Turquoise, Chips, Mini

GMO-16

Regular price $7.50

Shipping calculated at checkout.
  • Mini bright blue Turquoise chips about 2-4mm diameter on 16-inch strands
  • The amount of skilled labor required to drill these would make the price prohibitive today. If you like small beads these little gems are for you.
  • Turquoise got its name because it came to Europe through Turkey.
  • It has a long history of use in jewelry throughout the Himalayas, India, Persia (Iran), and Egypt, having been mined there up to 8000 years ago.
  • In the American Southwest, Native Americans have mined, and used it, for jewelry, ceremonies, art and trade since 200 BCE.
  • Turquoise naturally varies in color from blue to green depending on its iron and copper content. However, the popular sky-blue color shifts toward green from contact with perspiration, oils, cosmetics and other substances, as well as excess light, heat, and de-hydration. This is why older Turquoise beads are often more green than blue.
  • Whether they appreciate the age, or the color itself, Tibetans prefer more green Turquoise, while Europeans and Americans tend to prefer the blue.