Turquoise Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Coral, Turquoise, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Coral, Turquoise, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Ruby, Gold, Sterling Silver, Silver,...
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Coral, 18k Gold, Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Ruby, Gold, Sterling Silver, Silver,...
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Ruby, Sterling Silver, Silver, 18k G...
21st Century and Contemporary Balinese Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Aquamarine, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Late 20th Century American Turquoise Jewelry
Coral, Turquoise, Silver
2010s Thai Turquoise Jewelry
Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Tourmaline, Tsavorite, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Baroque Turquoise Jewelry
Coral, Pearl, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
1990s Turquoise Jewelry
Coral, Sterling Silver
2010s American Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise Matrix, Turquoise, Gold, 22k Gold, Sterling Silver, Silver, Ye...
Late 20th Century Italian Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Silver
1850s Italian Victorian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Coral, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Turquoise Jewelry
Coral, Turquoise, Silver
Late 20th Century Tibetan Artisan Turquoise Jewelry
Coral, Silver
Vintage and Antique Turquoise Jewelry
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.