Turquoise Jewelry
1960s French Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, White Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s American Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1950s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Emerald, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Topaz, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
20th Century British Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Pearl, Turquoise, Yellow Gold
1980s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 14k Gold, White Gold
1970s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, Platinum
20th Century Italian Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Jade, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, Yellow Gold, 10k Gold
1950s French Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Ruby, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Unknown Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Unknown Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Turquoise, Star Ruby, 14k Gold
20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Pearl, Turquoise, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
1950s Unknown Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 14k Gold
1970s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Swiss Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Citrine, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s French Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Turquoise, Pearl, Rose Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Onyx, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
Mid-20th Century French Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Turquoise, 18k Gold
1960s French Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s North American Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Turkish Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
1960s British Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Gold
20th Century Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Pearl, Turquoise, Gold
1950s French Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Carnelian, Onyx, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 9k Gold, White Gold, Silver
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Sapphire, Turquoise, Pearl, Diamond, Silver, Rose Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
1960s French Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
20th Century Unknown Retro Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Tsavorite, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
Early 1900s Unknown Retro Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Agate, Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s American Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
1960s Unknown Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Citrine, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Gold
1950s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Onyx, Pearl, Turquoise, Silver
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Onyx, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Pearl, Turquoise, Gold, 9k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
1960s American Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Garnet, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1940s Unknown Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, White Gold, 18k Gold
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Onyx, Ruby, Turquoise, 9k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
1950s American Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise
1950s Unknown Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 14k Gold, Gold
1960s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Diamond, Silver, Rose Gold, 9k Gold
1930s Unknown Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1960s American Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s Italian Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Sapphire, Turquoise, 9k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
1970s Unknown Retro Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Pearl, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
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.