Silver Turquoise Jewelry – the Attractive Blue Precious Stone

Turquoise is a gorgeous gemstone that is wonderful in silver turquoise jewelry. Scientifically it is a mixture of aluminum and phosphates with traces of copper oxide, which gives it its blue color, and iron, zinc, calcium and manganese oxide. The green color of the gems comes from the aluminum or iron and yellow is from the zinc. Green is the most common color for turquoise gems, and in fact blue stones frequently turn green if exposed to sunlight for any length of time. Different combinations of these elements give turquoise its variety of colors, with the most highly valued being those with a deep blue color and yellow colored gemstones having the lowest value. The finest quality stones, Persian turquoise for instance, do not tend to fade and keep their beautiful blue color indefinitely.

Some stones have a major color with a spider web matrix on the surface of the gem consisting of lines of a different color. The cause of this is irregular dispersal of the various elements that are present in the stone and the marks can be brown, yellow or black in many different patterns. However unmarked stones are more valued than those with a spider web matrix although turquoise precious stones of intense blue color, even though they have a spider web matrix, are more sought after than yellow or green pure gemstones. Untreated gemstones of a pure color, that is those which are not marked with spider web matrix, are rarer and are extremely highly prized.

Treating Turquoise

Less than 10% of turquoise used in jewelry is the naturally occurring, best quality gemstone. Over 85% is treated from soft, rough turquoise to make it hard enough to be used. This procedure also increases resilience and boosts the gemstone's color. Turquoise that comes from some countries, for example China, is too soft and must be treated. Nevertheless the treatment produces good-looking gems, which, while less highly prized than unprocessed gems, nevertheless make wonderful jewelry. These procedures enhance the the stones color as well as making them tougher which gives them a longer life. A process that can be used  to enhance the color involves injecting an epoxy resin containing a dye into the stone. The color is more stable and won't change. Soft turquoise from China is toughened by injecting liquid plastic into the stone. A further technique is to inject epoxy resin alone in order harden the stone but will not change the color.

Imitation turquoise is also made from a base of liquid plastic with powdered turquoise. This sort of turquoise is naturally very cheap. These fake gems may perhaps be sold as natural turquoise and are often waxed or plastic coated.

Taking Care of Turquoise Gemstones

Turquoise is both soft and porous so must be looked after carefully. It should never be worn when it can become scratched and should be protected from any kind of blow always. On no account wear turquoise jewelry for gardening or to do the washing up! Put away turquoise jewelry in a softly lined box and don't store with other, harder stones which might scratch the gems. Turquoise stones can absorb liquids so do not let them come into contact with household chemicals, oils or hot water and even cosmetics and perfumes. These could be absorbed by the gemstone which may change color or become dull. Turquoise can be cleaned using very mild soapy water and then drying carefully with a soft cloth. Make certain it is dried completely before you store it away and never use an ultrasonic cleaner which may cause cracking of the gem.

Conclusion

Turquoise is an exquisite, eye-catching gemstone which is rare and highly prized. While there are some disadvantages in that it needs to be carefully looked after and a number of the blue stones can fade to green over time, it makes magnificent silver turquoise jewelry as the lovely blue color is perfectly complemented by the silver.