Find the exact piece of chinese turquoise jewelry you’re shopping for in the variety available on 1stDibs. Each design created in this style — which was crafted with great care and often made from
Gold,
18k Gold and
Silver — can elevate any look. Our collection of these items for sale includes 24 vintage editions and 14 modern creations to choose from as well. Finding the perfect item from our selection of chinese turquoise jewelry may mean sifting through those created during different time periods — you can find an early version that dates to the 18th Century and a newer variation that were made as recently as the 21st Century. Finding an appealing choice in our collection of chinese turquoise jewelry — no matter the origin — is easy, but
Giulia Colussi,
Gemjunky and
Katy Briscoe each produced a popular version that is worth a look. An object in our assortment of chinese turquoise jewelry can make for a versatile accessory, but a selection from our variety of 28
Turquoise versions can add an especially stylish touch. See these pages for a
mixed cut iteration of this accessory, while there are also
bead cut and
brilliant cut cut versions available here, too. Most of our chinese turquoise jewelry for sale are for
women, but there are 15 pieces available to browse for
men.
The thought of vintage and antique turquoise jewelry often conjures up images of striking Navajo bracelets and necklaces worn with a denim shirt and cowboy boots. This all-American look has been celebrated by fashion designers like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger on their runways and in ad campaigns. In the October 2016 issue of Vogue magazine, Tom Ford said he only wears turquoise jewelry at his Santa Fe ranch. So what is it about this gorgeous blue-green stone that makes us wish that we were born in December?
It’s not surprising that turquoise is abundant in New Mexico and Arizona because, according to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), it needs to be in “dry and barren regions where acidic, copper-rich groundwater seeps downward and reacts with minerals that contain phosphorus and aluminum.
Turquoise is not found in a single crystal but is a combination of microcrystals. Its appearance, waxy and opaque, is attributed to its structure and composition. “It’s an aggregate of microscopic crystals that form a solid mass. If the crystals are packed closely together, the material is less porous, so it has a finer texture. Fine-textured turquoise has an attractive, waxy luster when it’s polished. Turquoise with a less-dense crystal structure has higher porosity and coarser texture, resulting in a dull luster when it’s polished,” notes the GIA. Since no one wants to set a dull piece of turquoise, porous turquoise is often treated to make the stone more attractive.
In the United States, there have been discoveries of turquoise from 200 B.C. It is not just loose turquoise stones that have been found, but entire suites of jewelry from prehistoric times. In the late 19th-century, the Navajo Indians, who learned silversmithing from the Spanish, started to make beads out of turquoise and eventually combined it with silver around the 1880s. Initially this jewelry was for ceremonial purposes, but it became fashionable once the tourism in the Southwest picked up in the beginning of the 20th century.
Find antique and vintage turquoise rings, necklaces, bracelets and other accessories on 1stDibs.