Turquoise is a lovely precious stone that makes exquisite silver turquoise jewelry. Technically it’s a mixture of aluminum and phosphates with a small amount of copper oxide, from which arises its blue color, and manganese oxide, calcium, zinc and iron. The green color of the gems comes from the iron or aluminum and yellow is from the zinc. The most common color is green for turquoise stones, and in fact blue gemstones frequently change to green after exposure to sunlight for any length of time. Different combinations of these elements give the gemstone its array of colors, with the most highly prized being those with an intense blue color and yellow colored gemstones having the lowest value. The finest quality stones, for instance Persian turquoise, don’t tend to fade and maintain their beautiful blue color for many years.

Some gems have a main color with colored lines in a spider web pattern marking the surface. The cause of this is irregular distribution of the various elements present in the stone and the marks may be yellow, black or brown in many patterns. However pure colored gemstones are more sought after than those with a spider web matrix though turquoise gemstones of intense blue color, even with spider web matrix, are more highly prized than green or yellow pure stones. Natural turquoise gems of a pure color, i.e. those which are not marked with spider web matrix, are rarer and are extremely highly valued.

Treating Turquoise

Around 10% of turquoise used in jewelry is natural, best quality gemstone. Over 85% is processed from rough turquoise to make it hard enough to be used. This treatment also improves resilience and enhances the gem’s color. Turquoise from a number of countries, for example China, is too soft and must be treated. Nevertheless the process produces beautiful gems, which, though less prized than unprocessed gemstones, nevertheless make superb jewelry. Treatments enhance the gem’s color and also makes them tougher so that they last for much longer. A procedure often used  to enhance the color involves injecting a dye in epoxy resin into the gem. The color is durable and will not fade. Chinese turquoise is hardened by injecting the gemstones with a liquid plastic. A further method is to inject epoxy resin without a color that will stabilize the gem without changing the color.

Synthetic turquoise can be made from powdered turquoise that has been mixed with a plastic binder. This kind of turquoise is obviously very inexpensive. These fake stones may be sold as fine quality turquoise turquoise and are often waxed or coated in plastic.

Looking After Turquoise Gems

Turquoise is both soft and porous so must be looked after carefully. It must never be worn for gardening or other work where it can be scratched and must be shielded from impact always. Never wear turquoise jewelry when washing the car or gardening! Put away turquoise jewelry in a box that is lined with soft material and do not store with other gems which may possibly scratch the stones. Turquoise gems can soak up liquids so keep them away from oils, chemicals or hot water and even cosmetics and perfumes. These could be absorbed by the gem which may become dull and may change color. You can clean turquoise using mild soapy water and drying thoroughly with a soft cloth. Take care it is thoroughly dried before you store it away and never use an ultrasonic cleaner which can cause cracking of the gem.

In Conclusion

Turquoise is an exquisite, eye-catching gemstone which is rare and highly valued. Even though it certainly has several disadvantages in that it needs to be looked after carefully and many of the blue stones can turn green over time, it makes superb silver turquoise jewelry as the lovely blue color complements perfectly the silver.

• Turquoise – an Exquisite Stone used in Silver Jewelry