Description
Associated with fire, sun and water, turquoise literally means Turkish stone. It is characterised by a beautiful azure blue colour, but can also have blue-green shades. More rarely, there are turquoise stones with purple tones. In Egypt, it was customary to use turquoise as an ornamental stone, as well as for decoration. The Egyptians made all sorts of small amulets with turquoise. It was also used in Persia for bartering: it had a certain value and could therefore be exchanged for food. In the United States, the stone was used to protect Apache warriors and hunters. While the Amerindians believed that turquoise was a small piece of sky that had fallen on our planet, the Aztecs considered that turquoise was only worthy of the gods but not of humans. Thus, only the gods, according to them, could use it. It was in India and Tibet that people began to appreciate turquoise for its many medicinal properties. In Europe, it was not until the Renaissance that this precious stone was discovered. It was thought that it came straight from Turkey, hence the name given to it. However, this is a mistake. The name “turquoise” has remained. There are turquoise deposits in Tanzania, Israel, Iran, but also in Australia, the United States and even France. Depending on where the stone is mined, it is more or less opaque.
Turquoise is easy to cut. The stone is found in many markets, mainly in the form of small cabochons. It is also possible to find turquoise that has been carved, or beautifully engraved. However, this is less common. It is a rather soft stone, which is used a lot in lithotherapy sessions. It can be used during meditation. The hexagonal turquoise pendulum features several properties, both physically and psychologically, due to the vibrations it emits.