Description
TURQUOISE SPECIMEN
This is the raw bright greenish-blue turquoise specimen. Dimensions: 1.2 x 0.9 x 0.6″ (3 x 2.2 x 1.5cm). Weight – 0.4oz (11.5 grams). Origin: Mongolia.
Some information about turquoise:
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue.
The substance has been known by many names, but the word turquoise dates to the 17th century and is derived from the French turques for “Turks” because the mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey, from mines in the historical Khorasan Province of Persia. Pliny the Elder referred to the mineral as callais and the Aztecs knew it as chalchihuitl.
For thousands of years, turquoise has spanned all cultures, prized as a symbol of wisdom, nobility and the power of immortality. Among the Ancient Egyptians, Persians and Chinese, Aztecs and Incas of South America, and Native North Americans, turquoise was sacred in its adornment and for power, luck, and protection.
