{"product_id":"turquoise-natural-graduated-discs-8-20mm-diameter-on-17-5-inch-strand","title":"Turquoise, Freeform Flat Nuggets  Center Drilled Graduated, 8-20mm Diameter on 17.5-inch Strand","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cul data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cli data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eVery nicely graduated this discs. This strand is more green than GMO-481 and the stone looks and feels like Himalayan, but it was cut by one of several Vietnamese immigrant families who began taking over the laborious heishi making process from Native Americans in the late 1980s and early 1990s.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTurquoise gets its blue color from copper and its green from iron\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIt's a relatively soft stone that has been treasured around the world since 5000BC. Especially popular in ancient Iraq and Egypt it was traded to Europe through Turkey and thus acquired its name: \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003epierre turquoise\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003emeans Turkish Stone in French. Likewise it has been highly valued in Tibet for centuries, and in the Americas it's been found in ancient archeological sites from Argentina to New Mexico.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eToday the best turquoise comes from Iran, Afghanistan, Australia, Tibet and the USA. As mines have been depleted and\/or closed due to more restrictive mining regulations, the price has skyrocketed in recent years. Most of what I'm posting this month is 20-30 years old, and is the last of what I'm letting go from my personal collection, because I know I can't replace it at these prices.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn Persia and India seeing turquoise and the moon at the same time is believed to bring good fortune, protect from evil, and\/or increase wealth. Native Americans, Central Asian nomads, Tibetans and others wherever turquoise has been found, attribute a wide range of beneficial qualities to it even today.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMetaphysical writers connect turquoise with communicating truth and the throat chakra. It can help us find our truth and articulate it to bring forth our greatest gifts and wisdom. It's also considered to be and excellent stone for overall wellbeing, improving moods and emotions, and relieving stress. Just looking at it can make me happy, and getting my hands on it to design with it even more so!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Bead-Zone.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45675521376565,"sku":"GMO-491","price":245.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0269\/4388\/1301\/files\/GMO-491.jpg?v=1689809149","url":"https:\/\/www.beadazzled.com\/products\/turquoise-natural-graduated-discs-8-20mm-diameter-on-17-5-inch-strand","provider":"Beadazzled.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}