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Turquoise is a beautiful blue gemstone that has been known to man for at least four thousand years. Over the past few decades, turquoise has become the most popular and valuable opaque gemstone in the world of fashion and costume jewelry. Turquoise jewelry is particularly popular in the western United States, where this stone is used in fashion accessories for both men and women. We are of course, very familiar with the world famous sterling silver pendants and other jewelry with inlays of turquoise and other precious and semi-precious gemstones of the Southwest. In addition, cuff links and bolo ties with turquoise accents are equally popular for men. Very often, the owner of the piece of jewelry develops a personal bond with their jewelry and would like to enjoy the beauty of the piece for a long time, and even probably hand it down to future generations as a family heirloom. Fortunately, with proper care and maintenance, turquoise jewelry can last a long time. The geological story of turquoise commenced overly forty million years ago. Dissolved copper and aluminum salts from bedrock was conveyed and deposited in cavities within the bedrock. After the salts were deposited, they were infused by molten silica under conditions of high pressure and temperature. In rare cases, the infusion of silica was complete and the resulting turquoise was hard and durable. In most cases however, the silicification was partial (to varying degrees) and the resulting turquoise was relatively soft, porous and of low density. Most of the turquoise used in fashion jewelry is of the later type, and requires stabilization prior to being used in jewelry designs. Here are a few tips to care for turquoise jewelry: Turquoise is often combined with other materials - both metallic (eg. Silver setting) and non-metallic (pearls). When choosing a method to clean turquoise jewelry, make sure that the procedure and cleaning materials are compatible with all materials in the piece of jewelry. If not, you may have a clean stone but you may have destroyed the piece in the process! Even stabilized turquoise is somewhat porous and as such, can absorb grime and oil when worn directly against the skin. In order to remove these materials, use a soft cloth and warm water. Never use harsh chemicals to clean turquoise jewelry. Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners should not be used to clean turquoise jewelry. This is because turquoise can be soft and contain planes of weakness. The ultrasonic vibrations from the cleaner can cause the stone to split along these planes of weakness. Turquoise is sometimes damaged by common chemical agents that are used as household cleaners. So we recommend that you remove your jewelry before doing household chores. The same advice is also applicable when dealing with make and cosmetic sprays. First put on your makeup and any sprays you use before putting on your turquoise jewelry. At the end of the day, first remove turquoise jewelry and then proceed to remove makeup. Chemicals used to clean pools can also damage turquoise. Some residual chemicals continue to remain in the pool water when you swim. Therefore, we recommend that you not wear turquoise jewelry when going for a swim. In fact, this is good advice for any gemstone jewelry. Finally, please remember that no knowledge base can ever substitute for common sense. With sound common sense, and tips included in this article, you can continue to enjoy the beauty of your turquoise jewelry for years to come!
The author writes extensively on copper jewelry and fashion gemstones jewelry. He is a geologist and amateur gemologist in Arizona.
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