Tasteful & timeless turquoise......

Turquoise is valued for a combination of its ancient heritage and attractive color. Its finest color is an even, intense, medium blue, sometimes described as “robin egg” blue.  Although, some prefer a greenish blue as seen in some contemporary designer jewelry.  This color is anywhere from avocado to lime green turquoise. The source for top color is the Nishapur district in Iran, the country formerly known as Persia. That’s why you may have heard of “Persian turquoise” before. American & Mexican turquoise is light blue, or greenish blue to bluish green in color. While Egyptian turquoise is greenish blue to yellowish green. The bluer the shade the more copper it contains. 

The stone is often cut into cabochons, but you will see it in beaded jewelry as well as flat pieces of inlays often found in Native American jewelry. In the 1970's, this gem was extremely popular. The largest and most consistent market for this beautiful stone is the American Southwest. The Sleeping Beauty mine is in Globe, Arizona, which is the world's top turquoise producer. 

I found it interesting that in the Victorian era there was a surge in ornate turquoise jewelry designs. I have always associated it with the Native American culture. Fine estate pieces from the Art Deco period of the early twentieth century are often set in platinum combined with diamonds. Such vintage treasures occupy the high end of today’s turquoise market, and Provident Jewelry has a dynamite collection of turquoise time period pieces. Below are two pairs of earrings that are absolutely stunning.

Until next week, remember to sparkle on and thank you for reading!