Featured this Week: Turquoise-- A Sacred Gemstone

Turquoise has been a "prized" stone for many years. It was used to make jewelry by the Egyptians and it was "honored" by the Native American Indians.

The colors of turquoise range from blue to green. The more copper in the stone the bluer it is and the more iron in the stone the greener it is.

It's name means "Turkish Stone" as it came to Europe by way of Turkey.

Turquoise is found all over the world in places where volcanic activity has occurred. It is found here in the US, Mexico, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Tibet.

The turquoise found in Iran is known to be of the highest quality. It was first mined there over 6,000 years ago. However, not much is exported now. Today much of turquoise comes from Mexico, the U.S., and China.

Here is a list of words that has long been associated with turquoise:

Protection, wisdom, energy, serenity, wholeness, self-expression, creativity, peace of mind, emotional balance, good luck, spiritual grounding, honest communication, friendship, love and loyalty. Absorbs negativity.

These are some of the "Metaphysical Properties" of turquoise:

Protects and blesses the wearer.

Brings wisdom.
Enhances communication. Absorber of negativity.
Excellent grounding stone--it helps us to better understand ourselves bringing emotions and ideas under control.

Strengthens and calms the mind and body.

Excellent healing stone.

Some of the healing properties of turquoise:

Neutralizes overacidity
Alleviates rheumatism, gout, stomach problems, viral infections
Increases growth, muscular strength
Alleviates pain, relaxes cramps
Contains anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects

It is easy to see why turquoise has long been known as a sacred gemstone.

Please share your turquoise beads, pendants, and designs using turquoise in our Artfire thread:

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=forums&op=view_topic&tid=7068&topic_src=1