Did you know that turquoise is one of the first gemstones to be mined? In fact, turquoise beads were found in Mesopotamia dating back to 5000 BC! Turquoise was found in Egypt from the reign of Pharaoh Semerkhet in 2900BC. This ancient gemstone is still prized today and used in many different cultures including the American Indians. This blue/green stone varies in … [Read more...]
Search Results for: turquoise
Is it Howlite or is it Turquoise?
Howlite is a gemstone that is not always recognized for it's beauty. This gorgeous white gemstone features veins of black and silver. It is sometimes referred to as the sacred buffalo. It has a similar structure as turquoise and as a result it is often dyed blue and sold off as turquoise! What a shame. Not only is howlite beautiful in it's natural state but coloring it blue is … [Read more...]
Stunning, Natural Turquoise
Yes there is a difference in types of turquoise! This gem has been imitated often. For instance, African turquoise is really a quartz agate stone that is a turquoise color. Furthermore the gemstone called Howlite (which is white with black inclusions) is colored blue and sold as turquoise. And lets not forget the other stones, or resins that are colored blue and sold as … [Read more...]
Everything’s Coming Up Turquoise
I shared a lot of turquoise gemstone tips and tidbits with you in the last few posts. Wonder where I found all this juicy information? Books of course! I love to read and learn from books. especially the kind I can hold in my hand and physically turn pages. Would you like to learn more about turquoise? Here are the books I referenced. The book shown above is a series of … [Read more...]
Care and Feeding for Turquoise Jewelry
We've covered a lot of 'turquoise' ground over the last few weeks. Previous blogs told us about the legends surrounding this gem, the origin of the name, locations where turquoise is mined, colors or turquoise.. and lots more. Now it's time to learn a few do's and dont's to take care of your precious turquoise jewelry ! Turquoise is a porous stone. Even if it has … [Read more...]