The Global Palette of Turquoise: From American Southwest to Persian Mountains
The name "turquoise" actually comes from the French word "pierre turquoise," meaning "Turkish stone," because it was originally brought to Europe through Turkey. But here's the cool part: turquoise has been found everywhere from the American Southwest to the mountains of Iran, each region producing its own unique shade and pattern.
North American Turquoise: The Southwest's Treasure
The American Southwest, particularly Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, produces some of the world's most sought-after turquoise. Each mine creates stones with distinctive characteristics:
Sleeping Beauty (Arizona): Known for its pure, robin's egg blue color with minimal matrix, this turquoise is prized for its consistent, clean appearance. The mine closed in 2012, making existing stones even more valuable.
Kingman (Arizona): Ranges from sky blue to deep blue-green, often featuring a beautiful black or brown matrix that creates striking spiderweb patterns.
Royston (Nevada): Displays gorgeous green to blue-green hues with distinctive brown matrix, creating an earthy, organic aesthetic.
Persian Turquoise: The Ancient Standard
The mountains of Iran have produced turquoise for over 5,000 years, and Persian turquoise is considered the gold standard. Mined primarily in the Nishapur region, Persian turquoise is renowned for its intense, pure sky-blue color with minimal matrix. This is the turquoise that adorned ancient Persian royalty and inspired the color we now call "turquoise blue."
Chinese Turquoise: The Sleeping Giant
China has emerged as a major turquoise producer, particularly from the Hubei Province. Chinese turquoise ranges from pale blue to deep green, often with distinctive black or golden-brown matrix. The Hubei mines produce stones that rival Persian quality in their best grades.
Egyptian Turquoise: The Pharaoh's Stone
The Sinai Peninsula has been mined since 3000 BCE, making it one of the oldest known turquoise sources. Egyptian turquoise tends toward green-blue shades and was used extensively in ancient Egyptian jewelry, including Tutankhamun's famous burial mask.
Tibetan Turquoise: Sacred Mountain Stone
Highly valued in Tibetan culture for spiritual significance, Tibetan turquoise often displays deep green to blue-green colors with distinctive matrix patterns. It's been used in traditional Tibetan jewelry and religious artifacts for centuries.
What Creates These Color Variations?
The unique shades and patterns of turquoise from different regions come down to geology. Turquoise forms when water containing copper and aluminum percolates through rock. The presence of iron creates greener stones, while pure copper produces the bluest specimens. The matrix patterns come from the host rock—whether it's black chert, brown limonite, or golden pyrite.
Each piece of turquoise is a geological fingerprint of its birthplace, carrying the story of the mountains, deserts, and ancient seabeds where it formed. Whether you're drawn to the pure Persian blue, the spiderweb patterns of American stones, or the earthy greens of Tibetan turquoise, you're wearing a piece of Earth's natural artistry.