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Turquoise

Azure sky, robin’s egg blue: Vivid shades of turquoise define the color that’s named after this gem.

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Figure 1. Extremely rare Black Web Gem mine turquoise nuggets and cabochons from Nevada. These pieces are natural with no treatments except for the backings added to the cabochons. The center oval is approximately 16 × 12 mm. Photo by Richard Shull; courtesy of Out of Our Mines.

Out of Our Mines

Jennifer Stone-Sundberg, May 3, 2024

An impressive variety of American stones, including turquoise and variscite, was offered by Out of Our Mines at the AGTA show.

Figure 1. “Cleopatra” sterling silver necklace designed by Frank Patania Sr., featuring 99 Morenci turquoise stones. Photo by Robert Weldon; courtesy of Patania Jewelry.

Patania Jewelry

Jennifer Stone-Sundberg, May 3, 2024

A look at the diverse jewelry designs from four generations of the Patania family.

Figure 7. Turquoise collected from the Tianhu East mines. Greenish blue (3.11 g) turquoise sample investigated in this research. The matrix consists of quartzite with limonization. Photo by Ling Liu and Qiaoqiao Li.

Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Turquoise from Tianhu East, Xinjiang, China

Ling Liu, Mingxing Yang, Qiaoqiao Li, Yi Tang, Huilin Wen, Ye Yuan, Yan Li, and Jia Liu, May 3, 2024

Examines turquoise from northern China and identifies a geographic origin indicator to distinguish it from other Chinese sources.

Figure 1. From left: Jacob Lowry, Sean Hyrons, Matthew Wernz, and Kenneth Van Wey engage in a panel discussion titled “Laws: Liabilities and Protections.” Photo courtesy of the Turquoise Museum.

Turquoise United Conference 2023

Alex Goodsuhm and Aaron Palke, November 3, 2023

A recap of the second annual Turquoise United Conference.

An 84.90 ct sphere of Armenian turquoise measuring 23.70 × 23.88 × 23.91 mm displays a striking resemblance to planet Earth. Left: Diffuse fiber-optic lighting allows the face of the stone to be seen in full. Right: Pinpoint fiber-optic lighting creates an appearance of day and night cast onto Earth. Gifted to GIA’s colored stone reference collection by Gemfab CJSC. Photos by Britni LeCroy.

Turquoise Planet Earth

Britni LeCroy, November 3, 2023

A sphere of Armenian turquoise with natural brown matrix material mimics planet Earth.

Figure 1. The appearance of natural high-quality turquoise and porcelain-treated turquoise. Left: Natural high-quality turquoise with various colors (the rightmost bead has a diameter of 10.0 mm). Right: Porcelain-treated turquoise with appearance and colors similar to those of natural high-quality turquoise (the smallest bead measures 6.0 × 5.0 mm). Photos by Liying Huang.

Composition and Spectral Characteristics of Porcelain-Treated Turquoise

Liying Huang, Quanli Chen, Yan Li, Zuowei Yin, Fengshun Xu, Xinxin Gao, and Yang Du, January 25, 2023

Characterizes turquoise treated with an inorganic additive that dramatically improves the luster and color of low- and medium-quality material.

Figure 1. A look inside Adamas Jewelers in San Dimas, California, operated by Chi Huynh and his brother Kiet. The store carries Galatea’s jewelry and is decorated with Huynh’s wood carvings and paintings, including the boat-style showcases inspired by the family’s journey from Vietnam. Photo by Tao Hsu.

Never Stop Innovating: Gem Artist Chi Huynh

Tao Hsu, Artitaya Homkrajae, and Kevin Schumacher, January 25, 2023

Profiles a groundbreaking gem artist on a quest to bring new concepts, techniques, and products to the industry.

Turquoise Museum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Inaugural Turquoise United Conference

Tao Hsu and Aaron Palke, November 11, 2022

A report on the first-ever Turquoise United conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The “Miner’s Fantasy Mine” gem pocket replica highlights various gems and minerals mined in San Diego County.

Hidden Gems at the San Diego Natural History Museum

Erica Zaidman, November 11, 2022

Each level of the vertical Hidden Gems exhibit offers a different theme at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Rough turquoise produced in Hubei Province, China.

Gemological Characteristics of Low-Temperature “Gel-Filled” Turquoise

Quanli Chen, Andi Zhao, Yan Li, Yanhan Wu, and Tianchang Liu, November 11, 2022

A report on the examination of “gel-filled” turquoise produced in Zhushan County in Hubai Province, China.

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Diamonds are among nature’s most precious and beautiful creations.

Emerald

Emerald is the bluish green to green variety of beryl, a mineral species that includes aquamarine.

Citrine

Citrine is the transparent, pale yellow to brownish orange variety of quartz.

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Turquoise

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Peridot

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Turquoise

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Peridot

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