Which turquoise is best?

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.

What is the highest grade turquoise?

The rarer the stone's color, the more valuable the stone. TQI color grading is done on a scale from 1 to 10. A score of a 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.

Which country has the best turquoise?

"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.

What is the rarest type of turquoise?

Lander Blue Spiderweb Turquoise is some of the rarest Turquoise on earth and in high demand, Buyers must beware of impersonators, the highest grade of Chinese Spiderweb Turquoise is often sold as Lander Blue Turquoise, it takes an experienced professional to detect true Lander Blue Turquoise.

How do you choose turquoise?

Ask the retailer if the stone is real or genuine. Real turquoise has not been treated, only polished. A genuine stone is turquoise that may be stabilized or color enhanced. Any reputable jeweler will be glad to give you written confirmation of the value, authenticity, and the type of turquoise you're purchasing.

Top 10 things to know about Turquoise

What is AAA grade turquoise?

Best (AAA)

These turquoise stones have a sky-blue hue and are also eye-clean. In terms of quality, this category features the top 10% of the turquoise stones.

Is enhanced turquoise real turquoise?

Enhanced turquoise means that the stones have been treated to become better than the stone's raw state. Most raw natural turquoise is a fairly brittle and porous material. The stone's color can fade or change over time, and the stone itself is subject to cracking.

Is white buffalo turquoise really turquoise?

White Buffalo, although technically not turquoise, is often referred to as turquoise due to its discovery in a turquoise mine. The reason behind its illustrious white color is due to its formation by the same mineralization process, "regular" in which turquoise undergoes.

Why is Sleeping Beauty turquoise so expensive?

In 2012, the Sleeping Beauty mine closed and sent prices skyrocketing (not because the mine was spent, but because the copper mine that owned the mining concession sold the mine, and its new owner decided not to pursue the turquoise mining operation, according to Foutz). Buyers used to pay $10 per ct.

What is Golden Hill turquoise?

Golden Hill Turquoise showcases a Light Blue Stone with Lavender Hues. Its matrix can range from a deep Lavendar to deep Reds, Browns or Rust Colors. Like Turquoises from Egypt, Tibet or Persia, wherever you find Copper or Iron, there is the possibility of finding Turquoise.

What is genuine turquoise?

All summed up, Genuine Turquoise is a term to describe gemstones that are cut from pure "hydrated phosphate of aluminum and copper" that is either natural, enhanced, stabilized or dyed and has not been crushed and mixed with any other material. It should not be confused with the term Natural Turquoise.

How can you tell a Kingman turquoise?

Kingman Turquoise comes from the Kingman mine in Arizona. Kingman Turquoise ranges in color from sky blue to hues of green, the green turquoise actually comes from the Turquoise Mountain side of the mine, and is desired for it's distinct coloring. This turquoise ring shows the appeal of the Kingman turquoise hue.

How expensive is real turquoise?

Turquoise prices normally range from $1 to $10 per carat but can reach $1000 per carat for the best quality stones. Real turquoise of the top quality costs even more than gold, so it is definitely worth the money.

What are the two types of turquoise?

Is Tibetan turquoise good quality?

Tibetan Turquoise is a rare luxury that is mined in the Himalayas – ours specifically is from the area around Lhasa in the Himalayan area. Lhasa is known as one of the 4 locations where the finest quality Tibetan Turquoise is sourced, the others being Ngari-Khorsum, Draya and Derge.

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?

What is Bisbee II turquoise?

A dark reddish brown matrix that blends and swirls with rich Turquoise hues gives this Bisbee II Turquoise Rough a unique identity not found in any other variety. This lot is a mix of medium to large sizes that will provide a high yield when cutting.

Is Persian turquoise valuable?

Throughout the centuries, the intense sky-blue Iranian turquoise, known as “Persian turquoise,” has been the most sought after. This is a clear, even blue color with no evidence of green, nor any signs of black veins. As recently as the '70s, top-quality turquoise was fetching prices of $2,000 for a 15x20mm piece.

How can you tell if turquoise is stabilized or natural?

After treatment, stabilized turquoise is harder and is unlikely to break or crack. The stone is no longer porous, so it doesn't absorb liquids or oils and the color is "locked" - unlike natural turquoise where the color can change, or deepen, over time. The cheapest forms of "turquoise" are block and imitation.

Why is it called Sleeping Beauty turquoise?

The Sleeping Beauty turquoise mine was named after the mountain range where it is located, which from a distance is said to resemble a sleeping woman with her arms crossed. Increased government regulations and mining costs led to the mine's closure in 2012.

What is Mojave turquoise?

Turquoise has been extracted from Sinai Peninsula in Iran, mining turquoise since 5000 B.C. Mojave turquoise is a breathtakingly vivid Turquoise that has been crafted through a process using hydraulic press by assembling turquoise nuggets. A bronze metal matrix is introduced throughout the base of brick turquoise.

What is the difference between white buffalo turquoise and howlite?

Howlite is porous and easily absorbs dyes to imitate other more costly stones like turquoise, coral and even lapis. This stone when dyed can be confusing to recognize. Howlite has a marble like look and does not generally have as high a shine as white buffalo.

How can you tell fake turquoise?

The most effective way to identify real Turquoise is to do the scratch test. Howlite or other materials fake Turquoise is made from are softer stones than genuine Turquoise. Lightly use your nail to scratch a less visible part of the stone like the backside and if it scratches easily, it's howlite.

What's the difference between treated and untreated turquoise?

Without treatment, most turquoise will absorb chemicals from its environment and change to a greenish color over the years, owing to the porous nature of the gem. Nevada turquoise is generally higher quality and often a much lower percentage of the mine production requires treatment.

How many carats should turquoise be worn?

Transparent gems should weigh more than two carats (one carat equals 200 mg and so two carats equals 400 mg) and opaque gems like pearl, red pearl and turquoise need to ideally weigh between 3 and 10 carats. There is a belief that a connection exists between the body weight of the wearer and the weight of the gem.