There are three birthstones for December: turquoise, tanzanite and zircon. All three stones are a deep blue color and have their own history and chemical composition. In this article, we will focus on turquoise.  In the coming days, we’ll share articles covering tanzanite and zircon.

Turquoise Meaning & History

Turquoise is a semi-translucent to opaque gem that ranges from blue to green and often has veins of matrix (remnants of the rock in which it formed) running through it.

Turquoise was treasured by the ancient pharaohs and high ranking officials. In fact, turquoise adorns the funerary mask of King Tut. And, over 3,000 years ago, Chinese artists were carving turquoise.

Wallace Simpson (1896–1986), Duchess of Windsor (the woman for whom King Edward VIII gave up his throne), wore a famous amethyst and turquoise necklace made by Cartier. 

Folklore

There’s much folklore around Turquoise. Here are a few we thought were noteworthy:

✔️Turquoise is thought to possess special powers guaranteeing good health and fortune.

✔️Beginning in the 13th-century, turquoise was supposed to protect the wearer from falling off horses and was believed to shatter at the approach of danger. 

✔️Hindu mystics claimed that observing turquoise after seeing a new moon ensured wealth.

✔️In European tradition, the gift of a turquoise ring means “forget me not.” 

✔️Turquoise is considered a national treasure in Tibet, where it is believed to grant health, good fortune, and protection from evil.

Traditional Cultural Beliefs

In the United States, turquoise has long been associated with Native American culture. The Apache thought turquoise could be found at the end of a rainbow. It was thought that turquoise, when added to a bow or firearm made one’s aim more accurate. The Pueblo maintained that turquoise got its color from the sky, while the Hopi thought the gem was produced by lizards scurrying over the earth.

According to expert Maxine Mcbrinn, Curator of Archeology at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, “Turquoise stands for water and sky, for bountiful harvests, health, and protection.” 

In the Native American culture, turquoise confers status and power. Native American deities carry weapons and live in homes made of turquoise. Zuni ceremonies include turquoise-colored faces, masks, and body paint to represent Awonauilona, the sun’s life-giving power.

Where Turquoise is Found

For more than 1,000 years, turquoise has been mined in the Nishapur district of Iran. This prized blue turquoise is called “robin’s egg blue,” “sky blue” and “Persian blue.” 

Until the 1920s, New Mexico was the largest producer of turquoise in the U.S. Currently, the U.S. production of turquoise is found in Arizona and Nevada. The Kingman mine in Arizona is famous for producing intense blue turquoise.  Arizona’s Sleeping Beauty mine produced great quantities of turquoise for about 40 years.

Turquoise Care & Cleaning

Turquoise may be treated to improve durability, appearance, and polish. 

Turquoise is generally stable to light, but high heat can cause discoloration and breakage and can be damaged by acids. Chemicals, cosmetics, and skin oils or perspiration can cause discoloration. 

Clean turquoise jewelry with warm, soapy water, but never with steam or ultrasonic cleaners. Heat or solvents can damage the treated surfaces on some turquoise.

Have your 11th wedding anniversary coming up? Turquoise is the gem of the 11th wedding anniversary. Make it an extra special anniversary by having a custom piece of jewelry made using turquoise! 

We at Patronik Designs present two precious gem profiles. Those born in October enjoy two spectacular birthstones to commemorate their birthdays – opal and tourmaline.

Both October birthstones have endless color combinations and beautiful coloring characteristics. 

OPAL BIRTHSTONE MEANING & HISTORY

Opal is the traditional October birthstone. It is believed to have originated from India where it was called upala, a “precious stone” in Sanskrit.  The Romans called it opalus. Opals are famous for their shifting colors called “play-of-color.”

Opal symbolizes faithfulness and confidence. Opal has been compared to fireworks, galaxies, and volcanoes. Bedouins believed opal held lightning and fell from the sky during thunderstorms. The Greeks believed opals helped prophesize and protected wearers from diseases. In Europe, opals were a symbol of purity, hope, and truth. Opal was believed to embody the virtues and powers of all colored stones.

OPAL FACTS & FOLKLORE

• Australian aboriginal tribes believed that opals were the Creator’s footprints on Earth.
• Necklaces with opals set in them were worn to repel evil and to protect eyesight. 
• Opals help to control temper and calm nerves. A dream of an opal means that good luck will come.
• Each opal is made of tiny spheres of amorphous hydrated silica; its water content makes it prone to cracking or crazing (many fine cracks). This can happen if the gem dries out, such as might occur when exposed to high temperatures or long periods of low humidity. 

Opal is also the stone given to celebrate the 14th wedding anniversary.

WHERE IS OPAL FOUND?

Australia is the top producer of opal in the world. Ethiopia, Mexico, Brazil are major sources as well. Deposits have been found in Central Europe, Honduras, Indonesia, Madagascar, Peru, Turkey, and the United States.

Lightning Ridge, a small town in New South Wales, Australia, is famed for producing prized black opal.

White opal is found in the White Cliffs of New South Wales, as well as in Mintabie, Andamooka, and Coober Pedy in South Australia. Boulder opal is mined exclusively in Queensland.

In Ethiopia, the October birthstone is found near the village of Wegel Tena, in Wollo Province. Gems there range in body color from white, yellow, orange, and brownish red to chocolate brown. Some of the opals show play-of-color. Ethiopia’s Shewa Province mines the coveted black opal, as well as orange, white, and crystal opal. 

Querétero, Mexico is known for producing fire opal in yellow, orange, and reddish-orange to red, some with good play-of-color. 

All of the mining locations are extremely remote and difficult to reach.

OPAL CARE & CLEANING

Opals may be treated by impregnation with oil, wax, or plastic. Opal doublets or triplets are fine slices of opal glued to a base material and covered with a thin dome of clear quartz. This gem is relatively soft, with a hardness rating of only 5.5. As such, they should never be placed in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner as the vibrations can crack the gem. 

The safest way to clean this October birthstone is with warm, soapy water. Other cleaning methods might damage the opal or filler material. Note that prolonged exposure to water may weaken the adhesive in opal doublets and triplets. Even natural opals can fracture if exposed to high heat or sudden temperature changes.

To prevent jewelry set with harder gems from scratching the opal, store it by itself. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds are just a few of the gems that can scratch the October birthstone. 

We at Patronik Designs can provide safe care of all your jewelry. Opal is a delicate gem that requires appropriate maintenance to ensure its natural beauty. Feel free to bring your opals by our store for inspection and cleaning.

The blue sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September. It is also the gem commemorating 5th and 45th wedding anniversaries. Sapphires have been highly valued and sought after from ancient Rome and Persia, throughout the Middle Ages into modern times. 

Colors

Sapphires are known for their rich blue color, but come in almost every color of the rainbow—including pink, peach, orange, yellow, green, teal, and purple. Red sapphires are better known as rubies. The color variations result from trace elements in the mineral corundum. Classic blue sapphires contain iron and titanium, and trace elements of chromium can turn corundum pink, while more chromium turns it into a ruby. The rarest type, a pinkish orange variety called padparadscha, is sifted from Sri Lankan rivers. It comes from the Sinhalese word for ‘lotus flower.’

Origin of the word

The word sapphire is derived from the Latin and Greek words for ‘blue’: sapphirus and sappheiros, which may have originally referred to another type of blue stone called Lapis Lazuli.

Hardness

Gemstones are rated on their ability to withstand scratching based on a system called the Mohs Scale of Hardness, and sapphires score a 9 out of 10. Only a diamond, which has a 10 on the Mohs Scale, can scratch a sapphire. Their durability makes them an excellent choice for engagement rings.  Because of its hardness, sapphire also has industrial uses. The Apple Watch Series 3 features lab-created sapphire crystal in its screen to make it more scratch resistant, as do several Swiss watch companies.

Places of origin

Kashmir, Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Sri Lanka are historically important sources for sapphires. Sapphires have been found in Australia, Tanzania, Thailand, Cambodia, Malawi, Madagascar, the US (Montana), among other countries in Asia and Africa.

Sapphires were discovered in Kashmir around 1881 after a landslide high in the Himalayas. Spectacular sapphires appeared further south as well. The stones faceted from these crystals established Kashmir sapphire’s reputation as one of the world’s most coveted gems. 

Sapphires have also been found alongside ruby deposits in the Mogok area of Myanmar. Burmese sapphires possess a rich, intense blue hue, making them particularly prized.  Myanmar is also a noted source of jadeite jade, spinel, zircon, amethyst, peridot and other fine gem materials. 

Sri Lanka has been an important source of sapphires for more than 2,000 years. The blue and fancy-color stones mined from the alluvial gravels of this “jewel box of the Indian Ocean” display remarkable brilliance and saturation. In addition, the island’s milky white “geuda” sapphires can be heat treated to a rich blue color.

Thailand is a source of sapphires and has a major cutting and treatment center in the Chanthaburi Province. Sapphires from Myanmar and Cambodia often go to Chanthaburi for cutting and treatment and are also sent to Bangkok.

Attributes

Various cultures have attributed mystical powers to sapphires, including heavenly powers, truth, innocence, peace, and good health. It was believed that sapphires protected their wearers from evil. Because of their blue color, they are associated with the heavens. In fact, Europeans in the Middle Ages believed that sapphires cured eye diseases and preserved chastity, along with providing other heavenly blessings. Sapphires have also been used to symbolize nobility and faithfulness. In folklore story, art, and consumer awareness, sapphire has always been associated with the color blue. 

In addition, deep blue sapphires have long been associated with royalty (which likely contributed to the naming of the color “royal blue”). Royal blue sapphires were often worn by medieval kings, some of whom believed that the gemstones would protect them from their enemies.

The sapphire represents integrity, honesty, and honor.  The blue essence in a sapphire is of the highest quality and sets the standard in judging the quality of other blue gems, such as topaz and tanzanite. The ancient Greeks and Romans used them as protection stones that eliminated bad spirits and harm to the community.

In the 14th and 15th centuries, sapphire engagement rings were popular among royal families and the wealthy. However, the blue sapphire was the most popular stone because it represented honesty, loyalty, and truth.

Because sapphire symbolizes nobility, truth, sincerity, and faithfulness, it has decorated the robes of royalty and clergy members for centuries. 

In the 18th and 19th centuries, people were purchasing sapphires because they were rarer than diamonds.  Sapphires were quite popular in Victorian engagement rings, where they were often surrounded by smaller diamonds to create floral designs.

Notable sapphires

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte gave Josephine a two stone sapphire and diamond engagement ring in 1796. The ring sold at auction for close to a million dollars in 2013.

The Rockefeller Sapphire is a 62.02 carat (ct) rectangular step-cut stone that was unearthed in Myanmar (Burma). Acquired in 1934 by financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874–1960) from an Indian maharaja, the gem was recut and remounted over the years. The sapphire was first set as a brooch and later as a ring featuring two cut-cornered triangular diamond side stones.  

Prince Charles’ engagement ring to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 is the most famous sapphire today and is now worn by Princess Catherine. It features a 12-carat oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds.  So the history of the sapphire continues.

Unique attributes

Many people are surprised to find that sapphires can exhibit a phenomenon called the “star effect,” or asterism. This occurs when inclusions create a star pattern of rays on the surface of a dome-like cabochon-cut sapphire, often called a “star sapphire.”

Perhaps the most intriguing type of sapphire is the “color change” variety. These gemstones exhibit different colors depending on the lighting, subtly shifting from blue in daylight to bluish-purple in incandescent light.

Sapphire care & cleaning

Sapphires are tough and great for daily wear, but it is important to care for your stone on a regular basis. Warm, soapy water is always a safe choice for cleaning. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are usually safe for untreated, heat-treated, and lattice diffusion–treated stones. Fracture-filled or dyed material should only be cleaned with a damp cloth. 

At Patronik, we provide free jewelry cleaning and stone maintenance to all our customers.