Turquoise for Egypt is one of the oldest gems. The eyes of tourists who have visited the jewelry stores of Egypt, first of all, stop at two bright colors - coral red and turquoise blue. The first turquoise jewelry was found by archaeologists in Egypt and date back to the Neolithic era.

In the days of the pharaohs, turquoise was brought to the country from the Sinai Peninsula. And today this place remains a place for the extraction of turquoise and coral. The ancient mines of Wadi Magare ("Valley of the Caves") were described at the beginning of the 19th century by the German explorer Ulrich Jasper Seetzen in his travel notes. The Egyptians called these places "terraces of turquoise". Thousands of captive slaves were sent to the waterless deserts of Sinai. It was from here that the cult of this stone began.



Turquoise was widely used in the jewelry business of Egypt, the mask and sarcophagus of Pharaoh Tutankhamun tells about this, the burial of which archaeologists speak of as not the richest, although countless jewelry was found in the tomb, including those with turquoise, for example, a chest decoration - a golden falcon , inlaid with turquoise and other precious stones. A turquoise scarab beetle was also found here. Such beetles, which were considered sacred, were often carved by the Egyptians from turquoise; they served as amulets and were recognized as the most powerful in their magic power.



Turquoise was not only admired in Egypt. After the decline of the great Egyptian civilization, the ancient mines in Sinai were forgotten, but turquoise came to Europe from Persia (now the territory of Iran). Until now, in Iran, turquoise is considered almost a national mascot stone. The country's income from stone mining was an important part of the economy.



In ancient Iran, turquoise was valued above gold. It was available only to the noble and the wealthy. Jewelry connoisseurs say that the Shah's treasury of Iran contains a unique collection of turquoise, including the tiara of the empress of Iran, Farah Pahlavi.

In Europe, turquoise was called "Turkish stone". This is because many trade branches of the Great Silk Road ended in Turkey, from here from the East to Europe, ships carried goods to Italy and France.

Turquoise was considered a sacred stone among the Indians of the American continent. Large and ancient designs of turquoise are found in North America. As a result of excavations in the Chaco National Historical Park, archaeologists have discovered tens of thousands of turquoise items. The burial of the leaders among the Aztecs was always accompanied with a huge amount of turquoise. Therefore, it is not surprising that such burials contained numerous and interesting finds.



Today turquoise from Iran continues to be famous throughout the world. Turquoise from Arizona can compete with it. Good quality turquoise is mined in Afghanistan, Central Asian countries (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan). Deposits of turquoise exist in the Caucasus, Mongolia, Israel, Ethiopia, Chile, Australia, China, Russia.




Turquoise belongs to the complex phosphates of aluminum and copper. Its formula is also quite complicated - CuAl6 [PO4] 4 (OH) 8 • 5H2O. There may also be iron impurities. Scientists believe that stone is born when water seeps through rocks, where there is copper and aluminum. The formation process takes millions of years.



Blue turquoise is called "young", its color is determined by copper ions. For its bright blue color, it got the name - "heavenly stone".Greenish turquoise is called "old". This color is due to the presence of iron. In general, the color range of turquoise can be from sky blue to apple green. Sometimes there are several color transitions on one copy.

Whatever the color of the stone, it completely coincides with the color of the sea wave in sunny clear weather. With admixtures of iron, copper and chromium, a blue-green color is formed - color of the sea.

Blue turquoise is considered one of the most valuable varieties for jewelry. The blue color is due to the presence of copper, there are no iron impurities in it.



Natural stones have many dark veins and blotches, which creates an original pattern. There are lace and mesh turquoise. The pattern on individual specimens consists of intersecting black and brown veins. There are complex patterns with thin, graceful lines. These stones are very picturesque and are in high demand among jewelers and buyers.

Turquoise can change color over time. Stones can absorb and lose moisture, interact with carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, absorb fats and essential oils. Hence the conclusion - one must be very careful with this beautiful stone. Cosmetics, perfumes and alcohols can also negatively affect the beauty of turquoise; you should not keep products in direct sunlight for a long time.

On the Mohs scale, the hardness of turquoise is 5 units. The density of the mineral is low due to the porous structure - 2.8 units. Turquoise can change its color when exposed to high temperatures.




Since the stone changes color under the influence of light, detergents, oils, fats and, of course, sweat, people have long tried to determine the health of the person wearing the jewelry. We must agree with this, because the substances released with sweat can interact with the mineral, and as a result of a chemical reaction, the color of the stone will change.

In Indian lithotherapy, turquoise is believed to have a positive effect on the vocal cords and the thyroid gland. Mongolian lamas did not doubt that turquoise is an indicator of human health, and the color of the stone can be used to determine its condition.

In the Ancient East, turquoise was used to treat the eyes - as a talisman and as a medicine, as well as as ointments made from turquoise crumbs that were used to rub the eyes. There is even evidence that serious eye diseases were healed with the help of turquoise. Ancient lithotherapists recommended examining the stone daily in the morning for several minutes, which will certainly improve vision. With the help of turquoise, cataracts were treated, increased the ability to see well in the dark and at night.

Lithotherapists now have high hopes for turquoise in the treatment of vision. They claim that turquoise will help relieve eye strain after prolonged work and restore visual acuity. It is difficult, of course, to agree with all this, but you can check on yourself. In any case, looking at a blue beautiful stone, there will be no harm, positive energy can definitely be charged.



In addition to treating eyes, lithotherapy believes that turquoise can be used to prevent various diseases - diabetes, tonsillitis, allergies, influenza, arthrosis, rheumatism, skin inflammation and even neuroses. Believe it or not, everyone will decide for himself, but in ancient times not a single healer was considered a real healer if there was no turquoise in his medical arsenal.

Often, earrings or turquoise pendants were prescribed in the recipe for diseases, and perhaps just a pebble to put under the pillow. In addition, ancient healers left us their notes on how best to wear turquoise - in a silver frame or just a pebble, as a pendant or ring. But this is already a whole story ...


Turquoise is one of the favorite stones of the East. Academician Fersman noted that "there is not a single stone that plays a greater role in human superstition than Persian turquoise."Many peoples considered this stone a magic talisman, and at different points of the planet and at different times: in Persia, China, Mexico, India, America ...

In Persia, turquoise was considered a symbol of victory and good luck, a powerful talisman protecting its owner from poisons and poisoning. Therefore, turquoise was worn in rings, cups were decorated with it, especially those who feared for their lives. Whether the wine was poisoned, only turquoise thrown into the glass could show.

According to ancient beliefs, the stone protects warriors from sudden attacks, shooters and hunters helps to hit the target. Therefore, weapons were inlaid with turquoise - bows, sabers, knives, swords. And turquoise jewelry attracts financial success.



In the past, in Russia and Germany, it was a tradition for married couples to cut turquoise rings. It was believed that this stone promotes peace and love in the family. At the same time, in the old days it was believed that the stone fades when love passes.

The famous Persian poet Saadi wrote: "And the turquoise of lovers fades when their love passes." Noble ladies of the Middle Ages loved talismans with turquoise and wore them in order to charm their chosen one.

In modern mythology, turquoise is considered the stone of brave people. Stone products are advised to be worn by those who fight against evil, are not afraid of risk. That is why in the old days the handles of swords and knives were decorated with turquoise.

Sky-blue turquoise has long been known for its most powerful magical powers. Buddhists consider turquoise to be a sacred stone. In Buddhist mythology, many legends are dedicated to this stone, and many of them tell about the battles and victories of warriors over the most terrible monsters.

Attention should be paid to the turquoise frame in silver. There are claims that silver greatly enhances its effect. And then, you see, it's beautiful - the blue of turquoise goes well with the glitter of silver.




For jewelry, turquoise is cabochon cut. The surface is polished, giving the stone a soft shine. The mineral is used for incrustation, amulets and jewelry making. The stone goes well with silver and gold, often there are products where turquoise adorns the product together with other gems, as well as diamonds.

The mineral is used to decorate rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, tiaras and brooches. In addition, the museum exhibits will tell us about many other products with turquoise. In ancient times, they loved to decorate the handles of weapons, armor, clothes, attributes of power. In the East, turquoise found a place on hookahs, vessels, cups, caskets, etc. Turquoise was also used in the creation of carved art products, for inlays on metal and wood, and in the creation of mosaics.

Caring for turquoise products

As it has already become clear from the properties of the mineral, jewelry must be treated with delicacy. Its beauty is easily damaged by the action of soaps, oils, cosmetics, perfumes. Therefore, when possible, it is best to remove the items, especially the rings.

You can wash turquoise, but only with clean water or special means for precious stones, then wipe it with a dry cloth and dry it naturally, without additional heating, and in no case leave it in the sun. Jewelers also advise not to keep turquoise products for a long time outside the box.

Fakes and imitation turquoise

Roman writer of the 1st century A.D. Gaius Pliny Secundus (Pliny the Elder) wrote: "There is no such fraud or deception in the world that would bring more benefits than counterfeiting precious stones." And then it should be said that these words primarily refer to turquoise. And this was already in antiquity.



An impressive imitation of turquoise was obtained in the 19th century by pressing phosphate tinted with copper oleate. Production was established in France, England and Vienna. Hence this imitation got the name - "Viennese turquoise".There is also synthetic turquoise obtained in the laboratory. Its composition and texture features practically do not differ from natural.

Faustite is similar to turquoise. This is an amazing coincidence. There is another mineral - variscite. Also very similar to turquoise. Beautiful fakes are made from the mineral howlite, painted in a turquoise color palette.

All imitations and fakes are not easy to distinguish. If you want to buy a real stone, you should consult a gemologist. By the way, the Egyptians were the first to start counterfeiting. They used various materials for this - colored glass, porcelain, bone soaked in copper salts.

The history of turquoise is more than one thousand years old. And throughout the centuries this stone has enjoyed special respect. Its popularity is confirmed by numerous archaeological finds. And the magical properties of turquoise were noted by many bright historical figures of different times and peoples.

Tsar Ivan the Terrible loved this stone very much, especially blue turquoise. Evidence has been preserved that the tsar, complaining of his ailments, saw his beloved turquoise fade, foreshadowing his imminent death. “Look at the turquoise and pick it up. It remains bright as before, but how turquoise fades when you put it in my hand! I am infected with a disease, and therefore the stone loses its color. She foreshadows my death. "