Adding Turquoise To The Country Western Style
Turquoise has long been a part of country decoration
. For centuries Native Americans used this stone in their jewelry and other objects that signified status and authority.Today, turquoise is also a valuable stone. Its bright color enhances the wood tones and leather skins that are a big part of the western country look.
The quality of turquoise depends on several factors including the hardness of the stone, luster, and rarity. Of course, individual taste also plays a big role in the value of a stone.
Individual taste is usually based on color however. Turquoise is available in a variety of shade of blue and green.
This stone comes in every mixture and shade of these two colors. The copper content in the ground is the substance most responsible for the blue portion of the color.
The iron content in the ground will affect how green the turquoise is. The color of the turquoise usually does not affect the price of the stone very much as long as the color is still some sort of mixture between green and blue.
If the turquoise has a whitish hue, it is of little value and probably very brittle. This means that it sat too close to the surface for too long and the elements have been damaging its strength.
There is one variety of white turquoise that is hard however. This white turquoise is called "White Buffalo."
The matrix will also have an effect on whether the stone is valuable to you or not. The matrix is the other minerals that you can see in the turquoise that offer various designs swirled in with the blue-green.
These designs are often uneven areas of black or brown that may or may not resemble a spider web. The presence or absence of matrix is a matter of personal preference as well.
Interesting matrices can increase the value of a stone however. Likewise, stones with matrices that cover more than 60 percent of the stone are often considered less valuable.
Turquoise is professional graded based on hardness. In the 1800's Frederish Mohs, a German mineralogist, created a scale to rank the hardness of minerals.
Talc was the softest mineral and was graded as a one and diamond was the hardest mineral on the scale with a hardness of 10. Turquoise that has good quality is usually graded between a five and a six.
For the most part, the harder a stone is the better and more valuable it is.
Turquoise is also rated on its luster and rarity. Luster is the depth perceived and the level of surface polish the stone has.
Turquoise generally has what is considered to be a waxy luster. A great luster that adds value to a stone usually correlates with the hardness of the stone.
The harder it is, the easier it is to obtain a glassy polish and the feeling that you can see below the surface of the stone. This quality is looked for in almost every precious stone.
Rarity is how easy or hard a particular object is to get. The rarest king of North American turquoise is the Lander Blue.
Today, Lander Blue turquoise will sell for more than 100 dollars a carat. This is generally about 500 dollars for a stone only the size of a dime.
There are many different kinds of turquoise. One of these kinds is stabilized turquoise.
Stabilized turquoise is a low to medium graded turquoise that has undergone procedures that will strengthen its integrity. Other terms that refer to stabilized turquoise include enhanced or fracture sealed turquoise.
There are also many different fake turquoise products available today. Be sure that you are purchasing from a professional dealer who has a reputation for dealing fine products and being completely honest.
Turquoise is generally more brittle and porous than other popular gemstones. As a result it will need proper care and maintenance.
You should try to avoid dropping your turquoise jewelry or doing anything that would put unnecessary force on your jewelry.
Liquids and oils can also be bad for the composition of the stone. These things will cause the turquoise to change color over time if you are not careful.
Not even any gem or jewelry clean can be safely used on turquoise. Turquoise cannot be cleaned like other gems can.
While it is important to be careful with this stone, it is absolutely beautiful and a great addition to any style of country decoration or outfit.
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