The Birthstone Turquoise

The birthstone turquoise is the stone for the month of December and a popular stone used in jewelry making. Birthstone jewelry has been worn for centuries and while December has also been associate with the birtstones lapis lazuli, blue topaz and zircon, The American National Association of Jewelers formulated a standard list of birthstones in 1912 and named Turquoise as the birthstone for December.

Closely associated with Native American jewelry, the brithstone turquoise was used in ancient Perisa and Egypt over 6000 years ago. This popular stone has been found set in jewelry in ancient Egyptian tombs as well used in ancient carvings. Native Americans have used it for trade beads, jewelry and carved fetishes for centuries and, in fact, jewelry made in the 1940’s and 50’s for the tourist trade using sterling silver and turquoise is highly sought after by collectors today. Although it is a porous stone, most turquoise used in modern jewelry is stabilized so that it will wear longer. Turquoise looks great set in silver or gold and can be combined with any number of gemstones to create astonishing handcrafted jewelry designs.

Wearing the birthstone turquoise can help improve your mood and keep you calm as well as bring out your inner creativity. It is said to heighten empathy, improve honesty and bring wisdom. If you have trouble speaking in public, wearing or carrying turquoise can help! This stone is said to help one realize ones inner self as well as strengthen the bonds of friendship. As a healing stone, it is used to remove toxins and pollutants from the body. It is reputed to help with asthma and infections as well as aid the respiratory, digestive and skeletal systems.

Turquoise is mined in China, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, and Persia. In North America, it is found in Arizona and New Mexico. The stone can be rather porous and chalky and is usually treated before it is suitable for use in jewelry. A common treatment is to “stabilize” with a resinous substance. Since only about 3% of the stones mined are hard enough to be used in jewelry in their natural form, most turquoise is stabilized and this is a quite common and accepted practice. Without this process, the stones would chip too easily and the stabilization also helps keep the stone from changing color due to the contact with the oils on your skin. When you buy the birthstone turquoise you do need to be careful to make sure you know what you are getting as some of the lower quality stones are dyed to make them more desirable and other stones such as “howlite” can be dyed and passed off as turquoise by unscrupulous jewelers. Some jewelry is also made with “reconstituted turquoise” which is ground up powder made from inferior stones – the powder is molded together with epoxy resin and pressed into forms shaped like stones. It looks quite nice but does not have the value of a real whole stone.

Turquoise is a porous stone and should be cleaned very carefully. Many people feel that there is an extra value in older turquoise that has had a chance to develop a patina and too much cleaning can ruin that look. The best method is to simply wipe it with a cotton cloth but there are times that you may need to do a bit of a deeper cleaning and our advice is to use warm soapy water. If the turquoise is mounted in a piece of jewelry you should not submerge it in liquid as the liquid can seep into the crevices of the jewelry and cause deterioration years down the road. One safe method for cleaning turquoise is to dip a Q-tip in warm soapy water and swab the jewelry with that – swab again with plain water to remove any soap residue. Never clean your turquoise in ultrasonic or steam cleaners or use any type of chemical on this stone.

Other Interesting Articles:

Buying A Turquoise Pendant Necklace?
Wearing unique handmade jewelry can help you make a statement and express how unique you really are. Find out more about the history, processing and healing properties of turquoise.

The New Popularity Of The Turquoise Color
This color is a must have for spring and summer clothing, jewelry and accessories. As a color for jewelry, the turquoise stone is an outstanding gem and can be combined with other stones or used alone.

Raw Turquoise Stones
Raw turquoise stones can be quite a bit different than the stones that you see in jewelry. In their natural form, these stones can be porous and chalky. Depending on the quality of the stone, they may need to be treated in order to be used in jewelry.

Native American Turquoise Jewelry
Native American turquoise jewelry of all ages is highly collectible and very wearable. Although the vintage and antique pieces are highly valued and sought after, the newly made Native American turquoise pieces are just as prized and many are just as valuable.

The Turquoise Gem Stone
Find out the history, processing and healing powers of this sought after stone. Feat your eyes on turquoise jewelry!

Native American Indian Turquoise and Silver Jewelry
Read about some of the most highly sought after cultural jewelry made today.

Loose Turquoise Stones
Loose turquoise stones in their natural form, can be quite a bit different than the stones that end up in jewelry as they can be porous and chalky. In order to keep them from breaking and chipping, they are typically treated before they are used in jewelry.

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Beads
Named for the mine it comes from, these beads and stones are well sought after for jewelry making and a favorite of the Zuni Pueblo silver makers who incorporate it into their traditional inlay jewelry.

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine
The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine located in Arizona is one of the largest turquoise mines in North American and produces a stunning sky blue turquoise that has no matrix and is referred to as “Sleeping Beauty Turquoise”.