Turquoise

Q: What is Turquoise?

绿松石是一种含水铜铝磷酸盐矿物，以其独特的蓝绿色为宝石界所珍视，是人类最古老的宝石之一，至少有5000年的使用历史，在古埃及、波斯、中国和美洲原住民文化中均占有重要地位。最优质的绿松石产自伊朗（波斯绿松石）和美国西南部，以无褐色基质的均匀纯蓝色最为珍贵，摩氏硬度5-6，常用于珠宝和雕刻装饰。

Q: What is the hardness of Turquoise?

Turquoise has a Mohs hardness of 5.0 to 6.0, making it moderate for use in jewelry.

Q: How much does Turquoise cost?

Turquoise falls into the Budget (< $50/ct) price range. Prices vary based on color, clarity, cut, and origin.

Q: Is Turquoise a birthstone?

Yes, Turquoise is the December birthstone (alternative).

Add one script tag to your page:

<div data-gemfyi="entity" data-slug="turquoise"></div>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/gemfyi-embed@1/dist/embed.min.js" defer></script>

Embed as an iframe:

<iframe src="https://gemfyi.com/iframe/entity/turquoise/?style=modern&theme=light" width="420" height="400" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" style="border:0;border-radius:10px;max-width:100%"></iframe>

Paste the URL in WordPress, Medium, or Ghost:

https://gemfyi.com/zh-hans/gems/turquoise/

Shields.io-compatible SVG badge:

![Turquoise](https://gemfyi.com/badge/entity/turquoise.svg)

Web Component:

<gemfyi-entity slug="turquoise"></gemfyi-entity>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/gemfyi-embed@1/dist/embed.min.js" defer></script>

Among the oldest known gemstones, turquoise has been worked for some 6,000 years in ancient Egypt, Persia, and the Americas. It is a hydrated copper aluminum phosphate valued for its iconic sky-blue to blue-green color and waxy luster. The finest Persian material, from the Nishapur mines of Iran, shows an intense robin's-egg blue free of matrix or veining, while turquoise from the American Southwest is treasured for its blue-green tones and natural matrix patterns. A relatively soft stone at Mohs 5 to 6, turquoise is porous and is often stabilized to improve durability; it is most often cut as cabochons and beads. It remains a birthstone for December and one of the most culturally significant gems.

Physical & Optical Properties

Category Semi-Precious Gems

Mohs Hardness 5.0 – 6.0

Specific Gravity 2.3 – 2.9

Refractive Index 1.61 – 1.65

Crystal System Triclinic

Luster Waxy,Dull (Earthy)

Cleavage None

Color blue

Birefringence 0.04

Pleochroism Absent

Mohs Hardness

Mohs hardness of Turquoise shown against the ten reference minerals, from talc (1) to diamond (10).

Mohs	Reference mineral	Turquoise
1	Talc
2	Gypsum
3	Calcite
4	Fluorite
5	Apatite	●
6	Orthoclase	●
7	Quartz
8	Topaz
9	Corundum
10	Diamond

Crystal System

Value & Market

Price Tier Budget (< $50/ct)

Where to Buy Turquoise

Blue Nile Fine jewelry retailer

James Allen Gemstone jewelry

Brilliant Earth Ethically sourced gems

Amazon Wide selection

Links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Cultural Significance

Birthstone Month 12 (alternative)

Treatments

Commonly impregnated with wax to enchance color or plastic to increase durability: SG on low side, hot pont test, scratch test. May be dyed: color concentration along fractures. Acetone may reveal the dye if not coated. Zachery treatment tests limited. Porosity reduced: doesn't absorb liquids unlike most untreated natural stones, doesn't "discolor" in water. High quality polish. Even (strong) coloration, color concentration diffused along fractures - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p 5 Synthetic magnification: granular structure - "fish-eggs", "cream-of-wheat". May show black "spiderweb matrix" (rounded pattern). Strong transmitted light: usually translucent - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p 5 5 to 6Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references 2.30 to 2.90Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references NoneWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references ConchoidalArthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009) 1.610 to 1.650Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references Biaxial/+Ulrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references 0.040Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references AbsentWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) NoneWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) Light blue, bluish-green, green, greenish-blueUlrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) Commonly with brownish or black veinsMore from other references No reactionHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) Blue, Cu2+ in octahedral coordinationW. William Hanneman, Pragmatic Spectroscopy For Gemologists (2011) Translucent,OpaqueHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) Strong transmitted light: appears opaque to semi-translucentMore from other references Waxy,Dull (Earthy)Arthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009) Weak; green-yellow, light blueWalter Schumann, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references Inert to moderate whitish blueHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) TriclinicHerve Nicolas Lazzarelli, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references Fine-grained, massive aggregate, partly as nodules or botryoidal groupsUlrich Henn and Claudio C. Milisenda, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references May contain inclusions of pyrite, calcite, etc - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p 5 Turquoise information at mindat.org China  Liu (1999) Kenya  Mexico  Sinkankas (1997) USA  Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Nevada, Lithographie, 2013, p. 53 Nevada, Lithographie LTD, 2013 Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997) Sinkankas (1997)