Geology / History
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium. It is rare & valuable in finer grades. Turquoise has been prized as a gem & ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue. In recent times, Turquoise, like most other opaque gems, has been devalued by the introduction of treatments, imitations & synthetics onto the market. Dyed Howlite is commonly sold as the more valuable turquoise & recently Magnesite, as Howlite deposits have dried up.
Turquoise has been known by many names, but the word turquoise, which dates to the 16th century, is derived from an old French word for "Turkish", because the mineral was first brought to Europe from Turkey, from the mines in historical Khorasan Province of Iran. Pliny the Elder referred to the mineral as callais, the Iranians named it "phirouzeh" & the Aztecs knew it as Teoxihuitl.
It is also found in Afghanistan, Australia, Egypt, India, Chile, China, Cornwall, Saxony, Silesia, Turkestan, USA.
Metaphysical Properties
A stone of protection & transformation. Also a Shaman stone bringing insight & truth. The great universal mysteries lie within. Turquoise holds great power & amplifies manifestation ability. It shows you the power of creation & teaches the cyclic lessons of the phoenix, bringing new improved existence through shedding of unnecessary energies. A shapeshifting stone which blends one reality into the next & connects with Great Spirit. Turquoise allows soul expression releasing inhibitions & prohibitions, this promotes exploration of the self, past lives & future possibilities. Excellent for unblocking energy & releasing karmic ties.
Turquoise holds the ability to master the elemental realm where Earth, air, fire & water come together in pure creative oneness. It conducts all energies, grounding out negativity & projecting positivity. Calms nerves & summons courage until a state of fearlessness is achieved. The mind set of lack will not exist when using Turquoise as it shows one how abundant they truly are & how to turn tiny seeds into great trees.
Turquoise resonates well with the throat chakra. As well as stimulating the crown & third eye. It aligns all other chakras & activates external energy centres. A wonderfully strong healer on many planes especially when working with Earth energies. As the keeper of all life force energies Turquoise enables one to better themselves, it releases binding emotions such as guilt, shame & fear giving the understanding that all life is relevant & everything happens for a reason.
Lessons, wisdom, love & growth can be found in the darkest of times with Turquoise as an ally.
Crystal Healing
Reduces acidity, supports assimilation of nutrients, alleviates viral infection, detoxes, reduces exhaustion, panic attacks & depression.
Mineralogy
Group: Phosphate mineral
Crystal System: Triclinic
Composition: CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O
Form/Habit: Massive, nodular
Hardness: 5-7
Cleavage: Good to perfect
Fracture: Conchoidal
Lustre: Waxy to sub-vitreous
Streak: Bluish white
Specific Gravity: 2.6–2.9
Transparency: Opaque
R.I: 1.650
Colour: Blue, blue-green, green
Birefringence: +0.040
Pleochroism: Weak