native gem of the ancients
TURQUOISE
Turquoise Origin & Physical Properties
Turquoise is an opaque mineral with blue to olive green color tones, classified as a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum. It has one of the oldest histories of use as a gemstone, and was a valuable commodity throughout the old world and Asia. The modern name for the mineral Turquoise, originated from the French term for ‘Turkish’ which was ’turquois’. This came into use because Turkish traders brought the mineral to Europe for trade after acquiring the valuable stone from the mines of Khorasan in Persia. Indeed, its color and importance as a gemstone was so great, that it has entered the modern lexicon as an adjective for the color Turquoise.
Turquoise is a cryptocrystalline mineral and very rarely forms into developed crystals. The properties of the mineral’s hardness, density and porosity vary greatly from one stone to the next. Its color is also highly variable, ranging from powder blue to sky blue, bluish green to olive green. Higher content of copper in its chemical structure causes a stronger blue, while increased iron content results in a more olive green color. Turquoise often includes black or brown veins or patches of its host rock. When the black matrix is not heavily included in its make up, it lends a distinctive character to the stone. The most valuable Turquoise in the world comes from mines in Arizona and New Mexico and is often called ’Sleeping Beauty’ Turquoise, named after one of the premier mines in the area. Arizona Turquoise often has a bright sky blue color and very little matrix inclusions.
Turquoise nearly always forms in massive rock form and all of the world’s important localities are semi to very arid in climate. In these areas, rainfall slowly carried deposits of copper into the ground beneath the surface. As the water evaporated, the copper bonded with aluminum and phosphorus. If the conditions were optimal, the new mineral Turquoise can completely replace the matrix or host rock and leave masses of the nearly formed Turquoise deposits.
Important historical localities for Turquoise include the mines of antiquity in Iran which date back at least 2000 years and the Sinai peninsula in Egypt which was mined by the ancient Egyptians going back to at least 3000 B.C. The ancient Chinese were also mining turquoise for over 3000 years from the Hubei province. Locations in Tibet and Nepal have been mined extensively for millennia and many historical Turquoise artifacts have been discovered in the ancient Indus Valley. The southwest of the United States was and still remains an important source for Turquoise since the time of Native Americans who mined the stone extensively. Arizona is currently the most important source for valuable Turquoise today.
| Category | Properties |
|---|---|
Chemical Composition |
CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈ • 4H₂O |
Mohs Hardness |
5–6 |
Luster |
Waxy to subvitreous |
Specific Gravity |
2.6–2.9 |
Refractive Index |
1.61 – 1.65 |
Fluorescence |
None |
Crystal System |
Triclinic |
Diaphaneity |
Subtranslucent to opaque |
Color |
Turquoise, Blue, Blue-Green, Green |
Origin |
U.S., Mexico, Iran, Chile, China, and Tibet |
Chakra |
Throat (5th) |
Zodiac |
Sagattarius |
Element |
Earth, Air |
Metaphysical Effects |
Positivity, Empathy, wisdom, happiness, intuition |
Turquoise Healing & Metaphysical Properties
Turquoise is one of the oldest sacred stone, being used for metaphysical purposes going back millennia throughout nearly all ancient cultures. It is a powerful stone of protection that has a calming and stabilizing effect on the physical, emotional and spiritual body. It is a warrior stone that fosters wisdom and courage. Turquoise works with multiple chakras effectively, especially the throat and third eye. It’s unique grounding properties help to bring courage and truthfulness to communication and speak from a place of wisdom and clarity. By balancing the throat chakra, we can calm and clear the emotional body and express our highest truth both to ourselves and to others. Use Turquoise as a stone for healing old emotional wounds, forgiving yourself of past regrets and finding the courage to move forward with clear intention.
Turquoise has been a guiding stone to explore our place in the spiritual realm, used as a protective stone in burials by ancient man and worn by Shamans and Spiritual practitioners for millennia. Native Americans used Turquoise to communicate with the great spirt of the heavens and was a powerful symbol of unification with the earth and sacred sky above.
Step into your power and stand strong in your beliefs. Find the inner warrior, symbolized not by battle but by an eternal state of peace. Dispel negative energetic influences and calm the emotional body by using Turquoise as a talisman for protection. When we get in touch with our own highest truth, we can move forward with confidence. Wisdom belongs to all of us, it is a matter of tuning into this frequency and Turquoise is a powerful guide in this process.
Turquoise History & Mythology
Turquoise has been revered for millennia throughout many ancient civilizations. Intricate inlays of Turquoise in ancient Egyptian artifacts have been found dating back to at least 3000 B.C. It was a stone of vital cultural importance in Egypt from at least the First Dynasty, if not much earlier. The iconic Pharoah’s mask discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb is inlayed with numerous Turquoise stones. Ancient gold rings, necklaces and beads have been discovered in abundance. The stone was often carved into the sacred scarab motif, one of the most important symbols in ancient Egypt. Turquoise was the stone of the goddess Hathor, the sky deity. She was the mother of the Horus and the consort of the sung god Ra.
In the ancient Persian Empire, Turquoise was the most important stone by far. The beautiful sky blue turquoise from Persia were crafted into talismans and bracelets and were thought to be powerful stones of protection. Perhaps the oldest source of Turquoise is found in Iran’s northeastern city of Neyshabur in Iran and its extraction dates back to ~ 4000 B.C. Many artifacts such as jewelry and complex mosaics have been discovered in Persia. Its importance continued during the early Islamic empire and it was used to decorate many Mosques, often with sacred texts from the Koran carved into its surface. Ancient Persians believed that moonlight reflected off of the stone brought good fortune and could guard against evil. From the Silk Road, the high quality Turquoise stones of Persia were brought to the old world and beyond.
Today, Turquoise is synonymous with many Native American tribes throughout North, Central and South America. Artifacts in the Chaco Canyon of New Mexico have been discovered dating back at least 2000 years including beads, pendants, inlays and carved scriptures. Various ancient Anasazi mining sites have been discovered in the midwest including Cerillos and Burro Mountains in New Mexico as well as the current mining site Kingman, Arizona and the Conejos district of southern Colorado. Later, the Navajos and Pueblo Native American tribes used stone axes, antler picks and stone chisels to extract thousands of tons of solid rock while mining the sacred stone. The trade of Turquoise was extensive in throughout the Americas and stones determined to be from the southwest of North America have been identified throughout Mexico. The Aztec and Mixtec civilizations treasured the stone and elaborate crowns, pendants and ornaments with Turquoise were worn by the emperors and royalty of these cultures.
In ancient Tibet, Turquoise was used as a currency. It was mined extensively there and the distinctly greenish tint of Tibetan Turquoise become synonymous with their culture. From there, the stone made its way to China in the 13th century where it was carved and fashioned into jewelry, also becoming an important stone in the Orient.
