Turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty Mine (USA).
Spring is just around the corner and nothing speaks of warm weather more than turquoise and other gorgeous blue stones like amazonite, Peruvian amazonite, apatite and aquamarine.
Turquoise is also perennially popular – everyone it seems is attracted to that gorgeous colour that makes you think of brilliant blue skies and red semi-desert landscapes. Or if not, then obviously I’ve watched one too many cowboy & indian movies!?) But really, it is even a colour in its own right – it appears in architecture, decoration and fashion and is thought of as the colour of calm.
Prized for thousands of years in many cultures, its current name comes from the 16th century Old French world for “Turkish” as it was from that direction that Europeans first got to see it. However it has had other names – eg. “Callais” (Ancient Rome) and “chalchihuitl” (Aztec). Popular for millennia it had a revival of sorts in the late 19thcentury in the Egyptian Revival fashions. As the birthstone for December and a reputation as a bringer of good fortune it remains a popular choice usually in cabochons or chunky necklaces.
The most readily recognised turquoise is the bright blue-green sometimes with brown or black veining and perhaps some white flecks or spots through it. Opaque and with a hardness of only 6 it is a relatively soft stone yet it takes a good polish. Cryptocrystalline in formation it is found in masses with no visible crystal structure (it's hard to even find a crystal structure under a microscope).
Treated blue turquoise from USA
Found in mostly arid regions it is mined in typically shallow excavations. A greenish turquoise was mined in Egypt 4000 years ago and is still found there occasionally. Persia became an important source of blue turquoise 2000 years ago and parts of Iran are still mined.
Natural green turquoise from the Kingman mine (USA) (with black spinel)
The southwest of the USA is well known for its turquoise (blue, bright green and yellow-green) and quite a few small scale mining operations continue. Among Native American peoples of the Southwest, turquoise is especially prized, with blue stones symbolizing "Father Sky" and greener ones evoking "Mother Earth."
Blue-green turquoise from China
China is also a large source of commercial turquoise these days although this tends to be in the blue-green, green and apple green colours. Turquoise is also found in Afghanistan, Australia, India, Chile and Turkestan.
Green turquoise from the Hubei district of China
Turquoise can change colour with time and handling – usually from absorbing moisture and oils from your skin.
After being mined for so many years, it is harder to obtain a nice quality natural turquoise. Instead, lower grades of turquoise are mined and these are usually treated to enhance the colour and to stablise the stones to make them harder and more robust. A traditional treatment is waxing and oiling.
A mix of treated blue and blue-green turquoise (as well as amazonite and aquamarine).
Low grade turquoise is called “chalk” turquoise – this is treated with permanent dyes and stabilisation procedures. Sometimes it is even ground down and rebuilt. This turquoise often has a lack of the typical veining and can come in numerous colours – lime and pink are popular new colours. Whilst still technically turquoise it has been fairly extensively altered.
The scarcity and cost of turquoise has also led to many imitations in the marketplace. Jasper, howlite and magnesite are three that are frequently colour treated. These are still natural gemstones – but treated to look like turquoise.
"African Turquoise" Jasper - dyed to look like turquoise yet still a gemstone in its own right when identified correctly.
Then there are synthetic imitations – made from porcelain, plastic, and various copper and aluminium compounds. Most of these synthetics will only bear a slim resemblance to natural turquoise.
If you have turquoise, it does require special care – it is sensitive to cosmetics and perfume which will damage the finish and may alter the colour. It can dehydrate and discolour if left in strong sunlight for a long period of time. So, put it on AFTER you’ve done your makeup/perfume/ sunscreen/hairspray and don’t wear in a beach/pool environment. Clean it with a soft cloth and store separately in its own bag or box to avoid scratching.
Another gemstone imitating turquoise - this is treated magnesite.
Lastly, buyer beware! If you like the colour and look of turquoise and decide to buy some, be sure to ask questions if descriptions are lacking or vague terms are used. A lot of affordable turquoise will be treated to some extent and this should be disclosed by reputable seller, jewellers and gemstone dealers.
Of course, this isn't an exhaustive dissertation on turquoise (!) but I hope I've covered the basics. If you have any specific questions about turquoise, post a comment and I'll get back to you!
Car Show Basics
Have you ever wondered what the point of a car show is? After all, what could possibly be so much fun about accumulating so many cars in a single area? Most people do not realize, but car shows are about so much more than simply lining up a bunch of beautiful cars for people to admire. There are typically contests that are involved in the shows as well with awards handed out in several categories including Best Overall, and often Best Restoration and other similar categories.
For those who are bringing cars to the show, it is a chance to show off the handiwork that they have put into the car, and also a chance to see how others feel about their work. Of course, some people are lucky and walk away from almost every show they enter with a prize, but generally this does not happen. Most people put months and even years of work into a car before they leave a show with a prize.
This can translate into thousands of dollars worth of work often. Dog shows are for dog lovers, and car shows are the equivalent but based around cars. Because of this the competition can sometimes be quite stiff, but in general terms they are still a ton of fun to watch. There is hardly ever a time when someone is unable to find something to do at a car show that does not interest them.
From the dozens to hundreds of cars that are entered there are only a small handful that will leave with a prize or a place as one of the top cars. The fun of looking around and seeing who wins, combined with seeing the beautiful cars, and also participating in some of the other activities that are going on make it a great way to spend the weekend. There are many people who spend all of their weekends looking around for a car show to attend.
Not everyone who is dedicated to attending car shows actually have cars. Some of the people who enjoy car shows the most do not have a car, and may not even have an interested in getting a car that would be able to enter the car show. Deciding if you are interested in attending the car show is often dependent on your personality but realizing that there is much more to the car show than simply walking the rows and rows of cars is often enough to catch many people’s interest.
While car shows are not always considered a sport, they often help to foster great sportsmanship amongst competitors and can be a great way to share experiences and learn plenty about cars. If you are interested in getting involved in the car shows then sometimes attending a few shows before you enter can be a great way to learn as much as possible about what the judges are typically looking for so that you can improve your vehicle to improve your overall chances of walking away as a winner.
Just think in a single location there are so many gorgeous cars that are all beautifully restored and you can spend all of the time you want looking and dreaming about each one. There are so many people to meet as well that you can have a lot of fun and you may discover that car shows are your favorite weekend activity that you never knew about.
