Getting to Know Turquoise
Joe and Angie Reano Mosaic Fan Necklace
In Native American jewelry, the artistry of the jewelry is primary, with turquoise being secondary. If you travel anywhere else in the world, turquoise is primary and the artistry is secondary. The skill and craftsmanship that has been developed by Native American artists over the generations is exceptional, and in the Southwest, we get to feel and touch our history with this stone and the people who represent it.
Turquoise is formed when water enters an iron-rich limonite or sandstone that contains copper, aluminum and other minerals. It takes millions of years and the right conditions for turquoise to be formed from this combination. The gemstone’s blue color can be attributed to the presence of copper, while the presence of aluminum adds a greenish hue to the gem.
To learn more about this fascinating stone, we highly recommend Joe Dan Lowry’s book and our discussion with the author.
Explore the many ways in which Native American jewelers have incorporated turquoise into their creations by visiting our turquoise collection. We thank you for trusting Indian Pueblo Store as your connection to authentic Pueblo art and artists.
10 comments
Grazie per questo bel articolo. Io ho un bel anello d’argento con pietra turchese, ma in Italia è difficile trovare manufatti in vero turchese e poi è molto costoso.
Am indigenous-descendant; always feel so good wearing turquoise. Thanks for the history
Thanks for the info
You all do beautiful work and should be encouraged. If I win the Powerball lottery I’ll be back!
Very interesting reading. I happened to learn the presence of copper gives the blue color and the presence of aluminum gives the greenish color. Now, I understand a bit more about the variance of colors.