Turquoise Facts
All you need to know
Turquoise is hands down, one of the most popular gemstones out on the market today.
Though, with its beauty and popularity, it’s imperative to know that there are many materials out there claiming to be “Nevada Turquoise”, when in fact the gem is synthetic, which means, made in a laboratory, or simply put Fake!
*My Rule of Thumb - if it looks fake, it prob. is.* If your unsure and there is any question in your mind, bring it to a reputable Jewler for them to check it out.
Turquoise is an opaque gray-to-blue-to-green mineral that is hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum. It’s chemical formula is CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·5H2O). Its color range includes deep blues, light blues, bluish greens, greenish blues and even yellow green. The copper is what gives the mineral its blue coloring. The presence of Iron and chromium in the mineral, leads to a green coloring. If the mineral contains zinc, the turquoise mineral will be a yellowish color. The lustre of turquoise is typically waxy to sub-vitreous, and transparency is usually opaque, but may be semi-translucent in thin sections.
How Turquoise is Formed:
The mineral turquoise is formed by a chemical reaction which occurs when water containing specific minerals such as copper and aluminum leak through a rock. It forms in veins, which later then turns into a clump of turquoise.
Mohs Hardness:
Gems are usually rated on their hardness according to the Mohs scale. Mineralogist Friedrich Mohs developed the scale in 1812. The Mohs scale ranks minerals from one to ten, with one being the softest and ten the hardest. The finest and higher grades of turquoise reach a maximum Mohs hardness of just under 6.
Turquoise is classified as a cryptocrystalline mineral which means that the crystals that form in it, are so small that they are difficult to discern without the aid of a microscope. Turquoise almost never forms single crystals, and all of its properties are highly variable.
Value:
Some Turquoise Specimens and cut gemstones fetch some of the highest value in the mineral world by most collectors. American turquoise is valued by its matrix pattern, color, hardness, and by origin. I, like many avid collectors out their, pay premium prices for Natural Rock Hard High Grade Turquoise, over the synthetic blue rock any day. Not only does the rough hold the value of the gemstone itself as a rough specimen, it also has the opportunity it it's lifetime to become more rare and more valuable if proper labeling and storage are done with care. As many people decide to invest such material in hopes to profit later. It has been in my experience that 100% Natural Turquoise that is left untreated and is in its most natural form and hard with yet no stabilization is what brings me to cut and make beautiful jewelry out of this gem. There is no greater satisfaction, I can see, then making something from nothing, into something of great magnitude and purpose.
Turquoise was among the first gems to be mined, and while many historic sites have been depleted, some are still worked to this day. But let's be real.. for all those who really want to get real with turquoise..
Where does all the Nevada Turquoise Material we see out on-line, in old stalk, or in beautiful Jewlery come from? It all comes from the Ottesons if it's real! lol No Joke!
So where does the Blue Turquoise Come from and Where does The Green come into play?
Rule of Thumb.. If it's Blue, then it's most likely been treated in some way, shape or form, such as dyed, dehydrated, stabilized, crushed, and made into some fake rock to look similar to that of Nevada Turquoise's famous Royal Blue Royston Color that please, make no mistake, NOTHING will compete with the blue of that in that Otteson's Royston. It's Rare, Hard to Mine, and trust me,
* GemRockz: Our Standards are set high, rest assure, each piece of Turquoise is throughly checked to ensure the highest quality standards are set forth from the beginning to end, with nothing less that total customer satisfaction.
* GemRockz Quality will always be better then what's being sold on the streets
Why you should by from me and no one else when it comes to Nevada Turquoise?
Duffy Otteson, a talented 4th Generation Miner and Cuter of the Famous Otteson Crew has showed me and my family a small lil' peak into the sacred mines of Nevada Turquoise over the past few years, and soon GemRockz will be showcasing a certain Otteson's beautiful handcrafted workmanship, where he himself has put in the work to make each and every piece in the collection himself from start to finish. Honestly, Beautiful Wire Wrapped Jewlery that's wrapped so tightly together to form some of the most unique designs I have yet to see, come out of Turquoise. Soon you will see, that this kid has some serious skills in the field of cutting, mining, Turquoise, and Football. Did you guys even know that Duffy Otteson was a character created on a video game that made him Black when in fact Duffy Otteson is not black what-so-ever and pretty white in fact. lol Mr. Duffy Otteson will soon be Launching his Jewlery Brand, so stay Tuned for updates to Follow!
The Stability, Bright and Bold Colors Broken Arrow Mine holds, runs deeper then the sky rainbows where the golden pot at that end of the rainbow is in fact filled with Turquoise, rather then gold, because in my fantasy, well the more Turquoise, the better!
Otteson Turquoise found only near Tonopah, Nevada is more than just a piece of Turquoise. It's a sacred piece of treasure that the Otteson's let our world become apart of. It has a story that still rings true today, just as it did hundreds of thousands of years ago when it was first discovered. Get Your Piece of Turquoise while Supplies last.