1.Turquoise name derivation, Mine form process

and Resource in the world

{1}Turquoise Name Derivation

Turquoise is probably the most valuable, non-transparent mineral in the jewelry trade. For thousands of years the finest intense blue turquoise in the world was found in Alimersai Mountain in Persia (now Iran) or the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, two of the world's oldest known turquoise mining areas, and the term "Persian Turquoise" became synonymous with the finest quality.

Another possibility the name most likely came from a French word, It was mined by Egyptians on the Sinai Peninsula as early as 6000 BC. and was transported to Europe through Turkey, accounting for its name, which means "Turkish" in French. French described the turquoise stone, "pierre turquin" meaning dark blue stone.

These changed during the late 1900's, when modern miners discovered or rediscovered significant deposits of high-quality turquoise in the western and southwestern United States and Hubei province of China. Material from these deposits was just as fine as the finest "Persian turquoise". Today the term "Persian Turquoise" is more often a definition of quality than a statement of origin, and the majority of the world's finest-quality and largest resource turquoise come from the China.

{2} Turquoise mine form process

Chemically, a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum, turquoise is formed by the percolation of meteoric or groundwater through aluminous rock in the presence of copper For this reason, it is often associated with copper deposits as a secondary mineral, most often in copper deposits in arid, semiarid, or desert environments.

Turquoise depends on the weathering and the ingredients of the earth's crust for its formation. The chemistry of turquoise reveals its origins. It is found only in or near copper deposits, as it depends on the presence of copper ions for its formation. Turquoise is a hydrous hydrate of copper, aluminum and phosphorus. The latter element is combined with oxygen, and called the phosphate radical. Radicals act as single chemical units, though they may be made up of two or more elements. The hydrous hydrate designation indicates the presence of water in the lattice structure of the turquoise molecule.

Turquoise also depends on its host rock to provide two other critical ingredients in addition to the copper ion. They are aluminum ions and the phosphate radical. A trace of water completes the structure. When the rocks in and around a copper deposit are weathered, the necessary ingredients for turquoise may be released. If feldspar is present, and it almost always is, an abundance of aluminum ions will occur. If a kind of mineral containing phosphorus occurs there, that ion is released. Usually the mineral apatite, a calcium phosphate, serves that purpose Any number of copper minerals can supply the necessary main ingredient.

The internal atomic arrangement of turquoise is such that iron can substitute for the aluminum, resulting in a color variation. Iron-free material is an intense sky-blue. As iron enters the structure the color shades toward green. If the iron completely replaces the aluminum, the mineral takes on a new identity, chalcosiderite (It indicates the presence of copper and siderite is a term for an iron compound). Since iron and aluminum can replace each other gradually, a whole series of color shadings from pure-blue turquoise to stark-green chalcosiderite occurs in nature. The demand for turquoise as it shades toward green tends to diminish next to the rich blue of pure turquoise that is always more popular.

{3}Turquoise Resource in the world

Very fine, untreated turquoise is fairly rare. The finest comes from Iran and China, often appearing in a black matrix, The largest and excellent deposits are main in the Hubei province of China, which inhabit the world turquoise resource about 80%.Usually with a white or brown matrix have been worked for centuries by Native Americans.

Today the major resources turquoise occurs in the north of Iran, USA, Mexico, Australia, Chile, China, Afghanistan, Israel. The stone often occurs with veins of matrix which add interest to its beauty. Body oils can sometimes cause turquoise to turn green with time. Turquoise and zircon are the birthstones of the month of December.