Turquoise: The December Birthstone

Appearance

The birthstone of December is an opaque to semi-translucent stone, light and very fragile. It is commonly found in microcrystalline, a material formed of microscopic crystals. On fresh fractures, it has a waxy or vitreous luster.

Rarity

In its natural form turquoise is very rare and accounts for less than 3% of the turquoise available on the market. However stabilised turquoise is much more common. This is when the stone has been treated in some way to deal with two main problems that are associated with a lot of turquoise, its softness and porousness. The most common form of stabilisation is with a clear epoxy resin. The resin, under pressure, absorbs into the rock, which permanently hardens the rock making it harder and more suitable for use in jewellery. Another common form of turquoise on market is colour enhanced and stabilised Turquoise and reconstituted Turquoise, which is becoming more common as good quality turquoise rough material gets harder and harder to find.

Moh's Scale Hardness

6 - a relatively soft stone.

Sources

United States, Egypt, Mexico, China, Iran, Peru, Poland, Russia, France, Tibet, Egypt, Afghanistan and Arabia.

Formation & History Of Turquoise

As water moves through porous rock, minerals are dissolved, such as copper, aluminium and iron. Over a long time, these minerals accumulate in pores and cracks to form deposits of the material we know as turquoise. The colour of the stone varies depending on the amount iron and copper present.

The name turquoise is said to derive from 'Turkish stone' because the trade route that brought it to Europe came via Turkey. Turquoise was being mined by 4000 BC and is used for jewellery, amulets and in preparation for cosmetics. 

Spiritual Properties Of Turquoise

Turquoise is thought to be a protective stone that has been used for amulets for centuries - an amulet is a small piece of jewellery thought to give protection against evil, danger and disease. It is said to dispel negative energy and provide protection against pollutants in the environment. The birthstone of December is also thought to enhance intuition, as well as release inhibitions and prohibitions which allows the soul to express itself. Turquoise is also said to assist creative problem solving and calming the nerves when speaking in public, as well as being a promoter of self-realisation.

Turquoise Healing

Physically, turquoise is said to be an excellent stone for exhaustion, depression and panic attacks. It is thought to enhance the physical and physic immune systems, regenerate tissue, support the assimilation of nutrients, alleviate pollution and viral infections and heal the whole body.

In brief 97% of all turquoise sold is stabilised - due to the decrease of natural turquoise being found in mines across the world it is very rare to see totally natural and 100% untreated turquoise available to buy in beads or cabochons for jewellery making.

The majority of turquoise available to buy for making jewellery has been stabilised in some way to make it more sturdy and suitable for cutting into beads and cabochons. A lot of turquoise has also had some sort of colour enhancement.

Unfortunately not all suppliers are as honest and unless you can insist on getting it in writing from the seller or ask them to certify that their turquoise is natural you may think you are buying natural turquoise but in fact, you have been sold is stabilised.

We supply a large range of turquoise here at Kernowcraft with a wide range of varieties available. It is for this reason we wanted to make clear the different processes of making turquoise accessible for jewellery making. 

Natural Turquoise (very rare)

This is turquoise that has not been treated in any way with dyes, stabilising epoxies, or other chemical treatments intended to alter the colour, hardness or lustre of the stone. Natural turquoise cannot easily be found in the marketplace and as little as 3-10% of turquoise mined is of sufficient hardness to be used in jewellery. The turquoise that is suitable to be used is so beautiful that it is simply mined, cut, polished and set into a piece of jewellery or carved into a fetish or sculpture. 

SHOP NATURAL TURQUOISE

Jewellery Making With Turquoise

We love turquoise here at Kernowcraft and so do our customers! You'll find a wide range of varieties of turquoise as cabochons and beads.

Browse our turquoise gemstone category and don't forget to check out our free jewellery making tutorials for guidance. Visit our jewellery making kits for more inspiration, with online step by step instructions and a handy one click shopping list.

Resources:

• The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall
• Gemstones Of The World by Walter Schumann
• Gemstones by Cally Hall