Turquoise is a copper-aluminium phosphate and one of the oldest gems humans have worked — Egyptian mines on the Sinai were running five thousand years ago, and the stone is woven through Persian, Tibetan and Native American traditions alike. The name comes from "Turkish", for the trade route it reached Europe by.
What turquoise is used for
Almost every culture that met it made it a protective amulet — for travellers especially, and for anything spoken: oaths, blessings, prayers. It sits at the throat chakra and is December's birthstone. Few stones carry as much accumulated meaning per gram.
Worn, as it has always been. If you buy one piece of turquoise jewellery, know that howlite dyed blue is a common imitation — real turquoise is never chalk-white inside a chip.
How to care for it
Keep dry and out of sun; wipe with soft cloth. Often stabilised with wax or resin: keep it dry and out of the sun, and wipe it with a soft cloth. Water can lift the colour.
Related reading in the journal: How to spot dyed howlite sold as turquoise.
Turquoise in the shop
Stones that keep it company
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