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Rocks and Minerals ➔ Turquoise
Identifier:
18246Description:
The word turquoise comes from the Old French word turqueise, meaning ‘Turkish.’ Turquoise has been a prized gem throughout history, used by Aztecs, Egyptians, and Native Americans. Native Americans originally used the stone for medicinal and decorative purposes. After being introduced to silversmithing by the Spanish, Natives Americans began to combine turquoise and silver to create beautiful necklaces, earrings, and ringsAs a gem, turquoise has some unique features. It is very soft, allowing to be easily scratched or be formed relatively easily into different shapes by jewelers. It can take on a variety of shades of blue or green and often varies in color from region to region. Jewelers prize turquoise that has spiderweb designs, formed from the mineral limonite. Persian turquoise has always been recognized by jewelers as the finest quality of turquoise. However, experts argue that turquoise found in the southwestern United States is comparable in quality. It is likely that natives mined turquoise in this region and traded it with the Aztecs of South America, who were known to have a wealth of turquoise that was used in their sacred rituals. Turquoise has been mined and produced in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. Arizona contains the richest supply of turquoise due to its high copper occurrences and arid landscape, an ideal location for the formation of turquoise.
Current Location Status:
In StorageCollection Tier:
Tier 2Source:
Gift Of St. Louis ExpositionRelated Entity:
St. Louis World's Fair (donor)Alternate names: Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904.