Didchya' know that Europe was first introduced to turquoise by Turkey? The name was derived around the 16Th century from the French word turquie, which means Turkey.
It is noted that the the best turquoise comes from Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan .
It gets it's greenish hue from the copper content which according to some is of more value. American and South American soil is close to being depleted of copper, since it never had much to begin with, and if you look at turquoise from Mexico or old Navajo turquoise its an odd cold blue that is high in opacity with almost no "veins" and low in quality because it chips much easier due to the low mineral content. Iranian turquoise on the other hand has a resilient deep blue/green that is streaked usually with dark "veins" which is where the copper has gathered together. Though that is not always the standerd; Afghanistan has been known to produce pieces that have absolutely no streaks but defiantly a green hue, again indicating a high coper content. The less opaque, the more copper, the less likely to chip, the higher the quality. Get it got it beat it.
I'm also kinda obsessed.
and another gem that has been catching my eye lately and I find note worth is lapis. This is a dark blue stone often streak with white viens. I find it really captivating, but you really have to find the right stone, or it can sorta look like granny's boing old necklace.
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