiations - and their sterling silver and turquoise jewelry. The native Americans learned early that silver enhances and brings out the beauty of the various shades of turquoise like no other metal.
Turquoise's use as a healing stone reaches far. Headaches, eye problems, fever, and insect bites are just a few of the ailments for which it has been used. It has been ground to a powder to make an elixir for stomach trouble.
Turquoise is considered to possess significant metaphysical properties. It is a harmonizing stone that is said to alleviate nervousness, help with problem solving, relieve stress from a hectic life, and promote friendship. It is also well known for its protective qualities and members of many cultures carry a turquoise amulet or stone with them at all times.
Turquoise beads, and carved animal fetishes are frequently used in jewelry. It is beautiful combined with other stones such as onyx, amethyst, or coral. Its color ranges from brilliant sky blue to green or yellow, and it usually has black or brown veins running through it.
This gorgeous stone is found in many places around the world. In North America it occurs in the dry areas of Arizona and New Mexico. In the East it occurs in China, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and Persia. Because turquoise can be rather porous and chalky, it is often not useable for jewelry until it is treated. There are various processes that are used on it.
Wax treatment is very common in Chinese turquoise. Paraffin wax is impregnated into the stone to deepen and stabilize the color, but it only affects the surface.
Stabilization is a treatment which uses a resinous substance in a process of pressure and head that fills in the microscopic gaps in the stone with plastic resin. When cured, the product is a treated stone hard enough to cut and polish. Stabilization allows genuine but lower grade stones to be used in jewelry. It helps to keep the stone from chipping and prevents changes in color caused by contact with skin oils.
Reconstituted turquoise is made with ground turquoise from inferior stones that is molded together with epoxy resin, dyed and pressed into stone like forms. They look good and are useable for jewelry.