The beautiful, charismatic, and captivating Turquoise gemstone is enriched with ancient medieval love and cultural significance and is one of the three birthstones for December. Admired and used since ancient times, the Turquoise gemstone is renowned for its beautiful color, clarity, and historical significance.
In fact, Turquoise is one of the first semi-precious gemstones to be mined, and it is commonly used in ornamental as well as designer jewelry. The unique color, brilliance, durability, and charisma of this particular gemstone have eventually resulted in Turquoise becoming a favorite of many. So, let’s learn more about the meaning, uses, and the astonishing healing properties of Turquoise gemstone.
What is Turquoise?
Turquoise is actually an opaque mineral that usually occurs in beautiful shades of green, blue, yellowish-green, and bluish green. As a matter of fact, Turquoise has been treasured as a semi-precious gemstone for hundreds and thousands of years. The ancient people of Asia, North America, South America, and Africa commonly used Turquoise as one of their preferred materials for producing inlays, gemstones, and small sculptures.
Perhaps the oldest gemstone in man’s history, Turquoise is the stone of strength and protection. This gemstone is healing to the eye and very much soothing to the touch. Its unique name is derived from its distinctive shades of blue and bluish-green, and it is now considered as one of the most popular and significant stones in the world of gemstones. Today, there are numerous Turquoise mines around the world, including Australia, China, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, USA, and Iran.
Quality of Turquoise Stone
Typically, Turquoise gemstone is judged on the basis of 3 vital quality factors – pattern, color, and presence/absence of matrix.
Color – The two most common shades of Turquoise gemstone are blue and green. However, Turquoise gemstone with a pure blue shade is more desirable than a Turquoise gemstone with a green hue. However, there are some contemporary designers who actively seek other wonderful shades of Turquoise like lime-green and avocado Turquoise.
Pattern – Turquoise gemstone may be semi-translucent to opaque, and it’s color shades may range from light blue to medium blue or greenish-blue. Turquoise has dark splotches and is often mottled. This gemstone may also contain veins of matrix running through it, and therefore, such stones are referred to as ‘Spiderweb Turquoise’ due to their attractive web-like patterns.
Cut – This precious gemstone is often cut as a cabochon. It is the smoothly rounded dome shape of Turquoise gemstone that sets off its color, texture, and web-patterned matrix beautifully.
In addition to this, it is essential for you to know that the Turquoise gemstone is available in a wide range of sizes and is weighed in carats. It is the affordable Turquoise stone price that eventually makes this semi-precious gemstone popular for carvings and designer jewelry.
The Bottom Line
With many astounding properties and incredible benefits to offer, Turquoise, the December birthstone, can really lift up your spirit in many ways and make you feel very much calmer and creative.
