What is the most valuable color of turquoise?

The most-prized turquoise color is an even, intense, medium blue, sometimes referred to as robin's egg blue or sky blue in the trade. The traditional source for this color is the Nishapur district of Iran, so you'll also hear it described as “Persian blue,” whether or not it was actually mined in Iran.
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How do you know if turquoise is valuable?

Color, texture, and matrix are three main factors, which define turquoise's value. The most valuable color is an intense, uniform, medium blue color. The texture of ideal turquoise is fine with low porosity, and no matrix should be present to correspond to the top-quality gemstone.
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What is the purest turquoise?

Turquoise in its purest form is a hydrous phosphate compound of aluminum and copper, which creates the medium blue color we all know. Persian and Egyptian collectors prefer this medium blue color. Many say that this color is the most valuable because it is the purest, only having traces of copper or aluminum.
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What is gem grade turquoise?

In the toughness department, turquoise can be considered a fairly durable gem. It has a rating of 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale, a tool developed by Friedrich Mohs specifically to measure the hardness of various minerals.
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Is green turquoise expensive?

There are no large deposits of Lime Green Turquoise in the United States and this color of Turquoise is very rare, valuable and highly collectible. To sum it up, Lime Green Turquoise is absolutely a rarity in nature.
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Top 10 things to know about Turquoise



Is purple turquoise real?

Yes, you heard us right, it is a purple stone! Purple Mohave Turquoise is only available in the Kingman Mine in Arizona. This unique stone showcases bright crimsons, blues, pinks, purples, and violets with striking metallic matrices.
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How can I tell what kind of turquoise I have?

Turquoise varies in quality from Gem quality to low grade “chalk”.
  1. GEM quality turquoise is HARD.
  2. LOW grade turquoise is SOFT.
  3. Most notably, turquoise is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum and originates by the percolation of meteoric or groundwater through aluminous rock in the presence of copper.
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What is heirloom turquoise?

Heirloom Turquoise Jewelry originates with a fine Turquoise Gemstone and it is set by an accomplished and artistic Silver or Goldsmith into a work of art.
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Where is the best turquoise found?

"The most common places known for good quality turquoise are Iran (Persia), Egypt, Northwest China, Mexico and the southwestern part of the United States. Although there can be mines found in many states, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada are the most common places where you will find them.
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Is turquoise becoming rare?

With depleting mines, turquoise, the most sacred stone to the Navajo, has become increasingly rare. A sky-blue colored stone with a gray and gold spiderweb matrix sits melded into an intricate silver ring with engraved feathers along the sides.
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How can you tell real turquoise from fake turquoise?

Turquoise is naturally a soft stone, but howlite (the turquoise imitation), is even softer. This means that if you scratch your stone and it scratches easily, you most likely have a piece of howlite. But if it's very difficult to scratch your stone, you've got genuine turquoise!
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Is Kingman turquoise expensive?

Turquoise is a very valuable stone and pieces like Lander Blue can now get over $300 dollars a carat. The days of cheap turquoise are behind us. Owning a piece of authentic Native American jewelry with a sacred piece of the blue rock is very rewarding.
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What is Persian blue turquoise?

Persian Turquoise comes from mines located in Iran. Even though turquoise is generally a softer stone, the turquoise mined from Persia tends to be harder than turquoise mined anywhere else. It is deviated up into 3 quality classifications: Angushtari, which is the finest quality, with little to no markings or matrix.
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Why is my turquoise turning black?

Turquoise is a compound that includes metals such as aluminum, copper or iron. Water and oil can cause some of these metals to oxidize, or in other words rust. As a result of oxidation, the stones can actually change color.
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How many colors of turquoise are there?

There are four variations of turquoise color names in the original 140 colors supported by web browsers.
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How many types of turquoise are there?

Most people can probably envision what generic turquoise looks like when asked, but did you know that there are more than 30 types of turquoise commonly found in southwestern jewelry?
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Do you find gold in turquoise?

Other types of mineral deposits such as barite were also created as well. This led to a situation where it is fairly common to find gold deposits in or around the general neighborhood of many turquoise mines in Nevada.
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What color is Bisbee turquoise?

Bisbee turquoise can be found in many different shades of color and quality, from soft, low quality pale blue, to the quality hard brilliant blue turquoise and almost every shade of blue in between. The highest grade of Bisbee Blue turquoise is almost lapis lazuli blue and has a brownish-red spiderweb matrix.
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What state has the most turquoise?

Arizona is currently the most important producer of turquoise by value. Several mines exist in the state, two of them famous for their unique colour and quality and considered the best in the industry: the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe ceased turquoise mining in August 2012.
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Can you wear turquoise everyday?

You can wear turquoise jewelry every day provided it is cared for. The gemstone undergoes treatments to enhance its beauty, some of these include stabilization, dyeing and waxing or oiling. This improves its color and durability; however, exposing turquoise to heat can cause discoloration and surface damage.
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Is turquoise a delicate stone?

The minerals may have a black pattern that resembles marble, spiderweb, or quail's egg. It's a relatively soft stone, ranging from 5 to 6 on the Mohs hardness scale. The gemstone occurs due to a chemical reaction between copper, phosphorus, and aluminum.
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How do you care for turquoise jewelry?

It's safe to clean turquoise jewelry with warm, soapy water, but it should never be cleaned with steam or ultrasonic cleaners. Some turquoise is treated to improve its surface appearance. Heat or solvents can damage the treated surfaces.
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What is best turquoise?

Blue Turquoise

The most-prized turquoise color is an even, intense, medium blue, sometimes referred to as robin's egg blue or sky blue in the trade. The traditional source for this color is the Nishapur district of Iran, so you'll also hear it described as “Persian blue,” whether or not it was actually mined in Iran.
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What are the two types of turquoise?

Different Types of Turquoise
  • Carico Lake Turquoise has a varying color palette, ranging from highly-unique electric greens to sky blue, and rarely, a nugget with both earth and sky color. ...
  • Dry Creek Turquoise is a very rare, light-colored stone.
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What is Ajax turquoise?

The Ajax mine is located in the Candelaria Hills in Esmerelda, Nevada near the Candelaria Silver mine. The Ajax mine is known for producing excellent bi-color turquoise nuggets ranging from very dark green to a beautiful blue. The higher grades show the full range of these colors in the same stones.
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