Turquoise (also known as turquoise stone, Turkic jade, Turkish stone, or Turkish jade) is a hydrated copper aluminum phosphate mineral belonging to the phosphate mineral group. Turkey does not produce turquoise; the name originates from the legend that ancient Persian turquoise was transported to Europe via Turkey.
Turquoise reserves are vast, found not only in China but also in Egypt, Iran, the United States, Russia, Chile, Australia, Peru, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Kashmir, and other regions with abundant deposits. The Classic of Stones explains: “(Turquoise) resembles a pinecone in shape and is pine-green in color, hence its name.”
Prior to the Qing Dynasty in China, turquoise was also known as “dianzi.” With its delicate hues and vibrant beauty, turquoise has been a cherished traditional gemstone throughout history, beloved by people across cultures for over 5,000 years of adornment and use. In Western countries like the United States, turquoise is revered as a sacred talisman against demons and evil spirits, symbolizing good fortune and happiness.
Turquoise is also the birthstone for December. As a premium gemstone, it was revered in Qing Dynasty China as the “Heavenly Gem,” regarded as a sacred talisman of good fortune and happiness. Ancient Chinese referred to it as “Bi Dianzi” or “Qing Lang Gang,” while Europeans called it “Turkish Jade” or “Turkic Jade.”
Turquoise is universally recognized as the birthstone for December, symbolizing victory and success, earning it the reputation as the “stone of success.” Its color varies depending on its mineral composition: copper-rich oxides yield blue hues, while iron-rich ones produce green tones. Common shades include sky blue, pale blue, greenish-blue, green, and a pale grayish-green tinged with green. The finest quality turquoise exhibits uniform color, a soft luster, and is free of brown iron streaks.
Color is a crucial factor influencing turquoise quality. Turquoise artifacts, prized for their beautiful hues, have been cherished throughout history and across cultures, particularly by Muslims and the people of the American West. In China, some regions have explicitly banned mining to protect mineral resources.
Therefore, merchants import turquoise from abroad, process it into high-blue and high-ceramic turquoise specimens inland, and then sell the resulting jewelry and crafts to various regions. Besides the Kashmir region, Lhasa is the world’s largest turquoise trading market.
Turquoise possesses a fine, soft texture with moderate hardness and a vibrant, alluring color. However, significant variations exist in hue, hardness, and quality. It is typically classified into four varieties: porcelain turquoise, green turquoise, bubbly turquoise, and iron-veined turquoise. Turquoise is a phosphate mineral aggregate of copper and aluminum, most notably characterized by its opaque azure blue.
It also appears in pale blue, blue-green, green, light green, yellow-green, gray-green, and pale grayish-white hues. Its typical hardness ranges from 5 to 6, with a density of 2.6 to 2.9 and a refractive index around 1.62. Under long-wave ultraviolet light, it emits a pale green to blue fluorescence. As one of the ancient gemstones, turquoise boasts a splendid history spanning thousands of years and has been cherished by people across cultures throughout history.
As early as 5500 BC, ancient Egyptians were mining turquoise on the Sinai Peninsula. During the First Dynasty, Egyptian kings dispatched labor forces of two to three thousand people, organized with precision and escorted by military guards, to search for and extract turquoise. Archaeologists excavating ancient Egyptian tombs discovered that Egyptian kings wore turquoise beads as early as 5500 BC.
In 1927, Mr. Zhang Hongzhao, a veteran figure in China’s geological community, explained in his renowned work Stone Elegance: “This (referring to turquoise) resembles pine cones in shape and bears a pine-green hue, hence its name.” This describes how turquoise, often found naturally in nodular or spherical formations with a color akin to pine green, earned the name “green pine stone.” This description is remarkably vivid, and it can also be simply called “pine stone.”
According to expert research and inference, the famous He Shi Bi jade from Chinese history was made of turquoise. Mythology tells that when Nüwa repaired the sky over the land of Zhushang County in Shangyong, a legend was passed down: The Fire God Zhu Rong and the Water God Gonggong had always been at odds.
During one battle, the defeated Gonggong, driven by pride, charged headlong into Mount Buzhou, shattering the pillar of the Northern Heavenly Gate. Torrential rain poured incessantly from the gaping hole in the sky. Compounding this, volcanic eruptions erupted across the land, and cooled magma silted up riverbeds, forming the “Blocked River.”
To rescue the people from this dual calamity, the goddess Nüwa gathered reeds to fuel a blazing hill known as “Fire-Burned Slope.” She distilled the essence of Danyang to refine multicolored stones, using them to patch the celestial breach and seal the earthly fissures, restoring vitality to all creation.
Later, the legend of “Gonggong Striking the Mountain” became the origin of the place name “Zhushan” (where the dialect pronunciation of ‘strike’ is homophonic with “bamboo”). This silted-up river in the Qinba Mountains was named the Bug River, while the multicolored stones Nuwa used to mend the sky, after being refined, formed turquoise.
Nüwa is deeply intertwined with Zhushan culture: the county’s fragile geological landscape features the Qingfeng and Yangribay major fault zones running across its territory. Legend recounts frequent volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and floods that blocked rivers, making survival difficult for early inhabitants. In over ten forms of folk culture—including shadow puppetry, folk songs, paper-cutting, and oral traditions—
The presence of Nüwa is evident throughout these traditions. Over 30 place names are associated with her activities. The five-colored stones (yellow, white, red, black, green) used in the “Nüwa Mending the Sky” legend correspond to the county’s abundant mineral deposits: gold (copper), silver, iron, lignite, and turquoise. Moreover, over ten classical texts—including Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of the Five Emperors, Records of the Strange, and Kangxi Dictionary—attest that Zhushan is the sacred site where Nüwa refined stones to mend the heavens…
Turquoise is universally recognized as the birthstone for December, symbolizing victory and success. It is celebrated as the “Stone of Success” and the “Stone of Good Fortune.” It is said that wearing turquoise attracts wealth, wards off evil, and ensures safety. It enhances financial fortune and courage, promotes inner peace, fosters connections, and helps maintain an open and honest personality while facilitating the expression of love.
China ranks among the world’s primary producers of turquoise. Deposits are found in Zhushang County and Yun County (Hubei), Ma’anshan (Anhui), Baihe (Shaanxi), Xichuan (Henan), Hami (Xinjiang), and Wulan (Qinghai). Among these, the premium turquoise from Yun County, Yunxi, and Zhushang in Hubei is globally renowned.
Turquoise from Yungai Mountain, named after the summit’s Yungai Temple, is the source of raw stone for world-renowned Chinese turquoise carvings. It enjoys a prestigious reputation within the industry and among collectors, selling well both domestically and internationally. Additionally, turquoise deposits have been discovered in Jiangsu, Yunnan, and other regions.
Iran, a renowned foreign source of turquoise, produces the finest porcelain turquoise and iron-veined turquoise, known as Persian turquoise. Additionally, Egypt, the United States, Mexico, Afghanistan, India, and the former Soviet Union all yield turquoise.
The uses of turquoise: High-quality turquoise is primarily used to craft cabochon-cut rings, pendants, earrings, and similar pieces. Medium-grade stones are used for various necklaces, bracelets, and clothing accessories. Larger pieces are carved into decorative artworks, often depicting themes of goodness and beauty—such as Buddhist statues, immortals, cranes, fairies, landscapes with pavilions, flowers, birds, insects, fish, figures, and animals. The sculpture “Li Shizhen Gathering Medicinal Herbs” in the Hubei Hall of the Great Hall of the People is crafted from turquoise.
Turquoise is also commonly inlaid into gold, silver, and copper artifacts, where its hues harmonize beautifully with the metals, creating pieces rich in ethnic character. Tibetan and Mongolian communities particularly cherish inlaid turquoise artifacts like ceremonial daggers and pendants. Additionally, crushed turquoise serves as pigment, and Tibetan medicine utilizes it as a medicinal ingredient.
In ancient times, it was associated with religion. Tibet holds turquoise in special reverence, and in Mongolian and Tibetan regions, it is traditionally inlaid on ceremonial swords, hats, and garments. To this day, it remains a sacred ornament used in religious rituals. Most ancient civilizations, such as Egypt, Persia, and the Aztec Empire (ancient Mexican Indian civilization), held turquoise in high esteem.
The Properties and Benefits of Turquoise: Turquoise is internationally recognized as the birthstone for December, symbolizing victory and success, earning it the reputation as the “Stone of Success.” It represents warmth and vitality, signifying auspiciousness, eternity, and triumph. Wearing turquoise jewelry fills your life with love, wards off misfortune, and brings good luck.
Turquoise artifacts have become significant collectibles. As a secondary mineral, it forms when copper, aluminum, and phosphorus-rich groundwater leaches through ancient granite, precipitating into nodules within near-surface veins and becoming embedded within the host rock matrix. Turquoise ranks among the earliest minerals used for ornamentation.
Egyptians carved turquoise into the god of love to guard their gem shops; Native Americans regarded turquoise as the spirit of the sea and sky, bringing auspiciousness and good fortune to travelers. It is celebrated as the stone of success and luck, a symbol of divine power.
Turquoise stands among the most ancient gemstones, boasting a splendid history spanning millennia and cherished by people across cultures throughout history. As far back as ancient Egypt, ancient Mexico, and ancient Persia, turquoise was regarded as a mystical, evil-warding object, used as amulets and burial offerings.
Among China’s Tibetan people, turquoise is regarded as the embodiment of deities, a symbol of power and status, and the most popular sacred ornament. It adorned the crown of the first Tibetan king and served as an offering on sacred altars.
Turquoise possesses the power to protect homes and ward off evil spirits. Placing turquoise ornaments indoors or hanging a few stones can safeguard your dwelling, ensuring harmony and peace throughout your household. It also safeguards wealth, attracts prosperity, and enhances the household’s fortune.
Additionally, turquoise can be worn as an amulet or talisman for protection, turning misfortune into good luck, warding off negative energies, and ensuring smooth progress in all endeavors, good health, and a joyful spirit.
Turquoise harmonizes one’s emotions and mental state. Turquoise instills courage and confidence, fosters kindness toward others, promotes harmonious relationships, and cultivates a calm and stable mindset. This maintains a healthy, cheerful disposition, keeping one perpetually filled with positive energy.
Like other jades, turquoise contains numerous trace elements beneficial to human health. As the saying goes, “Jade nurtures the body.” Long-term wearing of turquoise strengthens the body and promotes health, offering excellent wellness benefits.
Turquoise also offers therapeutic benefits for epilepsy and mental disorders. It promotes cellular regeneration and enhances the body’s immune system. Turquoise can treat a range of ailments including ulcers, heart pain, and liver diseases. When used medicinally, it dispels wind-cold, dissolves blood stasis, clears heat and toxins, reduces inflammation, stops bleeding, and lowers blood pressure.
Turquoise can treat eye ailments and shield against radiation. For office workers constantly facing computer screens, wearing a turquoise accessory is undoubtedly an excellent choice.
Caring for Turquoise: As a hydrated gemstone, turquoise thrives in moisture but fears high temperatures, making water an integral part of its daily care. When worn frequently or handled often, maintaining turquoise is relatively straightforward.
As turquoise comes into contact with skin during wear or handling, it gradually absorbs natural oils secreted by the body. These oils form a thin protective layer on the surface, preventing rapid moisture loss.
Simultaneously, oils and sweat gradually penetrate the stone’s interior, causing its color to transform—a truly beautiful process. Of course, raw turquoise may go through an awkward phase during this patination process—where it starts changing color but isn’t fully transformed yet. This is known as “patina mottling.”
Persistent handling will eventually smooth out these mottled areas. For those who prefer turquoise to retain its original hue, simply clean the surface regularly. Rinse with plain water—never use chemical cleaners.
For turquoise worn or actively handled, special care isn’t needed. However, pieces stored away without wear or handling require more attention. Here’s how to care for turquoise after purchase when it’s displayed but not worn or handled.
This requires routine care. Turquoise is a hydrated gemstone; dehydration is detrimental to its preservation. Therefore, it should be periodically rehydrated to maintain its beauty. Approximately every two weeks, soak the turquoise in purified water for about a day.
Afterward, store it in a sealed bag in a cool, shaded location. For larger quantities, consider keeping the stones submerged in water within the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. This replicates the underground environment where turquoise forms naturally, providing optimal storage and preservation conditions.