Tantalizing Turquoise

Since the first time I saw this ring - presented to me by my Grandfather when I was a girl - I have been a fan of all things turquoise!

Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum. It’s a been prized for thousands of years due to it’s hue.

It was highly coveted by the Egyptians as a sacred stone with metaphysical powers. Turquoise was used by Egyptian healers, worn by Pharaohs and important persons. One of the most famous items in this hue but, not actually turquoise is William the Metropolitan Museum of Art mascot. He’s made of faience and it’s believed the Egyptians developed this material to simulate the highly prized and rare turquoise.

The stone had many names. Pliny the Elder referred to the mineral as callais and the Aztecs knew it as chalchihuitl. The word turquoise dates to the 17th century and is derived from the French turquois meaning "Turkish" because the mineral was first brought to Europe through Turkey, from mines in the area then known as the Khorasan of Persia.

I also love to find hints or whole spaces filled with this amazing shade.

As I write this I am having a memory… it’s been forever but, my Aunt had turquoise leather parsons chairs in her diningroom - golly I haven’t seen those in decades.

In the United States Arizona and Nevada are the two top producers of turquoise. While Arizona mines produce the most by value - Nevada has produced a wide diversity of colors and mixes of different matrix patterns, with the stone in various shades of blue, blue-green, and green.

We can stare dreamily at amazing images of turquoise waters! I love this image from my 2017 visit with my bff who lives in Providenciales.

For thousands of years, Turquoise has spanned all cultures, prized as a symbol of wisdom, nobility and the power of immortality. Among the Ancient Egyptians, Persians, Chinese, Aztecs and Incas of South America, and Native North Americans, Turquoise was sacred in its adornment - for power, luck, and protection.