Turquoise

  • What is it and where is it formed?  Turquoise is a gemstone and the birthstone for December.  It is formed in igneous and sedimentary rocks.  Turquoise is found in desert areas.  It can be in narrow seams or in larger veins.  It can be a clear color. It can have veins of the rock where it was formed in it.  This is called the matrix

  • How and where is it mined?  Turquoise is mined using open pit or underground mining.  It has been mined since about 3200 B.C.  The best and hardest turquoise is found close to the surface. A bulldozer takes off the top levels of dirt.  When they reach a vein or small area of turquoise, they slow down and get smaller equipment to help uncover it.  When the turquoise can be seen, the miners use air hammers to drill around the vein so that it is opened up more.  The miners use hand picks and shovels to get the turquoise out.  A lot of the mining is done by hand because the veins and seams are small.  When it is taken out, it goes somewhere else to be cleaned, sorted, and be separated from any other rock that is still attached to it.  Turquoise a byproduct of copper mining.  This means that when miners are mining for copper, they often find the turquoise mixed in, too. Sometimes there are two mining groups working the copper mine—one to get the copper and one to get the turquoise.  The turquoise miners might only come in when a really big vein is found.  In California and other areas in the U.S., prehistoric mining tools were found.  Some places where turquoise is mined are:  Iran, USA, India, Tibet, China, Eygpt, Chile, Russia, and Australia.

  • What is it used for?  Turquoise is mostly used for jewelry.  Southwestern Native Americans used to use turquoise a lot for beads and carving.

  • Interesting! 

    • People used to think that Persian turquoise was the best, but the U.S. is the leader now.

    • Superstitious people used to think that turquoise had the power to heal, make rain, and bring good luck.

    • If you wear it a lot, oil from your skin will make turquoise color change a little.

    • Turquoise is the national gem of Iran.

 Polished and finished Turquoise
Turquoise
Turquoise
Mineral Characteristic What the
mineralogists say		 Kid's Guide:  What it REALLY means!
Chemical Symbol CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8*4H2O

It has oxygen, aluminum, phosphorus, copper, and hydrogen in it.
Color Greenish blue to sky blue The color called turquoise got its name from the stone.  The color is usually a greenish blue.
Streak White with a greenish tint If the stone was crushed, this is the color of the dust that would be made.   
Transparency Opaque You can not see through it.
Luster Dull to waxy It does not shine brightly but is dull or might look like candle wax.
Cleavage Perfect in two directions. This stone will break smoothly in two directions.
Fracture Conchoidal When it breaks, the surfaces are smooth and shell like.
Magnetism None It is not attracted to, and will not attract, a magnet.
Hardness 5.5 It is in the middle of Moh’s Scale of Hardness.  It would be hard to scratch it with a nail, but it wouldn’t scratch glass which is harder.
Specific gravity 2.7 It is an average weight. 
Crystal Shape Triclinic

Triclinic crystal shape