A beautiful blend of green and blue hues like the dazzling sky and prosperous nature, the turquoise stone is a captivating stone that has been loved for centuries. It is a semi-precious gemstone used in jewelry and artifacts. However, its spiritual and healing properties have been popular in many cultures and are admired today. Turquoise meaning refers to protection, good fortune and abundance. Thus, it is perfectly admired as a stone for yourself or as a gift for your loved ones.
Origin and Formation
Turquoise is a porous and opaque mineral with a chemical formula CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8.4H2O. It is a hydrated copper and aluminum phosphate and a secondary mineral that needs to be formed. This gem is obtained from volcanic rocks filled with limonite and different iron oxides. Copper sulfide deposits are also common in this area. These gems’ origins include Arizona, Colorado, Egypt, Nigeria, Iran, Bulgaria, and Afghanistan. Sleeping Beauty Mine in Arizona was considered the largest producer of turquoise blue, and it closed down in 2012. The Kingman Mine in 2015 is currently operating, producing the best of these stones. Nevada mines are another producer popular for producing dense and sufficient quality stones that require no treatment.
Benefits
Turquoise benefits are beyond its fantastic beauty. It is a valuable stone that energizes the body, mind, and soul. Let’s get an insight into a few of these:
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It is the oldest gem known and was considered highly auspicious in Native American culture. This gem was used in southwestern jewelry.
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Early history suggests that it was attached to a bow or firearm to increase the accuracy of the hunter or warrior.
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The turquoise stone is the national gem of Tibet and signifies good fortune, health, and protection from negative energy.
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It protects you from emotional instability and promotes inner peace.
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Spiritually, this blue-green gemstone is for the throat chakra, which enhances communication and helps individuals express their feelings.
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The healing powers of turquoise include protection against stress, depression, and anxiety.
Who should wear
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The turquoise gem is the birthstone for December. For individuals born this month, this gem serves as a lucky stone.
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It is a protective stone and hence worn as a talisman. Thus, it shields you from negative energy.
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For those struggling to communicate their feelings and emotions, this stone’s powerful energy helps them come up with their views.
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Writers, artists, photographers, or those in various other creative fields can enhance their creativity more by meditating with this stone.
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Add natural turquoise stone to your wardrobe collection, bringing a stylish look to your outfit.
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Wear this December birthstone daily to get positive energy flowing throughout the body.
How to Wear
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Wear it as birthstone jewelry. Adorn a turquoise pendant necklace close to your heart and get spiritual benefits that relax your mind and soul.
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You can wear it with other plain metals such as rose gold, sterling silver, or yellow gold.
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The subtle color of the stone suits everyday outfits. This gem looks excellent on casual outfits such as jeans and T-shirts.
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You can pair this gemstone with complementary stones like diamonds and moonstones to give the jewelry an impressive look.
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Clear the negative energy in your working environment by wearing a turquoise stone ring. This also fits as minimalistic office jewelry.
Quality and Price
The factors affecting the price of this enchanting gem are as follows:
Color: Turquoise color ranges from bluish-green to black, green, or yellow. Veined with black matrix or spiderweb matrix varieties are popular. Darker shades of blue with less green tint commands for higher prices. Sleeping Beauty stone is prized for its sky blue color and lack of matrix. It is an influential spiritual gem that combats stress and depression. Persian turquoise with celestial blue color comprised the most admired stones. This striking color is due to the presence of vanadium and no iron.
Clarity: These gems are semi-transparent to opaque. The veins or matrix pattern on these stones gives a different look and adds value. These patterns include spiderweb matrix and veined matrix. Turquoise gems are soft, and hence, they undergo the process of stabilization. This is a common process that improves the hardness and color of the stone. However, this doesn’t mean that all gems undergo this process, and no natural stones are available. The high-quality stones are hard enough to be used in jewelry.
Cut: These gems are given a cabochon cut. However, fancy cuts such as heart shape, marquise, oval, and pear are also desirable. Gems with matrix patterns need to be cut in a defined shape to maintain the matrix pattern, which gives them a unique look.
Carat Weight: Unlike other transparent gems, these stones are highly priced as their carat weight increases. Lander Blue SpiderWeb turquoise is the rarest gem mined from Nevada and has a whopping weight of 49.9 Kg. It’s essential to check for the hardness to know if turquoise is real. Though the gem itself is not hard enough compared to Howlite, it ranks perfectly. This means that howlite is soft and can be scratched easily. Moreover, asking for a certificate when buying turquoise stones online is essential.