Turquoise is a complex of hydrated phosphates of copper and aluminum. The blue color of the stone, which is a result of its copper content has attracted the attention of jewelry lovers through the ages. Turquoise jewelry such as pendants, necklaces, and earrings have been fan favorites for centuries now. Since copper is a key ingredient in the formation of turquoise, it is expected that turquoise is generally found near large copper deposits around the world. Furthermore, in most cases, this blue gemstone occurs in areas of low rainfall and high evaporation. This article explores the current and historical production of the turquoise in the world.
Turquoise was first extracted from the ground nearly six thousand years ago. Ancient Egyptians first mined this beautiful gem in the Sinai Peninsula. Archaeological discoveries suggest that this civilization had great regard for this stone, and only members with high standing in Egyptian society were allowed to own it. Most of the historical sources of turquoise in Egypt have been depleted. Although the country produces some turquoise, it is not considered to be a significant player on the world production scene.
The next major discovery of turquoise did not happen until several centuries later when the Persians found this stone on their land. The quality of the Persian turquoise was much better than the Egyptian varieties. In addition, the Persians did not place restrictions on who could and who could not own turquoise. With this restriction removed, turquoise gained immense popularity amongst the masses. There are many commercial turquoise mines in Iran today. Iran is known for the high quality turquoise produced by its mines. The turquoise in Iran is found in association with trachyte formations. This is a bit unusual because as stated above, most turquoise deposits in the world are found in conjunction with large copper deposits.
North America has been a relative newcomer to the world of turquoise production. Native American tribes first found turquoise at the Cerrillos site near Santa Fe, NM. Mining here started about a thousand years ago when natives used crude implements such as antlers dig and find turquoise nuggets. For several centuries, up until the mid 1920s or so, New Mexico was the largest producer of turquoise in the US. Those sources have dried up however, and today Nevada and Arizona produce more turquoise than New Mexico. The mines in Arizona in particular, are known to produce spectacular specimens of turquoise, ones that rival the best from Iran in terms of quality and visual appearance.
It would be incomplete to end this discussion without a mention of the process of stabilization. Most natural turquoise is too soft and light to be used for jewelry. It must be infused with resin or vaporized silica to improve its quality. This process is relatively inexpensive, and allows jewelers to use even specimens of moderately low quality in jewelry. This has increased the popularity of turquoise tremendously. Without this process, it would not be cost feasible to have that lovely turquoise pendant on your pearl necklace , or the beautiful turquoise inlay in your money clip.
Dale is a geo-professional in the Southwestern United States, and an avid and amateur gemmologist and a jewelry buff. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/jewelry-articles/turquoise-mines-around-the-world-913238.html
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