Turquoise Bracelet

Southwestern jewelry lovers reach for our turquoise and sterling silver bracelet time and again.

Price: $32.00

The keys to the beauty of this bracelet are its simple lines and fabulous color combination. Nothing sets off gorgeous turquoise like shining, sterling silver. Watch eyes light up when you present this charming bracelet to someone special. Handmade in the USA by Two Cat Studio.

What is Turquoise?
Turquoise is a semi-precious mineral that is a phosphate of copper and aluminum. It is most commonly found in arid regions of the world, filling in the crevices of volcanic rocks. It seldom forms actual crystals, as one sees with quartz. Rather, it is found in veins, pebbles, and nuggets.

Color is one of the fascinating attributes of turquoise. This gem stone may be a vibrant turquoise blue, sky blue, and even a yellowish-green in hue. It may be streaked or peppered, depending upon the other minerals present where the turquoise is mined. It is an opaque gem that takes on a radiant luster when polished. The value of turquoise is generally determined by the richness of the color. In the west, robin's egg blue nuggets of turquoise are deemed more valuable, but in the east, the more yellowish forms are more highly prized.

Historical Use of Turquoise
When you own a piece of turquoise jewelry, you are walking in the footsteps of centuries of ancient nobility. Beloved for its unique blue tone, turquoise embellished the raiment of the rulers of ancient Egypt, China, Persia, and Mesoamerica. The famous mask of King Tutankhamen is inlaid with turquoise, carnelian, and lapis lazuli. Aztec masks, shields, and ceremonial objects feature stunning use of turquoise inlaid in gold along with other stones, coral, and shells. Marco Polo remarked on the turquoise he found on his famous journey throughout the East.

In America, we are likely to associate turquoise with Native American peoples, and rightly so. Southwestern indigenous peoples were mining the rich deposits of turquoise found in New Mexico and Arizona long before Columbus arrived in the New World. The work of these skilled jewelers became highly popular with non-native Americans in the early 1900's, and continues to be celebrated today for its simple beauty. The traditional Southwestern-style of jewelry combines variously shaped cabochons and beads of turquoise with sterling silver as shown in the handcrafted turquoise bracelet above.

Turquoise Today
Arizona, Colorado, and California remain some of the world's richest turquoise sources today. One of the oldest known turquoise mines is located in New Mexico. Early native peoples mined the gems and shaped them with stone tools. Until the 1920's, this mine was one of the largest sources for turquoise in the U.S., but the state of New Mexico is now considered to be fairly depleted of this celebrated gem stone.

In addition to being a favorite choice of jewelers for traditional and contemporary jewelry, turquoise lovers revel in the beautiful mosaic art pieces that are created with this gem stone.

Turquoise Legends and Quick Facts

• Ancient civilizations considered turquoise to have protective properties against evil forces.
• Apache and Navajo peoples considered turquoise to be a powerful stone and they wore turquoise amulets for this reason.
• Apart from in the U.S., turquoise is currently mined in Iran and China.
• Much of today's turquoise is discovered as a by-product of copper mining.
• Turquoise is the birthstone for December.
• Though it's been worn for thousands of years, turquoise never goes out of style.

The Care of Your Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise has a hardness of 6, making it easy for jewelers to carve and shape it into the traditional cabochons and beads. However, if you love your turquoise jewelry, Two Cat Studio advises you to wear it with special care because of its malleability. Perfumes can actually erode the natural finish of turquoise jewelry and you should clean your turquoise pieces from time to time with a soft cloth to remove any cosmetic residue which may have built up over time on the gem stones. Never store turquoise in an air-tight container, and avoid storing it in direct sunlight, which can cause it to fade. A cloth pouch makes an ideal storage device for turquoise jewelry; it allows the stones to breathe and protects them from being scratched by harder gems in your jewelry collection.

A Jeweler's Reflection on Turquoise
True fans of gem stone jewelry tend to make emotional connections and associations with different stones. For many, turquoise is reminiscent of the romance and refuge of a desert oasis. Its absorbing blue color refreshes our senses and quenches our thirst for a truly dynamic stone we can hold in our hands and adorn ourselves with. When you look at turquoise gem stone jewelry, try to see the blue sky and the few precious desert pools that are hallmarks of the wonderful Southwestern United States.

Two Cat Studio invites you to experience the powerful appeal of this gem stone with our handcrafted sterling silver and turquoise bracelet.