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Turquoise
This delicate powder blue stone is the birthstone of those born in December, symbolising the virtues of Love, Happiness, and Luck.
The name Turquoise is derived from its original origin in the Ancient world. For thousands of years Turquoise originated from deposits in Persia (Iran) and reached Europe after being traded across the land bridge of Turkey, the trading "landbridge" between Asia and Europe. For centuries it was known as "Turkey Stone", but in the 19th century, the fashion for romanticising words by adding French endings transformed "Turkey Stone" to the more exotically sounding "Turquoise".
A soft and difficult stone to mine, the lower qualities are often heavily veined with parts of the host rock, and called Matrix Turquoise, the finest quality being free from inclusions. Turquoise has numerous simulants, including glass, dyed calcite, and much of the commercial material has been ground down constituted with resins, giving a duller appearance.
Cellini ships the finest quality soft powder blue turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Arizona.