In this post, I thought we would focus on where turquoise comes from. I have learned that it has been mined all over the world, but some places have better quality or color than others. For example, turquoise from Iran is considered some of the most desirable in the world because of its beautiful solid sky-blue color with little or no veining or greenish tint.

This gem forms in arid regions of the world. One of these is the Sinai Peninsula. Ancient Egyptions mined it from here using thousands of men at the sites.

Tibet is known for its turquoise with the earthy green color. Tibitans traded it with the ancient Chinese who did not mine very much in ancient times. Today the Chinese mine a high percentage of the world's turquoise that is used in turquoise jewelry.

Although Australia is known for its wonderful opals, the land down under also mined turquoise. Its mines are in the regions of Victoria and New South Wales in the southeastern part of the country.

The arid desert of the southwestern United States created wonderful turquoise. It was dug with hand tools in ancient times. One of these mines was the Mount Chalchihuitl Mine near Cerillos, New Mexico. There are also smaller mines throughout the southwest in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and southern California where turquoise is still being extracted today. I'd love to visit one of those mines some day.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog, Turquoise Tidbits. I fell in love with turquoise when I took a trip across the United States a number of years ago. One of the places we went was the four-corners area of the southwest. We went into a store in Gallup, New Mexico and saw showcases of turquoise jewelry. Most of it was way beyond my pocketbook, but I bought a sterling silver and turquoise ring. Since then I have done some research about turquoise and would like to share what I have learned with you.

Turquoise is a mineral. It is formed when copper salts and iron are trapped in rocks in arid regions of the world. Copper lends its blue colors and turquoise rich in iron has the greens. I have found two scientific names: hydrous copper phosphate and hydrous aluminum phosphate. Anyone know which is right?

This beautiful stone is often thought of as representing the earth: the blue for the sky and green for the earth. Though we associate diamonds with love today, people of the past have believed in turquoise as a love stone. It is one of the gems associated with your 11th wedding anniversary. And it is the birthstone for the month of December.

Over the millennia it has been used to make jewelry, sculptures, amulets, clothing decorations, funeral artifacts, and more. It has even been found on military items such as breastplates and helmets.

More next week.