Turquoise Jewelry
1640s Unknown Retro Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Yellow Gold
Early 1700s Italian Baroque Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
Early 17th Century Greek Byzantine Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Enamel
15th Century and Earlier Afghan Byzantine Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold
1790s English Georgian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 10k Gold
18th Century Victorian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, Gold, Platinum
Late 18th Century Victorian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 15k Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier European Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Agate, 18k Gold
18th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, Yellow Gold
1780s English Georgian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, White Diamond, Turquoise, Silver, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1770s French Modern Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
18th Century Unknown Art Deco Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 9k Gold, Rose Gold
18th Century Unknown Victorian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 15k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-18th Century Unknown Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise
15th Century and Earlier American Contemporary Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Multi-gemstone, Agate, Carnelian, Tiger's Eye, Turquoise, Chalcedony, Ye...
15th Century and Earlier Medieval Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Garnet, Turquoise, Gold
1640s Italian Baroque Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Ruby, Turquoise, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
Late 18th Century British Georgian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
10k Gold, Gold
2010s Art Deco Turquoise Jewelry
Sapphire, Paraiba, 10k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 18th Century British Georgian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Amethyst, Pinchbeck
2010s American Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
19th Century British Victorian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Mid-20th Century Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
19th Century English Victorian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold
1890s Unknown Victorian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1910s Unknown Edwardian Vintage Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, Carnelian, Gold
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 17th Century Greek Byzantine Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold, Enamel
18th Century Unknown Victorian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier American Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Diamond, Turquoise, Platinum
18th Century British George III Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
15th Century and Earlier Renaissance Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold, Yellow Gold
15th Century and Earlier Renaissance Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Gold
15th Century and Earlier Classical Greek Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k Gold
1790s Chinese Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, Vermeil, Silver
18th Century Unknown Georgian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Amethyst, Carnelian, Turquoise, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Late 18th Century Unknown Georgian Antique Turquoise Jewelry
Turquoise, 18k 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.