Turquoise – the Lovely Blue Stone used in Silver Jewelry

Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 11:24 am

Turquoise is a beautiful gem that is wonderful in silver turquoise jewelry. Technically it’s a blend of phosphates and aluminum with a small amount of copper oxide, which gives it its blue color, and manganese oxide, iron, calcium and zinc. The green color arises from the aluminum or iron and yellow from zinc. Green is the most common color for turquoise gemstones, and as a matter of fact blue stones often turn green after exposure to light for a long time. Different blends of these elements give the gemstone its array of colors, with the most valued being those with a deep blue color and yellow colored stones having the least value. The finest quality stones, for instance Persian turquoise, usually don’t change color and keep their beautiful blue color for a long time.

Some gemstones have a main color with a spider web pattern of different colored lines marking the surface. The cause of this is uneven dispersal of the different elements present in the precious stone and the lines might be yellow, black or brown in several patterns. However pure colored stones are more valued than those with a spider web matrix though turquoise gemstones of intense blue color, even though they have a spider web matrix, are more valued than green or yellow pure stones. Untreated gemstones of a pure color, i.e. without a spider web matrix, are much rarer and are extremely highly prized.

Turquoise Treatments

Around 10% of the turquoise used in jewelry is natural, best quality stone. Over 90% is processed from soft turquoise so that it hardens enough for use. The treatment also increases stability and boosts the stone’s color. Turquoise that comes from some countries, i.e. China, is too soft and needs to be treated. However the treatment yields good-looking stones, which, while less prized than unprocessed gems, still make wonderful jewelry. The process enhances the color of the gemstones and also makes them harder which gives them a longer life. A procedure often used to boost the color involves injecting epoxy resin that contains a dye into the stone. The color is durable and will not fade. Soft turquoise from China is hardened by injecting liquid plastic into the stone. Another technique is to use epoxy resin without a dye in order stabilise the gem but will not change the color.

Synthetic turquoise can be made from liquid plastic blended with powdered turquoise. This kind of turquoise is obviously very cheap. These fake stones might be sold as high quality natural turquoise turquoise and may be coated in plastic or waxed.

Care of Turquoise Gems

Turquoise is porous and soft so should be looked after carefully. It shouldn’t be worn when it can become scratched and ought to be shielded from any impact at all times. On no account wear turquoise jewelry when you are gardening or washing up! Put away turquoise jewelry in a box that is lined with soft material and don’t store with other, harder gems which may well scratch it. Turquoise gemstones can absorb liquids so do not let them come into contact with hot water, oils, chemicals and even perfumes and cosmetics. These could be absorbed by the gemstone which could change color and lose it’s lustre. Turquoise can be cleaned by using very mild soapy water and drying thoroughly with a soft cloth. Make certain it is completely dry before you store it away and on no account use an ultrasonic cleaner as they can cause cracking of the gem.

In Conclusion

Turquoise is a lovely, eye-catching stone which is rare and highly prized. Even though it certainly has a few disadvantages in that it must be carefully looked after and many of the blue stones can turn green over time, it makes fantastic silver turquoise jewelry as the attractive blue color is perfectly complemented by the silver.