|
The Rock Professor has provided you with a mineral
information card. Print on stock paper, and cut out to
enhance your rock and mineral products.
To print: with your cursor, highlight the entire card below,
right click and select print, then click on "selection"
and print.
|
THE ROCK PROFESSOR
|
|
|
Bisbee Turquoise
Image courtesy of R.Weller/Cochise College
Turquoise specimen in
the Australian Museum
|
|
TURQUOISE
|
|
Turquoise is a stone used in ancient jewelry and artifacts, having been mined since at least 6000 BC by early Egyptians, and has been in fashion ever since. The name comes from a French word, "turquoise" which means Turkish, from which country Persian material passed on its way to Europe. Turquoise is a secondary mineral found often in the weathered zone of a copper deposit.
The finest turquoise comes from Iran, but beautiful specimens are also found in the southwestern US.
Because natural turquoise is often very porous and unstable, several processes have been developed to make the material saleable. In STABILIZATION, epoxy and plastics or water glass are impregnated under pressure into the unstable stone. In RECONSTITUTION, small fragments of turquoise material are powdered and then rebonded to form a larger solid stone.
|
|
|
Class: Phospates ♦ Chemistry: CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8•4(H2O) ♦
Crystal system: Triclinic Pinacoidal ♦ Moh's hardness: 5-6 ♦
Transparent to translucent ♦ Luster: Waxy ♦
Color: Blue, blue green, green, green gray, light blue ♦
Cleavage: Good, distinct, shiny cleavage surface ♦ Fracture: Conchoidal ♦ Localities: Nishapur Deposit, Iran; Arizona and New Mexico, USA;
Australia; Afghanistan and other localities in the Middle East.
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$51.00
JWL 610
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$42.00
JWL 611 |
|
|
Turquoise
endant,
$18.00
JWL 612
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$46.50
JWL 613
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$37.50
JWL 607
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$36.00
JWL 608
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$36.00
JWL 609
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$30.00
JWL 603
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$33.00
JWL 604
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$18.00
JWL 605
|
 |
Turquoise
Necklace
$37.95
JWL 1404
|
|
 |
Turquoise Flower
Necklace
$39.95
JWL 1409
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$24.00
JWL 606
|
|
|
Turquoise
Pendant,
$19.50
JWL 602
|
 |
Turquoise
Pendant
$69.00
JWL 1349
|
|
 |
Turquoise & Topaz
Pendant
$89.00
JWL 1366
|
 |
Turquoise Necklace
$62.50
JWL 1523
|
|
 |
Turquoise Eagle
$1200.00
CRV 1699
|
|
|
