Turquoise Jewelry - The Mystery and Magic Behind it and Maintaining It

It has long been established that turquoise is revered as a sacred stone. The Mexican Indians and the Native Americans used it to decorate objects that are used for rituals. Today, turquoise jewelry is still considered a much cherished object amongst a lot of tribes. There is even a dedicated cottage industry that produces turquoise jewelry.

Turquoise adornments

Besides turquoise jewelry, the stone has been used for a variety of other purposes for thousands of year. Apart from its tremendous natural beauty, turquoise is also said to possess the powers to heal and this is perhaps one of the reasons that turquoise jewelry is so revered especially amongst those who possess it for more that it beauty value. While the Native Americans and the Mexican Indians used turquoise to adorn various sacred objects that they used and for things like jewelry and carvings, the use of this marvelous gem stones dates back to ancient Egypt where the stone was used to decorate the tombs of the dead. Because of its porous and soft nature the stone lends itself to drilling with relative ease and this also makes it easy to carve it into the shapes of fetish animals.

The healing powers

The healing powers of turquoise are well known. It is believed across many cultures that this stone has the power to heal and hence a lot of people make sure they have a piece of turquoise jewelry on them all the time. This is usually in the form of a pendant or a ring. Turquoise is said to reduce stress, help creative thinking and also help in the making of speeches. The stone is also said to have the power to detoxify the body of the person wearing it. It also strengthens relationships, friendships and gives the wearer a sense of self knowledge, wisdom and honesty.

Where does it come from?

We all love the stone and the jewelry that is made with it, but how many of us actually know where the turquoise in the turquoise jewelry came from? Turquoise mines are found in Egypt and North America. Apart and besides this there are also mines found in China. As you probably know, turquoise gets its color from the mineral present in it. The blue stone is the most sought after, and is used mainly in the production of turquoise jewelry. This blue stone is rich in copper. The green stones are rich in aluminum and the yellow stones are rich in zinc. The rarest of them all is the white turquoise; this has no minerals at all and is found in Nevada. This stones is known as White Buffalo turquoise.

Caring for turquoise jewelry

While it is a great feeling to own a piece of turquoise jewelry, equally great care needs to be taken to ensure that the jewelry stays in a pristine condition. Turquoise jewelry is delicate, more so because of the stone. Chemicals, steams cleaners etc can fatally damage the stone. Turquoise jewelry is best cleaned with a cotton swap that is dipped in a warm soapy solution. Once it piece has been cleaned satisfactorily, it needs to be wiped dry and preserved.