Natural Gem Grade Persian 28.3cts Turquoise Cabochon (#03)
$339.00
Natural Turquoise Cabochons
1 1/8" x 3/4"
This cabochon of Armenian "Persian" turquoise came to us through John Huntress and Bruce Eckhardt. It came to them through an Armenian citizen looking to pedal turquoise in New Mexico. Glad they took the bait. This is a fabulous stone of some of the hardest and well-formed material we have seen. It surely came from an outstanding cache of turquoise.
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Persian Turquoise
In the Southwest, we tend to take turquoise for granted; yet it has been labeled the “Gemstone of the Centuries”. Over 7,500 years ago, slave convoys were sent into the Sinai Peninsula to pluck pieces of the blue gem from the rocks where it had formed. In ancient Egypt, turquoise was believed to have mystical powers and appeared in amulets and talisman representing their gods Amum and Isis. A gold and carved turquoise bracelet was found on the mummified arm of Queen Zer, a ruler during the first dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs. The four bracelets found in her burial are the earliest known examples of precious metal jewelry.
The Middle East emerged as the great purveyor of turquoise, supplying the ancient Egyptians, Nubians, Greeks and Romans. It is believed the name was derived from the French word, Turquie, a reference to the Turkish traders first bringing the rich blue stones to the European continent. It was assumed that the brilliant blue and green stones originated in Turkey when, in fact, they were most likely extracted from mines in the Sinai Peninsula and the Alimersai Mountain in Persia (Iran).
Related legends:
Precious Stones
Turquoise; Precious stones have symbolic implications. For example, turquoise if a "collective term for all the precious stones, wealth, or mixed offerings. Good fortune is attributed to this stone." Both white shell and turquoise are emphasized in Kinaalda? More about this legend