Turquoise – gemstone that brings happiness

Since ancient times, turquoise is considered a gemstone that brings happiness. Turquoise was so popular with different peoples that it had many different names, for example, “the favorite gemstone of the East”, “the gemstone of the Egyptian pharaohs”, “the sacred gemstone of Tibet”, “the heavenly gemstone of the American Indians”.
Persian (Iranian) turquoise has been considered the best in the world for many centuries. In the East, where turquoise has always been considered a lovers’ gemstone (after all, according to legend, it was formed from the bones of people who died of love), the most beautiful gemstones were of pure deep blue or blue colors. Less valuable turquoise had a greenish-golden hue.
According to Muslim beliefs, turquoise is an indicator of female permanence and happiness.

The Shah’s bedroom of the Pahlavi dynasty was always adorned with this gem, and the tiara (headdress) of the famous movie star Farah Pahlavi (the wife of Shah Reza Pahlavi) is adorned with turquoise of such unprecedented beauty that it is still mentioned in all catalogs as one of the most unrivaled masterpieces of jewelry art.
The first to appreciate turquoise was the Egyptians. Even in 3-4 millennium BC their favorite ornament was a scarab beetle – a symbol of eternity. It was cut out of blue turquoise.
The Indians of pre-Columbian America used turquoise as a decoration, and as object of religious worship. Navajo jewelers are known as skilled craftsmen, who make wonderful jewelry of silver and turquoise.
Europeans, especially the inhabitants of Russia, were familiar with turquoise from very old times. The throne of Ivan the Terrible’s successor, Boris Godunov, was adorned with oval plates of turquoise donated to him by the Iranian Shah in 1604. Now it is in the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin. Ivan the Terrible himself did not like turquoise, reasonably considering it a harbinger of the disease. Turquoise was loved by the spouses of Nicholas I and Paul I. During the reign of Nicholas I architect A.P. Bryullov built the so-called Turquoise living room in the Winter Palace, where the entire interior (especially armchairs, sofas, drapes) was decorated in sky-blue colors.

Amazing turquoise

In Tibet, Mongolia, Iran, India, people considered turquoise to be the liveliest of the precious stones, because it reacted sensitively to the health of its owner. The loss of the original blueness warned the host about the disease.
Turquoise is mined in Egypt, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, the USA, Argentina and Australia. The supplier of the best samples is still Iran.
Rings, necklaces, earrings, hairpins with turquoise protect from eye diseases, poisonings and snake bites. Some people believe that it protects from the evil eye.