Turquoise Blog — turquoise matrix

Whether you’re a collector or looking to buy your first piece of turquoise jewelry, knowing how to assess the value of it will give you confidence in your decision. In this blog, we will look at two major factors -- color and matrix -- that we use ourselves to determine the value of turquoise. Color Turquoise naturally occurs in colors ranging from dark blue to yellow-green. Blue hues of turquoise are caused by the presence of aluminum and copper and are commonly found in Arizona; green hues are caused by traces of zinc and iron and normally found in Nevada....

Blue Moon Spider Web Natural Turquoise (mined in Nevada)  Turquoise is a hydrous aluminum phosphate with a cupric base. So here’s what that means to those of us not pursuing a masters in Earth Science. Turquoise is found in rather arid parts of the world. Water, usually as runoff, comes down mountainsides and settles in the rocks below. The water evaporates, leaving its trace elements behind. If the proper amounts of copper salts and aluminum are present in the rocks, they can come together with the water elements to form turquoise. Turquoise gets its color from the heavy metals...