فیروزه نیشابور

فیروزه طلا را پشت سر گذاشت

turquose — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 10:43:45 GMT

منبع : روزنامه آسیا

رییس اداره صنایع و معادن نیشابور گفت: ذخیره قطعی معدن فیروزه نیشابور 8 هزار و 671 تن برآورد شده که هم اکنون سالانه 15 تن از آن استخراج می شود.

حسن بیدکی درباره تاریخچه این معدن گفت : شواهدی از آثار باستانی به جا مانده نشان می دهد که استخراج و به کار گیری فیروزه سابقه ای چند هزار ساله دارد؛ اما از آنجا که در گذشته استخراج این معدن با وسایل بسیار ابتدایی و به مقدار بسیار کم صورت می گرفته نمی توان شروع جدی کار معدن را به قبل از سال 1300 نسبت داد .

وی افزود:مالکیت این معدن دولتی است؛ اما حدود سه سال گذشته ،اهالی منطقه برای مدت 25 سال در قالب یک شرکت تعاونی آن را از دولت اجاره کردند و هم اکنون هر 15 یا 20 روز یک بار که بستگی به میزان استخراج دارد کل سنگ های به دست آمده در دسته های 100 یا 200 کیلویی به حراج گذاشته شده و به بالا ترین قیمت پیشنهادی به فروش می‌رسد .

بیشتر فروش فیروزه در گذشته مربوط به مسافران خارجی به ویژه عرب ها بوده؛ اما چند سالی است که هموطنان ما به این سنگ ارزشمند گرایش بیشتری دارند.

محمد حسینی ، یک فیروزه تراش قدیمی نیشابور در این زمینه گفت : البته با وجود این که فیروزه ناب ، یا همان عجمی ، گرانبهاترین نوع فیروزه است اما اخیرا حتی در بین مشتریان خارجی فیروزه های دارای رگه، مشتری زیادی پیدا کرده و فکر می کنم دلیل آن هم طبیعی تر جلوه کردن سنگ‌‌های آن به دلیل وجود همان رگه ها است.

حسینی با بیان اینکه در حال حاضر فیروزه صاف و بدون رگه از طلا گرانتر است افزود : یک نگین فیروزه ای به اندازه یک نخود که وزن آن به نیم گرم هم نمی رسد به قیمت حدود 14 هزار تومان به فروش می رسد در حالی که قیمت یک گرم طلای 18 عیار حدود 10 هزار تومان است

TURQUOISE

turquose — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:26:41 GMT

TURQUOISE

( Fr- turquoise; Ger- Türkis/Türkisblau; Nor- turkis; Rus- )

TURQUOISE, CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O.

A. Turquoise mass (height - 6.6 cm) from Gabbs, Nye County, Nevada. Canadian Museum of Nature. (© photo by Jeffrey A. Scovil)

B. Turquoise. Polished pieces (top right, width - ca. 2 cm). Shades of the Earth. (© photo by Jeffrey A. Scovil)

C. Turquoise. Traditional squash blossom necklace (pendant portion, height - 7.5 cm; length of necklace -- 2/3rds of which has been cropped as shown here - 75 cm). Navajo handmade. (© photo Cowboy and Lady, www.cowboyandlady.com)

D. Turquoise. Carved eagles (width - 21.5 cm). Betty Llewellyn collection. (© photo by Jeffrey A. Scovil)

DESCRIPTION: Compact, massive variety of turquoise (see REMARKS):
    Colors - sky blue to deep bluish green, yellowish, gray -- Pogue (1915) describes the color as ranging "from a beautiful sky-blue to an unsightly pale green ... [with] a diversity of intermediate shades."
    H. 5-6;   "Elgen" treated turquoise -- the treatment using an undisclosed proprietary treatment used to bind and stabilize turquoise -- has a hardness of 7 (Weldon, 2007)
    S.G. 2.6-3.2
    Light transmission - opaque
    Luster - mattelike to waxy
    Breakage - subconchoidal fracture
    Miscellany - typically occurs as micro- to cryptocrystalline reniform masses; decrepitates -- i.e., explodes into fragments -- when heated.

Also - Turquoise with an anastomosing yellowish brown or gray to nearly black matrix is frequently called Turquoise matrix. The matrices commonly consist largely of limonite and/or sandstone but other mineral and rock constituents have also been found to occur.

And - A massive, greenish, zinc-rich member of the turquoise group, faustite -- e.g., that from Neyschabour, Iran -- has also been used as a gemrock. It a hardness of ~ 4.5 and a specific gravity of ~ 2.9.

OTHER NAMES: Gubelin (1966) gives a summary of terms used for this gemrock before the French called it turquoise -- see, in particular, his list of the terms currently applied in Arabic, Armenian, Farsi and Russian. Pearl (1976) lists more than forty "names for turquoise," several of which are not included in the following list. Those listed are ones I have found to be used fairly frequently and/or rather widely in today's marketplace and/or in current literature.

Agap(h)ite - vitreous Persian turquoise.
American (or Mexican) turquoise - term applied widely in the marketplace to relatively pale blue to greenish, commonly relatively porous turquoise, no matter what it geographic source.
Aztec stone - this term is applied to many things, including green turquoise.
"Blue gold" - designation given in the Wall Street Journal recorded in
Celestial stone - term sometimes applied to turquoise, especially in marketplace vernacular.
Cobweb turquoise matrix - turquoise matrix in which the matrix has a cobweblike pattern.
Edisonite - mottled blue turquoise.
Egg-shell turquoise - turquoise matrix with a crackled appearance so-to-speak outlined by the matrix materials.
Egyptian turquoise - term sometimes applied in the marketplace to bluish and/or yellowish green turquoise, which colors render it less than desirable for most gemrock uses; as is true for the terms American (or Mexican) turquoise and Persian turquoise, this designation is frequently applied to such turquoise no matter what its geographic origin.
Johnite - a scaly(??), highly vitreous turquoise.
Locality Designations - examples of adjectives so-used are Alexandrian (Egyptian turquoise), American (e.g., Californian, Coloradoan and Nevadan turquoise), Egyptian, Iranian (Meshed turquoise-see next listing), Mexican, and Persian ....
Meshed or Meshhed turquoise - name from a place in Iran (formerly Persia) where a large amount of Persian turquoise has been marketed.
Mexican turquoise - see American turquoise.
New rock turquoise - turquoise that tends to fade relatively rapidly.
Old rock turquoise - Iranian term for high quality sky-blue turquoise.
Oriental turquoise - term used in some circles for true turquoise to distinguish it from reconstructed turquoise (see under SIMULANTS subheading) -- unfortunately, this connotation is inconsistent in the marketplace.
Persian turquoise - top quality, light blue turquoise from Persia (now Iran). In addition, this term -- unfortunately, in my opinion -- is also applied rather widely to similarly appearing, high quality turquoise from other localities.
Rock turquoise - rock including only scattered turquoise -- e.g., a poor quality turquoise matrix. This rock, much of which consists of more matrix than turquoise, typically has an overall brown or gray to almost black appearance.
Sea foam - a so-to-speak descriptive name given, albeit only rarely, on the market to knobby nuggets that are polished but not otherwise shaped except for the flattening of one of their surfaces to facilitate mounting them in, for example, brooches. See also MEERSCHAUM entry.
Spider web turquoise - turquoise matrix consisting of small nuggets within a matrix, the overall appearance of which resembles a turquoise-filled spider web when fashioned into, for example, cabochons.
Turkey stone - a misnomer -- fortunately almost obsolete -- for turquoise.
Turquois - this spelling -- i.e., without an e -- has been used here and there in the literature, including that of a professional geological and mineralogical nature.
Turquoise nuggets - term sometimes given in the marketplace to small pebble-sized masses that have been tumbled.
Turquoise orientale - name apparently used to distinguish true turquoise from "turquoise occidentale," which is vivianite -- see under SIMULATES subheading.
Turtle back - name sometimes given to turquoise matrix, the matrix (typically black) of which has a cobweblike pattern. See also SEPTARIUM entry.
White buffalo stone - name applied to a white material, marketed as cabochon gemstones, that is a so-to-speak albino turquoise. It is said to have been mined near Tonopah, Nevada.

OCCURRENCES: Turquoise may be deposited in more than one way. Most known turquoise, however, appears to have been formed as a secondary mineral under the influence of surface or near surface waters, typically in arid regions. It commonly occurs as nodules or in veins, seams, lenses or crusts in brecciated zones within alumino-siliceous igneous or metasedimentary rocks. Shigley et al. (2000) have tabulated localities and pertinent references for localities from which turquoise was recovered during the 1990s.

NOTEWORTHY LOCALITIES: The famous Shaded Cave of Nishâpur (Neyshabur), northwest of Maden, Khorassan Province, Iran (formerly Persia), which, by the way, is the birth place of Omar Khayam; Wadi Maghara near the western edge of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt; at the copper deposits, Chuquicamata, Chile; at the Cerillos mines, Turquoise Mt. (Mt. Chalchihuitl), Santa Fe County, New Mexico; and at several places in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Nevada. Some of the southwestern United States turquoise has been recovered as a by-product of copper mining -- e.g., from the Santa Rita copper mine near Silver City, Grant County, New Mexico.

USES: Turquoise may have been the first gemrock to be used in jewelry: It is well documented that Egyptian Queen Zur (or Zer), wife of the second ruler of the first dynasty (~ 6000 (7500?) B.C.), wore bracelets made of gold and turquoise. Gubelin (1966) provides a short summary of this and other early uses of turquoise as a gemrock.

Cabochons, both round and oval, and flat pieces as parts of several diverse pieces of jewelry, carvings (including Zuni fetishes), and several other pieces such as the relatively large vase illustrated by Branson (1975) are examples. Silver-turquoise jewelry of the southwestern United States of America has gained worldwide recognition. And, turquoise has been used alone or as parts of mosaics, inlays or overlays that adorn surfaces of several diverse articles fashioned from clay (pottery), leather, fabrics and even other gemrocks.

REMARKS: Turquoise is from Old French meaning Turkish. Gubelin (1966), writes the following about the early application and resultant origin of the term: "This misnomer is readily explained by the fact that the first stones did not reach Europe directly from Persia [i.e., Iran], but rather through the intercession of seafaring Venetians who purchased them at Turkish bazaars."

It is virtually axiomatic that turquoise must be treated if it is to be used in jewelry that is likely to come into contact with perspiration, hair sprays, perfume, etc. Otherwise, it will – over time – become stained and/or have its depth of color reduced and lose its appeal; This is true because of its relatively high porosity. According to Indian legend, such treatments date back to ancient times when animal fat was used as a coating (Anonymous, 1949); one example for which only so-to-speak hearsay documentation is recorded is: "Dr. Ralph Holmes of Columbia University reported reading in a 13th Century Persian work the fact that applications of Yak butter would improve the color of poor turquois." (Crowningshield,1958-59)

Today, treatments of "normal" turquoise include dyeing; waxing or oiling; and impregnation with such things as paraffin, shellac, varnish, lacquer, epoxy resin, a plastic or even "water glass," and Crowningshield (1962) has described a few beads that were painted before being coated with clear lacquer. In fact, combinations of two or more processes are frequently involved; an apparently especially common one is using a colored impregnating material to improve the color as well as reduce the porosity of the original turquoise. Also, much turquoise in the marketplace has been so-to-speak stabilized (i.e., hardened) by inorganic mineral salts such as colloidal silica and sodium silicate (water glass). Fortunately -- or, depending on one's viewpoint, perhaps unfortunately -- most treated turquoise can be recognized or determined to be such relatively easily -- e.g., waxing can be detected because waxed turquoise will "sweat" when touched with hot point -- see Figure 7, p.189, volume 34 of Gems & Gemology. Indeed, stabilization frequently darkens and saturates the color -- not at all bad from an aesthetic standpoint -- as well as serving to make the turquoise more durable.

Two exceptions seem noteworthy: 1. the "Zachery-treated turquoise," which is virtually impossible to distinguish from some high quality, naturally dense turquoise except by chemical analyses. – Although details about this proprietary procedure have not been published, Fritsch et al. (1999), provide some insightful statements, which they received from James E. Zachery, the "entrepreneurial electrical engineer who 'grew up' in the turquoise trade" and devised the treatment. Two aspects are of particular interest: 1.only natural turquoise precursors that are of at least medium quality can be so treated; and 2."Zachery-treated turquoise" contains more potassium than its untreated precursors. In any case, the increased durability of this product renders it more easily and safely worked and polished, and its reduced porosity means it will not absorb fluids such as perspiration and fluid-based cosmetics, which, as just mentioned, frequently cause untreated turquoise to lose its depth of color and/or take on less than attractive unnatural colors. 2. See note re "Elgen" treated turquoise in DESCRIPTION, under H. (hardness).

Some turquoise matrix has been dyed selectively so its matrix takes on a darker color and thus becomes more distinct. Also, some fashioned pieces -- e.g., carvings -- made of turquoise, especially that of poor quality, have been selectively dyed black to make them resemble natural turquoise matrix.

So far as turquoise related legends, one that especially intrigues me relates to "old Germany." The tale I heard holds that turquoise was commonly used for engagement rings, and that it was thought to retain its preferred color only so long as love endured; that if it faded or turned to another color the one wearing it was being unfaithful. One has to wonder: Did some poor quality turquoise take on the role of being a so-to-speak false witness that led to the breaking up of families?

In the pre-Columbian western hemisphere, Aztecs, Incas, Mayas, and their predecessors worshiped and wore turquoise in religious ceremonies as well as for ornamentation. These uses and stories relating to them notwithstanding, one of my favorite turquoise-related legends comes from, I believe, the Zunis of North America: It holds that the blue coloring of the sky represents light from their "spirit bird" reflected from the top of a mountain of turquoise. However, in an opposite sense other Native Americans of the southwestern United States region are said to have thought turquoise so-to-speak stole its color from the sky. More recently, Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry, two Johns Hopkins University astronomers, after "mooshing for fun . . . [through] data [derived] from a serious study of more than 200,000 galaxies . . . revealed to the American Astronomical Society . . . [that the color of the cosmos is] pale turquoise" (Comarow, 2002). [[Subsequently, however, Glazebrook and Baldry (April 4, 2002) reported that their initial turquoise-colored determination was based on an error in calculation, and the color really is a light off-white, for which they favored the designation "'Cosmic Latte' [because of their] being caffeine biased!" (www.pha.jhu.edu/~kgb/cosspec/). -- If one were a believer in spirits et al., (s)he might wonder if their earlier miscalculations and announcement were predestined forethought, eh??!.

A most interesting recovery procedure was employed at the Los Cerrillos turquoise mines near Santa Fe, New Mexico, which were apparently worked long before Europeans came to America: Fires were built atop, within fractures or beneath ledges of the turquoise outcrops, and water was poured on the hot surfaces thereby setting up thermal stresses that broke the rock into pieces small enough for easy removal and transport.

Turquoise is the state gem of New Mexico; the state semiprecious gemstone of Nevada; and the state gemstone of Arizona, where prior to its gaining this status, the ''official neck-wear" of the state was the bola tie and “the silver bola tie adorned with turquoise is generally considered as the the official 'Bola Tie.'”(Arizona 1977 Road Map, published by Arizona Department of Transportation). Turquoise also is said to be the national gemstone of Iran ; and, according to Arem (1987) "the national gem of ... [Tibet, where] green is the most prized color." [It seems prudent to note that to date I have been unable to document these last two attributions.] Also, in 1948, turquoise was adopted by directors of the South African Jewelers Association, Ltd. as the official birthstone for December.

SIMULANTS: "Turquois ... was one of the earliest, if not the earliest, gemstones to be imitated. ... [e.g.,] several turquois-colored objects found during archaelogical excavations in Egypt ... consisted of frit composed of crystalline compound[s] of silica (quartz pebbles), copper (malachite, for example) and calcium (natron, for example)... [And,] objects of glass colored turquois-blue with copper compounds, have been discovered at Thebes, and glass pieces colored by cobalt were found in the tomb of Tut-Ankhamen (Tutenkhamon)." (Webster, 1957-58, p.115).

Several "names that suggest but are not turquoise" that are listed by Pearl (1976) are not included on the following list because I have been unable to find information about them; many of the excluded materials are referred to by binomial terms with turquoise preceded by the adjectives such as Australian, Californian, fossil, ivory and tooth; include the terms burnite, copper-minerals rock, dyed mineral mixture or neolith; or are of the "neo-turquoise" and "turquoise de nouvelle roche" genre. In any case, I suspect at least some of those designations are synonyms for terms that are on the following list -- e.g., Pearl's fossil and tooth turquoise and perhaps even his ivory turquoise may be the same as bone turquoise (odontolite) and his copper-minerals rock may be the same as azurlite.

<>A noteworthy amount of "Turquoise" in today's marketplace has been treated (See REMARKS) or is reconstructed (see on this list). If one wants to be sure that something is natural turquoise -- i.e., untreated -- (s)he should buy only from jewelers (et al.) who are completely trustworthy; alternatively, (s)he may have any piece in question studied by an expert who has access to the relatively sophisticated equipment necessary to make such determinations. However, a few "rules of thumb" seem noteworthy: "Untreated turquoise tends to be more porous than treated material and can often be brittle. [and] Natural turquoise is often 'backed' with a rigid layer to ensure durability." (Weldon, 2007b)

***Aluminum phosphates colored blue by copper oleate have been compressed to form a material resembling turquoise. - [may require non-macroscopic means].

Amazon stone - green microcline feldspar. - [doesn't really look like turquoise and has two good cleavages].

***Assembled pieces of turquoise and also of restructured turquoise (q.v.) plus an adhesive (e.g., a dark brown plastic or epoxy) have been marketed as matrix (e.g., "spider web") turquoise. - [Appearance may suffice, but some pieces may require non-macroscopic means.].

Azurlite (azurchalcedony, chrysocolla chalcedony) - name sometimes given to blue or greenish blue chalcedony, the color of which is due to disseminated chrysocolla. Some of this chalcedony, which has been recovered from copper deposits in Arizona and central Mexico, has an attractive light blue color that may resemble high quality turquoise. It has also been termed gumdrop blue (Koivula, Kammerling and Fritsch, 1994, p.49) - See also CHALCEDONY and "CHRYSOCOLLA" entries. So far as I have been able to determine, this material has not yet been represented as turquoise. - [greater hardness (H. ~ 7) ].

Bayerite ("byproduct of the clay and aluminum industries ... [that is] chemically the same as gibbsite ... Al₂O₃·3H₂O" ) plus a copper phosphate with a "'matrix' ... probably due to some amorphous iron coumpound" (Webster, 1957-58) -- noted as a "new imitation turquois from Germany," which simulates turquoise matrix. - [inferior hardness; "unnatural-looking" matrix].

Beryl and quartz rock, heat treated and dyed - [Dye concentrations apparently occur in fractures (Koivula, Kammerling and Fritsch, 1992, p.135)].

Bonded turquoise - See Assembled pieces and Restructured turquoise.

Bone turquoise (also called Odontolite and sometimes marketed as occidental turquoise) - fossil bones, teeth or tusks of fossil animals, such as mammoths, that are either naturally or artificially stained blue or greenish blue by hydrous phosphates of iron (in some places recorded as the mineral vivianite) and/or copper. This material, used for the most part in the past, was recorded by Theophrastus (circa 315 B.C) in what is generally recognized as the oldest known treatise about minerals and rocks. - [Most bone turquoise can be seen to have retained its original organic structures.]. See also Ivory and Teeth entries in ZooGems folder, especially the third paragraph under REMARKS in the IVORY entry for some additional information about odontolite.

Calcite plus a plastic binder, dyed blue - [Calcite effervesces with dilute HCl; plastic gives off characteristic odor when heated -- e.g., touched with a hot needle.].

Chalcedony containing disseminated particles of chrysocolla - see Azurlite.

Chalcedony of light color, stained or dyed blue - [superior hardness (H. ~ 7)].

Chinaware, appropriately colored and commonly glazed - [does not look like turquoise, especially when viewed with a handlens.].

Chinese turquoise (a mixture of steatite, calcite and quartz that has been dyed blue) - [The hardnesses of steatite and calcite are less than that of turquoise and the calcite component effervesces with cold dilute HCl.].

Chrysocolla - sintered chrysocolla has been suggested as a simulant -- I have not been able to document such use. - [inferior hardness (H. 1½ -2½)].

Chrysocolla quartz - blue to greenish blue chalcedony from copper deposits of Arizona and central Mexico, most of which is chalcedony with disseminated chrysocolla. - [superior hardness].

Clay, dyed blue - [When breathed on, scratched surfaces have a clayey odor.].

Eilat stone - sometimes marketed as impure turquoise; see CHRYSOCOLLA entry. - [Appearance should be sufficient.].

***Enamel - ceramic material appropriately colored (etc.) has been available since the early 1970s; a necklace consisting of such enamel atop hollow gold spheres is recorded by Crowningshield (1966, p.46). - [Appearance suffices.].

***Faience - appropriately colored faience has been used for "turquoise" beads, etc., especially in the past. - [does not look like turquoise, especially when viewed with a handlens.].

Gibbsite, dyed and in some cases plastic coated. - [inferior hardness (H. 2½ -3½)].

***Glass and frit (usually opacified) - included here are the well-known Hubbell (sometimes spelled Hubble) beads (etc.), according to Lui (1995) "Named for Don Lorenzo Hubbell, a trading post operator in Arizona, the story suggests these were glass beads, made in Czechoslovakia to imitate fine Persian turquoise, and sold to Native Americans as a cheap substitute for the highly valued turquoise ... The name currently applies to any glass bead resembling turquoise or items thought to be Hubbell beads, regardless of where such were made ..." Actually, that all-inclusive attribution is an overstatement: One glass that resembles turquoise, and has been carved and mounted in jewelry, has been marketed as "Japanese vintage turquoise glass." More recently, specialty catalogs have described and illustrated jewelry that includes turquoise-colored (and apparently also surficially patterned) glass that resembles turquoise. - [Small, Included bubbles are common; luster, which if it can be seen, differs markedly -- check, for example, around the holes in beads.].

Hamburger turquoise - name given to an "imitation turquoise," the properties of which I have been unable to find descriptions.

Howlite, dyed blue - According to the "Dictionary of gems and gemology ... " (GIA, 1974) "It [, itself,] is in demand for making bookends, spheres, ashtrays and similar ornamental and utilitarian articles. ... Outstanding localities are Nova Scotia and Tick Canyon, near Saugus, Los Angels Co., California." - [inferior hardness (H. 3½ - 4½)].

Imitation turquoise - name given to otherwise unidentified material in pictured in adverisements in some specialty house catalogs. - [I have not seen this material, so offer no criteria.].

Ivory, powdered, sintered and stained blue to resemble turquoise. - [Both hardness (H.~ 2½) and specific gravity (S.G. < 1.85) are less than those of turquoise].

Jasper, dyed blue. - [superior hardness - see JASPER entry].

***Lacquer - i.e., turquoise -hued lacquer, which is produced, carved, etc. -- using virtually the same procedures described for cinnabar lacquer in the CINNABAR entry -- has been used to produce decorative items such as decorative carved snuff bottles. - [The fact that articles using this material are fashioned atop a background that do not resemble turquoise suffices to distinguish this material from turquoise.].

Lazulite - massive masses of this mineral. - [Typical color differs markedly from typical colors of turquoise.].

Limestone and marble, stained blue, and in some cases plastic coated. - [inferior hardness; effervesces with dilute HCl; if coated, a hot point will melt the plastic.].

***Luroc (also Lauric) - one of the names given to so-called synthetic turquoise. According to J.D. Luker (email received 09/06/01) , the son of J.P. Luker, who formulated the synthesis process, Luroc is "for all practical purposes identical to it [i.e., natural turquoise] in elemental analysis, hardenss (sic) and specific gravity. The only parameter that differs is that of X-ray diffraction." And, he also noted that he is continuing his father's work and hopes, "as soon as is practicable ... to submit a sample [of the product of a significantly improved material] to an appropriate laboratory" to see if he now has a true synthetic turquoise. - [Scientific instruments would apparently be required.].

Magnesite -- i.e., porcelaneous secondary magnesite concretions -- dyed blue, etc. - [inferior hardness (H. 3½ - 4½) and greater specific gravity (S.G. 2.98-3.02)].

Marble, stained blue - see Limestone... listing.

***Mixtures - Recipes for two examples --one of which has been marketed as "Viennese turquois" -- are given by Webster (1957-58). A more recently recorded example is the "Mixture of several materials, the main constituents being silicon dioxide and zinc oxide" (Fryer, 1983). - [Although appearance may suffice, see also the referenced articles.].

Nevada turquoise - see VARISCITE entry. This appellation is somewhat ambiguous in that Nevada turquoise without the quotation marks is a name frequently given to turquoise from Nevada.

Occidental turquoise - term sometimes applied to odontolite; see Bone turquoise.

Odontolite - see Bone turquoise.

***Plaster of Paris (appropriately colored) - [Texture as seen with naked eye or as seen through a handlens differs markedly from that of turquoise.].

***Plastic -diverse largely plastic mixtures -- e.g., with quartz and only minor turquoise -- have been used. - [inferior hardness (H. 1-2)].

***Porcelain and frit- ceramic material appropriately colored (etc.) has been available since the early 1970s. - [Appearance suffices].

Prosopite - turquoise-blue prosopite from the State of Zacatecas, Mexico has been fashioned into items marketed as a turquoise substitute. - [inferior hardness (H. 4½)].

Quartzite, dyed blue - [superior hardness (H. 7)].

***Reconstructed ("molded" or "pressed") turquoise - sintered turquoise and/or chrysocolla and/or variscite OR, more commonly an acrylic plastic saturated with powdered turquoise, + a dye, etc. Four products that exemplify these materials are adco turquoise, neolith, syntho turquoise and turquite (cf. Vienna turquoise). Although these materials are usually made into blocks and sawn for fashioning, at least some of these materials have been molded directly into cabochons, etc. - [If differences are not readily apparent upon macroscopic examination (and they often are not), the fragmentary makeup of many of these materials is usually quite evident under the microscope.].

Sacred turquoise - blue smithsonite. - [See Smithsonite, below, and SMITHSONITE entry.].

Serpentine, dyed blue - [The typical hardness (H. ~ 3) is less than that of turquoise.].

Smithsonite (naturally blue) - [greater specific gravity (S.G. (4.3-4.5)].

***Soap - although not a simulant or meant to be one, it is interesting, I think, that among the soaps made and distributed by Rogue River Soaps & Supplies is “Turquoise in Nag Champa (the flavor),” which appears to closely resemble turquoise (See www.rogueriversoaps.com).

Soapstone (with a blue glaze applied) - according to Ogden (1982), prior to 3000 B.C., turquoise had a blue-glazed steatite as a rather common substitute. - [inferior hardness.].

***"Synthetic turquoise" - Pierre Gilson introduced a synthetic turquoise to the marketplace in the early 1970s. It is often characterized as having a "cream of wheat" texture. Another example is recorded only as from Russia (Koivula, Kammerling and Fritsch, 1994, p.57), and some Vienna turquoise (see below) has also been represented, apparently incorrectly, as synthetic turquoise. - [Any truly synthetic turquoise would very likely have to be distinguished from natural turquoise by non-macroscopic means.].

"Turquoise occidentale" - see Vivianite.

Utah turquoise - variscite from Utah - see VARISCITE entry.

Variscite - see VARISCITE entry.

***Vienna turquoise (Viennese turquoise) - a manufactured, essentially amorphous material, at least some of which may be a reconstructed turquoise. This material, which has the same general composition as turquoise, was once produced in Austria and a few other European countries and sold as a turquoise substitute. - [impossible to distinguish chemically from natural turquoise].

Vivianite (termed "turquoise occidentale," as distinct from "turquoise orientale" that is turquoise per se) - [an unlikely substitue!!; inferior hardness (H.1½ -2) ].

REFERENCES: Arem, 1992; Brown, 1983; Pearl, 1976; Pogue, 1915.

منبع : http://www.cst.cmich.edu/

Turquoise Industry in Disarray

turquose — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:21:49 GMT

TEHRAN, Oct. 2--Persian turquoise, which is extracted from the 2,500-year Nishabour Mine, is the world’s most dazzling and precious gem, reported ILNA on Sunday.
According to Iran Mining House, Mohammad Shahsavari, a member of the Ministry of Industries and Mines department for precious stones, said, however, that the growing inattention of the state to domestic production of turquoise in Iran has led to the smuggling of US, Egyptian and chemical turquoise into the country.
The official said while Iran has the world’s most expensive and highest quality turquoise, foreign-made turquoise is being traded in the country.
“US-produced turquoise has dominated the Mashhad market,“ he noted, adding that turquoise industry is facing serious challenges due to poor investments.
He expressed hope that the illegal import of turquoise from the US would be banned.
Iran’s turquoise reserves stands at 8,000 tons.
Based on archeological findings, Iranians were extracting turquoise some 7,000 years ago and the world’s oldest turquoise statute was crafted in Iran.
“The 7,000-year-old statue of a calf sculptured in turquoise was found in Iran and is now at the Louver Museum in Paris,“ he said, adding that Persian Turquoise is used worldwide as the yardstick for determining the quality of precious stone produced in other countries.
Between 15 and 20 tons of turquoise is extracted annually from an old mine in Nishabour.
The mine, which is the only active one in the country, is operated by the cooperative sector and provides employment for 20 miners.
Turquoise is a copper aluminum phosphate. It occurs naturally in all shades ranging from sky-blue to grey-green, usually in such locations where copper is hidden in the soil in high concentrations. However, only the best quality turquoises show the real turquoise color, which in ordinary stones is normally rather pale, blue-green or greenish. The most beautiful of turquoises in wonderful light blue are found in northeastern Iran.
منبع : http://iran-daily.com/

turquose — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:06:18 GMT

منبع : http://www.firoozeh-iran.com/

The Gemstone Turquoise

turquose — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:00:54 GMT

The Gemstone Turquoise

Chemical composition: CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8*5(H2O)
Hydrated copper aluminum phosphate.
Class: Phosphates
Color: Blue, green, blue-green.
Luster: dull to waxy
Transparency: opaque
Hardness: 5-6.
Refractive index: 1.62
Crystal structure: Triclinic(massive)
Crystal Habits:crystals are rarely large enough to see,
usually massive, cryptocrystalline forms Such as nodules
Cleavage: perfect in two direction, but not often seen
Fracture: conchoidal and smooth
Specific Gravity: 2.6-2.9
Streak: white with a greenish tint
Sources: Iran (Persia), Tibet, China, Egypt,
Arizona and Southwestern United States
Associated Minerals: pyrite. limonite. quartz and clays

Turquoise is one of the oldest known gem materials.

When turquoise first came to the attention of man is unknown. We have archeological as well as literary references that pre date the Christian era by five millennia. The four bracelets of Queen Zar, found on her mummified arm, date to the second ruler of the Egypt's First Dynasty, approximately 5500 BC. Turquoise was used for beads by the Egyptians. Combined with other ornamental stones, the turquoise was inlaid in gold by Sumerians and Egyptians to produce very sophisticated articles of Jewelry.

Large mines were reported around 3,200 BC in the Sinai. The oldest known source of turquoise is the Maghara Wadi mines in the Sinai Peninsula. Mining expeditions of up to several thousand laborers were sent there annually. These mines were worked for the pharaohs for 2000 years. They, were rediscovered in the mid-nineteenth century and worked on and off until the beginning of this century.

Turquoise was worn by Pharaohs and Aztec Kings. Its prized blue color, is so distinctive that its name is used to describe any color that resembles it. Pre-Columbian Indians used turquoise for beads and pendants. From,500 BC Burial grounds, in Central America and Mexico. Teeth were found decorated with turquoise. A tribute to early dentistry as well as a different idea for adornment. It was also extensively used around 200 BC, by both southwestern US Native Americans and by many of the Indian tribes in Mexico.

The Anasazi and Hohokam mined turquoise throughout our Southwest. Absolute evidence exists that these prehistoric people mined turquoise at Cerillos and the Burro Mountains of New Mexico, Kingman and Morenci in Arizona and the Conejos areas of Colorado. Turquoise was a popular trade item. We know this because so much has been found in archeological sites. Many hundreds of miles away from its source. A prime example is the Cerillos, New Mexico, turquoise found with the Aztecs.

The Native American Jewelry or "Indian style" jewelry with turquoise mounted in or with silver is relatively new. Some believe this style of Jewelry was unknown prior to about 1880, when a white trader persuaded a Navajo craftsman to make turquoise and silver jewelry using coin silver. Prior to this time, the Native Americans had made solid turquoise beads, carvings, and inlaid mosaics.

According to American Indians, the stone brought together the spirits of sea and sky to bless warriors and hunters; a turquoise arrowhead assured accurate aim. It was said that a fine turquoise was hidden in the damp ground at the end of the rainbow. A Navajo belief is that a piece of turquoise cast into a river, accompanied by a prayer to the god of rain, will cause rainfall.
The name Turquoise:

may have come from the word Turquie, French for Turkey, because of the early belief that the mineral came from that country (the turquoise most likely came from Alimersai Mountain in Persia (now Iran) or the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, two of the world's oldest known turquoise mining areas.) Another possibility could be the name came from the French description of the gemstone, "pierre turquin" meaning dark blue stone.

For thousands of years the finest intense blue turquoise in the world was found in Persia, and the term "Persian Turquoise" became synonymous with the finest quality.

This changed during the late 1800's and early 1900's when modern miners discovered or rediscovered significant deposits of high-quality turquoise in the western and southwestern United States. Material from many of these deposits was just as fine as the finest "Persian."

Today, the term "Persian Turquoise" is more often a definition of quality. Rather than a statement of origin. The majority of the world's finest-quality turquoise comes from the United States.
Old and New Locations of Turquoise

The mines of Nishapur, in northeastern Iran, described in 1300 AD as having belonged to Isaac, the son of Abraham, supplied turquoise to Europe and Western Asia for centuries, and to the United States for years before production ceased.

While turquoise has been produced in Tibet, China, Australia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Turkestan and Afghanistan, the principal source today is the Southwest region of the United States-New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona. It has also been found in Texas, Colorado and California.

Some of the old Southwest mines were Lander, Lone Mountain, Red Mountain, Morenci, Bisbee, Sleeping Beauty, Old #8, Tyrone and Fox.
The Formula For Turquoise

Chemically, a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminum. Turquoise is usually found in the"alteration zones," of arid or desert regions. These zones are areas where the native, original rocks have been altered through the intrusion of other rocks from some volcanic or other thermal influence. The hydrothermal alteration is created by magma solutions from deep in the earth being forced to the surface through fractures or pores which eventually change the original rocks.

Several steps and processes are necessary to create turquoise. First there must be a source of copper. This occurs in a rather limited number of areas in the world. There must be a source of phosphorus CO-located with the copper. Usually from the mineral, Apatite. Which is not always in rocks associated with copper.

There must also be feldspar for the aluminum. Along with deep hydrothermal alteration. Which breaks down the feldspars and frees the aluminum needed for the turquoise. The phosphorus usually comes from phosphoric acid leached from the Apatite, during the hydrothermal alteration.

The copper is usually introduced into the "host" rocks by the rising hot magma. The copper readily oxidizes near the surface when it is in the hot magma solution. It reacts freely with the aluminum and phosphoric acid to form turquoise.

At this time other minerals enter into the turquoise structure and create color variations. The chemical formula of turquoise is: (CuAl6 (PO4)8 4H2O) this structure will very greatly with the introduction of Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Silicon, and Zinc. These additional elements when incorporated in the molecular structure of turquoise influence its color and hardness. The color of turquoise can vary from a deep blue to a deep green, with every variation of color in-between.

Generally, the more copper in the molecular structure the bluer the turquoise. The introduction of iron causes the greener cast to the stone. Turquoise creation is affected by many other factors too. For example; the best, hardest turquoise is found within 100 feet of the earth's surface

This is not to say that turquoise has not been found in areas without igneous or volcanic activity. Turquoise has been found in the Sinai and in Australia. In these two areas it is found in sandstone and shale.

Its One other key geological activity is called silicification. It too is an act of hydrothermal and intrusive alteration. Here silica, which is a common associate of turquoise, is introduced into the turquoise deposit. This addition and periods of intense heat are responsible for the hardness of the turquoise and frequently the matrix as well.
Physical Properties of Turquoise

Turquoise is opaque and has a Mohs scale hardness that varies greatly. The deeply mined chalk like turquoise may only have a mohs hardness slightly over 2. Where as a gem specimen mined closer to the surface may be up to 6. The hardness varies due to several factors. Environment and matrix are key. In silica verities quartz particles are present and the stone will be hard enough for use as a gem stone. Silicification will strengthen some of the matrix as well.

If silicification has not occurred the turquoise will likely be chalky, porous, and soft. It will not be usable in jewelry without undergoing treatment. Usually stabilization. Stabilization may also be used because moisture will cause turquoise to turn toward green This can occur in the ground or in jewelry by absorbing moisture and oils. This is not unlike blue azurite changing to
green malachite as its creation environment increases its water content.

Turquoise must consist of copper, aluminum and phosphorus. Other elements can replace various percentages of these and change the molecular structure. For example, two very rare minerals, chalcosiderite (where iron replaces the aluminum) and faustite (where zinc replaces the aluminum) do exist in turquoise environments. Usually there will only be a partial replacement of the aluminum with iron and zinc, thus leaving the turquoise altered only in color.
Turquoise: Natural, Treated & Pricing

At best This is a difficult task for even those of us who have been around the business for many years. There are many verities of natural and treated turquoise on the market today. Not to mention a myriad of fake and created turquoise. To make matters even worse. There are many different varieties from different mines, which appeal differently to many peoples. Then there are the closed mines, which give way to the collector type stones.

Our best advice for those interested in natural and collector stones. Is to know your jeweler, know your source. Use jewelers and sources like our selves who have been around a long time and intend to stay awhile longer. It will be a better bargain in the long run.

One thing that an individual can be aware of is stabilization. A hot pin will give off the smell of the resin and leave a deep mark in stones that are just plastic. Many other false stones such as dyed Howelite or the new stove top synthetics can be very deceiving.

Please take note that just plain stabilized turquoise is a natural turquoise, usually in nugget form, that is too porous or soft to hold a luster. It is submerged into a stabilizing compound, most likely an epoxy resin. The natural capillary action of the porous stone draws this stabilizing compound throughout the stone. It is then dried, cut, drilled, cabbed, etc. and prepared for jewelry. The turquoise has not been altered. The pores of the stone have been filled with a clear resin that makes the stone usable.

If this type of turquoise was not on the market, many jewelry artisans would not be employed. It allows wide diversity. For example, necklaces of tiny turquoise beads now can be made and tiny inlay is possible. Colors will not change because the pores are sealed. It is not practical to use a high-grade natural stone for heishe. For example, too much turquoise is wasted in the grinding and the resultant bead will be fragile and will eventually change color as well.

Once again there are draw backs on pricing these. Some stabilized turquoise is "color shot" or "color stabilized", Color stabilized, is misleading because it infers that it is the natural color which is "stabilized." This of course is not true, color has been added. This is not necessarily bad, as jewelry making is art, this color enhancement can improve the appearance of the piece. It goes without saying. The value is less than if the turquoise was naturally the color desired.

Also synthetic turquoise, frequently chemically perfect, has appeared on the market in some quantity. This is literally stovetop turquoise. It has a very natural matrix created by placing stones in the "batter" or sprinkling in pyrite, etc. When the mix is cut then cabbed these foreign additives, which are real, add to the illusion that the entire stone is natural.

As mentioned above this may not be all bad. Allot of jewelry is just fun stuff. We use it to adorn and accessorize ourselves. These days there is allot of turquoise jewelry on the market in the $25-$100 range. Most of which is imported and priced well below what it should be, for just the metal work.

Turquoise is considered a precious stone. At one time in history superior specimens were valued by weight, more than gold. Today it ranges from a few cents per carat to over $50.00 per carat for a superb gem stone. It is widely regarded as our nation's "national stone."

In conclusion, there is allot of natural turquoise still on the market today Just be aware that most of it is from currently operating mines. Such as some of the Chinese and our own Morenci mine. These are still relatively inexpensive. Somewhere between $2 and $5 per CT.
Perhaps a good investment for the future.

Turquoise Mirth & Myth

Color enhancement has existed for thousands of years. In ancient times a common way to enhance turquoise. Was to submerge the stone in animal or vegetable oil and let it dry. It. Would then have a luster that did not previously exist. This would not last for a very long and the certain advent of oil stains appearing, when worn. Prompted the seller to leave the area shortly after the sale.

Turquoise became a major trade and barter item for the early Persians. Persian turquoise was found in ancient graves in Turkistan, and in the first to third century AD, in graves throughout the Caucausus. Persian stones were much coveted in Afghanistan, and as far north as Siberia.

The finest color, sometimes referred to as Persian, is an even robin's egg blue. The ancients preferred blue because a gem-grade blue stone would not change color (King Tut's treasures include a substantial amount of this type of blue turquoise and it appears unchanged today.

The less hard blues would eventually shade towards green. At this point in history green was not as good. Time has proven this wrong. Some green hued turquoise such as Skyhorse, China Mountain (both are names given to turquoise from China), Cerillos, Blue Gem, Fox, to name a few are ranked in the top three grades.

Turquoise may be fashioned to include portions of the rock in which it was found. This rock is referred to as matrix. The matrix often forms a pattern called "spiderweb," which many people prefer. Rather than clear blue stones without matrix.

Although not specifically mentioned in the Bible, scholars believe that the robe worn by the high priest Aaron was adorned with turquoise. Aristotle, Pliny and others refer to stones that must have been turquoise. After the fourth or fifth century AD, many writings appeared discussing the stone. Explorers such as Marco Polo took time to write about it.

Turquoise jewelry, has always been popular in the Orient. Tibet also had it's own source of turquoise usually a green cast, very hard stone. It has a significant amount of spider webbing. Turquoise was a highly revered item to the Tibetans who ranked them in six grades, the most expensive valued well above gold. Every Tibetan wore or carried a piece of turquoise throughout life. Turquoise was used for currency in many areas of Tibet.

The history of turquoise in China dates to the thirteenth century AD Although mining did exist, most stone came from trade with the Persians, Turks, Tibetans, and the Mongols. Much Chinese turquoise was used for carving and in other art and decorative ways. It never became a precious stone for the Chinese as was Jade for example. Turquoise was unknown until the 18th Century in Japan.

Turquoise was not of great import in early and medieval Europe. However, as Asian conquests and incursions into Europe, occurred. Seventeenth century Englishmen traveling there. Brought the style back with them, but not until Victorian time was it fashionable for European women to wear the stone. Victorian and Art Nouveau jewelry featured a good deal of turquoise.

Ancient doctors exploited the stone's medicinal potentials. These varied from land to land and age to age. It was thought to prevent injury through accident, prevent blindness by placing perfect stones over the eyes. It was ground into a salve or powder. It was rubbed on or ingested to cure stomach disorders, internal bleeding, ailments of the hip. Even for bites and stings. From snakes and scorpions.

It found its way into the mystic arts. Its color could forecast good or bad, predict the weather and influence dreams. It was good for nearly every ailment including insanity. As a good luck talisman it found usage in nearly every culture. The Egyptians also mounted turquoise in silver to treat eyes suffering from cataract. Since the fourteenth century, harnesses of dogs, horses and other animals have been decorated with turquoise to protect the animal and master from falling injuries.
Turquoise has been believed to confer foresight as well as protect the wearer from danger. In various countries, it is believed to fade when illness or danger is near. Another belief is that a fading stone indicates a lover's faithlessness or a friend's disaffection. In many cultures, the stone is regarded as a harbinger of good fortune, success and health.

Aztecs and Egyptians considered it a symbol of prosperity. In India, one was to wear a turquoise on the little finger and look at the stone after seeing the new moon to gain great wealth. The turquoise from Iran is characteristically an intense medium blue color and takes a fine polish. American and Mexican turquoises range from light blue to greenish-blue to bluish-green. Egyptian turquoise contains more green, showing greenish-blue to yellowish-green.

Turquoise was likely found and used by early man. Certainly the prehistoric peoples of the Western hemisphere knew of turquoise. Turquoise has been found in burial and archeological sites throughout the two continents. It seems clear that turquoise was always considered a stone of life and good fortune and it even had healing properties. The stone was used in religion, art, trade, treaty negotiations as well as for jewelry. It was considered by some tribes to be associated with life itself. Tuequoise is the Birthstone for December & the 11th anniversary.

منبع : http://www.minerals-n-more.com

wild about turquoise

turquose — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:52:18 GMT

Never out of style, but currently more popular than ever, turquoise is a star with a host of imitators.
By Liz Kuhns

The effective use of turquoise with jade, ostrich shell, and silver.

Suddenly the vibrant hues of turquoise are taking the fashion world by storm — yet again. Flashes of bright blue is to be seen everywhere, mixed with silver, amber, coral, jade, and all sorts of media. The color is everywhere, but the stone is not; those bright flashes may be natural turquoise, but also might be any of a number of imitations — glass, plastic, other stones of similar appearance, or even dyed organic matter, such as coconut husks.

It is the natural turquoise mineral though, that has withstood the test of time, surging in and out of the fashion limelight like a pendulum, yet never really losing its popularity, just being more popular at certain times than others. From as far back as 6,000 B.C., turquoise has been mined, traded, and revered by ancient cultures in Egypt, Persia, Turkey, and China as well as in the New World, by the Aztecs, Incas, and tribes of the southwestern United States and Mexico.

The popularity of the color of turquoise also extends to plastic beads and dyed coconut husks, seen here with traditional African glass trade beads.

One of the oldest gemstones known in history, turquoise had the honor of being part of the famous Breastplate of the Hebrew High Priest Aaron, an artifact synonymous with the glory and the mystique of the Holy Grail. Highly considered by Tibetans and Asians as a powerful stone to protect against evil, turquoise was also thought to bring prosperity into the wearer’s life. As a birthstone for December, which carries the zodiac sign Sagittarius, how interesting that Roman and ancient European cultures linked turquoise with horses; turquoise supposedly would protect the wearer from falling from horses, and arrows tipped with turquoise would always hit their mark.

Did you know that no English gentleman of the 17th century was regarded as well dressed or well adorned unless he wore jewelry of turquoise? This stone was so highly valued that all 79 of the emeralds in the crown that Napoleon I gave his consort Empress Marie Louise were replaced with Persian turquoise cabochons.

Natural Chinese turquoise beads.

Throughout the centuries, the intense sky-blue Iranian turquoise, known as “Persian turquoise,” has been the most sought after. This is a clear, even blue color with no evidence of green, nor any signs of black veins. As recently as the ‘70s, top-quality turquoise was fetching prices of $2,000 for a 15x20mm piece. Hard to believe.

Quality turquoise has also been discovered in the southwestern United States, but prices will probably never reach such highs again due to scandalous misrepresentation of the stone over the years.

A beautiful turquoise pendant.

Today the term “Persian turquoise” is interpreted more as a description of color quality than an indication of source. Other high color quality terms are “robin’s egg blue” or “sky blue”; in fact, the bluer the color, the higher the value.

OFTEN IMITATED.
So, how does one select good-quality natural turquoise and not get caught by natural substitutes or the multitude of synthetics and imitations that have infiltrated the industry over the years?

As with the majority of colored stones, transparent and opaque alike, most turquoise undergoes various enhancement processes, often to stabilize the material. Some methods are accepted, others are seen as deceptive, all are common practices to improve lower-quality stones.

Colored plastic impregnation is used to turn nearly white, porous stones blue and improve durability. Wax impregnation seals the pores and deepens the color. Dyeing with black liquid shoe polish is used to imitate matrix. Backing thin pieces with epoxy adds thickness and weight.

A bracelet of compressed turquoise and two howlite pendants, one natural, one dyed.

Cavities are filled with an epoxy mixed with tiny pieces of yellow metal to imitate pyrite inclusions. Surfaces are coated with lacquer to add color or disguise dyes. All treatments can be detected under magnification, with an acetone swab, or by holding a hot electric needle close to the stone, causing the enhancement to sweat to the surface of the stone. Touching a plastic-impregnated stone with a hot point will give off an acrid smell.

Of all the natural substitutes, there are a few common culprits. To distinguish between these and natural turquoise, it is always good to know a bit of gemology.

“Gem chrysocolla” is actually a part of the chalcedony group of stones, in which the mineral chrysocolla is finely disseminated, giving the chalcedony an intense medium blue green color. However, the refractive index (RI) of chalcedony is 1.53 to 1.54, much lower than that of turquoise at 1.61 to 1.65. You can test the RI with a refractometer to find out whether it’s chalcedony or turquoise. Whether it’s chrysocolla masquerading as turquoise or the other way around will depend on which is of higher value — at the moment, you’re more liable to see turquoise dressed up as the more valuable chrysocolla.

LEFT: An amazonite cabochon showing the distinctive mottled coloring and gridlike pattern typical to this stone and not found in turquoise. RIGHT: A variscite cabochon, showing its mottled apearance.

Amazonite also resembles turquoise and is light green to greenish blue in color with a distinctive mottling and gridlike pattern not seen in turquoise. It also has a refractive index of 1.52 to 1.53, much lower than that of turquoise, and shows an uneven or splintery fracture as opposed to the conchoidal or granular fracture of turquoise.

Variscite often has a veined or mottled appearance with a yellowish-brown matrix, a close enough resemblance to have earned the misnomers of Nevada or Californian “turquoise.” However, its refractive reading of 1.56 to 1.59 is much lower than that of turquoise and it will appear pinkish when viewed through a color filter, whereas turquoise shows no color change through a filter. Variscite’s color should be a deterrent in itself, as it resembles that of only poor-quality turquoise.

A cascade of beads of Sleeping Beauty turquoise. The material was enhanced using the Zachary Treatment Process, a method that doesn’t use resins, oils, paraffin, or dyes. Photo courtesy Sterling Turquoise.

Howlite is a naturally opaque white stone with a dark, spiderweb matrix appearance, similar to that of turquoise and therefore commonly dyed to imitate the more expensive stone. A quick and easy test to separate the two is a color filter; viewed through a filter, dyed howlite will appear pink or red. Howlite also has the lower refractive index of 1.58 to 1.60 to that of turquoise. As a third test, albeit a destructive one, a drop of hydrochloric acid on an obscure spot on dyed howlite will attack the stone and leave a distinct dull spot.

Synthetic turquoise is virtually identical to natural turquoise but will show artificial-looking matrix as well as a distinctive darker blue, spotty appearance on a lighter background, visible under 30 to 50x magnification. This appearance is better known as the “cream of wheat” effect and is a dead give-away.

Glass imitations will show a vitreous luster on small fractures as opposed to the waxy luster of the natural stone. Glass and plastic imitations will show signs of tiny bubbles under magnification. Touching plastic imitation turquoise with a hot point will melt the surface and emit an acrid odor.

Keep it Clean

Due to its natural porosity, natural turquoise, if neglected, can change color to such an extent that it can sometimes be mistaken for green jade. It is therefore essential to take good care of turquoise. Natural turquoise is one of the most valuable non-transparent minerals in the jewelry trade. It deserves all the tender loving care it can get.

Never clean turquoise in an ultrasonic or a steam cleaner. Avoid exposing it to heat or chemicals and remember, blue turquoise is known to turn green after prolonged exposure to perspiration, soap, skin oils, hand lotion, and cosmetics. -- LK

Another practice, one that can trace its origins back to 2000 B.C., is that of reconstituted turquoise. Known as faience during the Egyptian period, the material consisted of a quartz paste that was shaped, glazed, and fired to resemble sky-blue turquoise. Today, reconstituted turquoise consists of pulverized turquoise rock, mixed with resin and injected into a mold to form a solid brick, which is then shaped. Pulverized pyrite is sometimes added to better imitate natural turquoise.

Scary, isn’t it?

Don’t despair, though. The best solution is to buy your turquoise from a reputable dealer who won’t hesitate to discuss treatments with you and supply you with a written guarantee that your purchase is nothing else but natural turquoise. Such dealers are out there.

منبع : http://www.lapidaryjournal.com

12 ماه 12 سنگ

turquose — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:40:23 GMT

سنگها مي توانند شما را جادو کنند و بر فعاليت هايتان تاثير بگذارند. اگر در درستي اين قضيه ترديد داريد در موقعيتي که نياز به شجاعت داريد يک تکه سنگ «حديد» با خود حمل کنيد تا اثر آن را به چشم ببينيد. يا مي توانيد براي اينکه عشق بين خود و همسرتان را افزايش دهيد گردن بندي از لاجورد به گردن بياويزيد، چون لاجورد عشق و دوستي را زياد مي کند.
- هر يک از سنگهاي موجود در طبيعت خاصيتي ويژه و منحصر به فرد دارد. انرژي از امواج کيهاني عبور مي کند و به واسطه سنگهايي که بر گردن آويخته ايد يا به نحوي با بدن شما در تماس قرار گرفته اند به شما منتقل مي شود. علاوه بر اين دانشمندان بر اين باورند که هر سنگ با متولد ماه خاصي ارتباط بيشتر و بهتري برقرار مي کند و مي تواند براي درمان بيماريها يا متعادل کردن قواي روحي و دماغي او مثمر ثمر باشد. به خاطر داشته باشيد که براي متولدين هرماه، علاوه بر سنگ مخصوص خود او، ممکن است چندين سنگ ديگر هم مفيد باشد. شما سنگ ها را چقدر مي شناسيد و درباره آنها چه اطلاعاتي داريد؟

فروردين
الماس، يکي از گرانبهاترين و زيباترين سنگهاي موجود در طبيعت با متولدين فروردين ارتباط بيشتري برقرار مي کند. اين سنگ اعتماد به نفس را افزايش مي دهد و احساس شکست ناپذيري را در انسان تقويت مي کند.الماس يکي از قديمي ترين سنگهاي موجود در طبيعت است که خاصيت تصفيه کنندگي دارد و مخصوصا روي کارکرد کليه ها و مثانه اثر مثبتي مي گذارد. علاوه بر آن کارايي و قدرت سنگهاي ديگر را هم افزايش مي دهد. فراموش نکنيد متولد هر ماهي هستيد و از هر سنگي استفاده مي کنيد افزودن الماس به گردن بند خود را از ياد نبريد.

ارديبهشت
سنگ متولدين ماه مياني بهار، زمرد است. زمرد از زمان خيلي دور به عنوان سنگ درماني به کار مي رفته است. يکي از مهم ترين ويژگي هاي آن اين است که روح و جسم را با هم متعادل مي کند. اين سنگ روي تيروئيد و تصلب شرائين اثر مي گذارد و در مورد بيماراني که پارکينسون دارند يا مبتلا به صرع هستند روند درمان را بهبود مي بخشد. زمرد فشار خون و بيماري قلبي را نيز کنترل مي کند. در زمان هاي گذشته براي درمان بچه هاي کوچک هنگامي که به تب مبتلا مي شدند مورد استفاده قرار مي گرفته است. اين سنگ ادراکات شهودي را افزايش مي دهد و در ايجاد نبوغ تاثير دارد. يوگي ها و کساني که مديتيشن مي کنند اعتقاد دارند وقتي زمرد همراه دارند زودتر به تمرکز مي رسند.

خرداد
سنگ اختصاصي متولدين خرداد ماه مرواريد است. به مرواريد، داروي جادويي نيز مي گويند.
اين سنگ روي اعصاب و کليه عضلات اثر مثبت مي گذارد و بيماريهاي ناشي از کمبود کلسيم را برطرف مي کند. مرواريد نيروي حيات را افزايش مي دهد و ضد اضطراب عمل مي کند.
علاوه بر آن همراه داشتن مرواريد باعث ميشود قوه ابتکار شما بهتر عمل کند و خلاقيتتان افزايش يابد.

تير
سنگ متولدين نخستين ماه تابستان «گارنت» است که به رنگ تيره و شبيه ياقوت قرمز در طبيعت ديده مي شود. گارنت سنگ حامي مسافريني است که با کشتي سفر مي کنند. اين سنگ براي استحکام ديواره هاي سرخرگ، تقويت چشم و درمان سرطان در مراحل اوليه آن کارايي دارد. اثرات اين سنگ ميان زنان بيشتر نمايان مي شود. گارنت بيماريهاي زنانگي را بهبود مي بخشد و بر درمان اختلالات قاعدگي اثر مثبت مي گذارد.

مرداد
پريدوت و اونيکس سنگهاي متولدين مرداد ماه هستند. اونيکس سنگي شبيه عقيق است که به رنگ سياه يافت مي شود. اين سنگ براي درمان اعتياد مورد مصرف دارد. به نظر مي رسد از آن جا که اونيکس اعتماد به نفس و دلگرمي را افزايش مي دهد از گرايش افراد به سوي اعتياد مي کاهد. اونيکس روي سياهرگها و مفاصل بخصوص در افرادي که که دچار نقرس هستند اثر مثبتي مي گذارد و از لحاظ رواني موجب ازدياد هماهنگي روحي انسان مي شود.

شهريور
ياقوت کبود سنگ مخصوص متولدين شهريور ماه است. اين سنگ داراي خاصيت شفابخشي است و روي سلول هاي پوست، مو و ناخن خيلي تاثير مي گذارد. ياقوت کبود از ريزش مو جلوگيري مي کند و سيستم عصبي را بهبود مي بخشد. اين سنگ درد را کاهش مي دهد و براي بيماريهاي مزمني مثل روماتيسم و نقرس اثر مثبت دارد. علاوه بر آن براي درمان سرگيجه و جلوگيري از خونريزي زخم ها به کار مي رود.

مهر
متولدين مهر ماه مي توانند از سنگهاي مونستون و اوپال استفاده کنند. مونستون چندين رنگ دارد .
سفيد مايل به آبي، مايل به سبز و مايل به صورتي آن در طبيعت يافت مي شود.
سنگي است که روي اختلالات هورموني خيلي تاثير مثبتي دارد بخصوص شير مادران را افزايش مي دهد. اين سنگ روي تيروئيد هم اثر مثبت دارد و باعث مي شود موانع احساسي شخص از بين برود.
اوپال از خانواده عقيق است و سنگي است که در کشور استراليا به دست مي آيد.
اين سنگ روي التهابات روده و معده موثر است و بر جريان خون نيز اثر مي گذارد.
از اين سنگ به طلسم خوشبختي نيز ياد شده است. در گذشته مرسوم بوده که از اشخاص مبتلا به افسردگي ، در خواست مي کردند به اوپال سياه نگاه کنند چون اعتقاد داشتند اين کار افسردگي آنها را از بين مي برده است.

آبان
سيترين و ياقوت قرمز سنگ هاي متولدين اين ماه هستند. ياقوت قرمز براي بيماريهاي ويروسي و اپيدمي ، همچنين درمان تب مفيد است. اين سنگ بيحسي و رخوت را از بين مي برد و از زايمان زودرس جلوگيري مي کند. ياقوت قرمز ايمني بدن را افزايش مي دهد و از لحاظ رواني هم باعث رهايي از وابستگي هاي رواني مي شود. از زمان قديم متداول بوده که به زوجهاي جوان توصيه مي شده اين سنگ را براي وفاي بيشتر نسبت به شريک زندگي به گردن بياويزند..

آذر
رسيديم به متولدين آذرماه و سنگ فيروزه. از سنگ فيروزه به عنوان سنگ حامي ياد شده است.
معروف است که در اروپا خلبانان و مهمانداران هواپيما براي ايمني در سفر از فيروزه استفاده مي کنند.
چون اين سنگ از سقوط جلوگيري مي کند. فيروزه بر روي عملکرد نادرست کبد اثر مي گذارد و قدرت و سوي چشم را افزايش مي دهد.
فيروزه ضد افسردگي است، نشاط آور مي آورد و التهبات پوستي را فرو مي نشاند.

دي
نکته عجيبي است! متولدين دي ماه سنگ مخصوص به خود ندارند اما در عوض همه سنگها با تمام خواصشان براي آنها مفيد هستند.
پس آزاد هستيد با توجه به علاقه و تمايلتان هر سنگي را که مي خواهيد انتخاب کنيد.

بهمن
آماتيست، سنگ کريستالي بنفشي که به اضطراب پايان مي دهد سنگ متولدين بهمن ماه است.
اين سنگ ضد اضطراب و کابوس است و براي کساني که بدخواب هستند يا مدام کابوس مي بينند توصيه شده است.
تجربه نشان داده است که افراد مضطرب وقتي آماتيست همراه خود دارند به آرامش مي رسند

اسفند
متولدين آخرين ماه سال با مرجان پيوند برقرار مي کنند.
مرجان از گياه دريايي به دست مي آيد و از رنگ قرمز پررنگ تا گل بهي و صورتي يافت مي شود.
چون منشاء آن کلسيم است روي بيماري استخوانها بخصوص راشيتيسم تاثير مثبت مي گذارد. مرجان براي استحکام دندانها مفيد است و انعطاف پذيري را هم تقويت مي کند.
متولدين اسفندي که به راحتي نمي توانند خود را با محيط وفق دهند با همراه داشتن مرجان مي توانند بر اين ضعف فائق آيند.

قديمى ترين فيروزه جهان در نيشابور كشف شد

turquose — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:37:56 GMT

مشهد، خبرنگار«ايران»: يك قطعه سنگ فيروزه منحصر به فرد كه توسط انسان تراش داده شده است در نيشابور كشف شد.
اين سنگ گرانبها به همراه اسكلت مكشوفه از عمق ۳‎/۵ مترى محوطه پيش از تاريخ واقع در ۲۰ كيلومترى شرق نيشابور به دست آمد.
قدمت اسكلت به ۵ هزار و پانصد سال پيش مى رسد كه با يك پوشش گل اخرى (قرمز رنگ) كه بيشتر جنبه آئينى داشته، كشف شده است. بر روى كمر اسكلت يك قطعه فيروزه تراش داده شده، قرار داشته كه نشان مى دهد در چندين هزار سال قبل، سنگ فيروزه به عنوان يك شى ء تزئينى و با ارزش در نيشابور استفاده مى شده است.
«محمد اسماعيل اعتمادى» مدير اداره ميراث فرهنگى نيشابور گفت: با نمونه بردارى از اسكلت و انجام آزمايش هاى كربن ۱۴ و DNA بزودى جنسيت و قدمت دقيق آن به دست خواهد آمد. هم اكنون اين مكشوفه به موزه باستان شناسى منتقل و مراحل تثبيت آن توسط كارشناسان در حال انجام است.
فيروزه سنگى گرانبها و كمياب است و يكى از دلايل عمده شهرت نيشابور داشتن بهترين نوع فيروزه جهان در دل كوه ها است به طورى كه نيشابور را شهر فيروزه هاى درشت دانسته اند.

درمان با سنگ هاى شفابخش

turquose — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:36:37 GMT

در گفت وگو با پريچهر رحيمى محقق واستاد دانشگاه مطرح شد

گفت و گو : مريم سامانى
سنگها و اثراتى كه بر بدن ما دارند از قرون گذشته در كشورهاى مختلف و نزد مردم آن مورد توجه بوده است.
انسان از همان زمانها پيوسته بيماريها و مشكلاتى را كه داشته است با استفاده از طبيعت و امكانات موجود اطرافش به درمان مى نشسته است. اكنون پس از سالها اين اثرات شفابخشى سنگها دوباره مورد توجه انسان متمدن قرار گرفته است به طورى كه با وجود پيشرفتهاى زيادى كه در زمينه هاى گوناگون بشر به آن نائل آمده است اكنون وى پى برده كه غفلت از طبيعت او را از بسيارى از موهبت هاى الهى را گذارده است.
بخش اول مصاحبه با پريچهر رحيمى در خصوص اثرات شفابخشى و سنگهاى بخشنده را خوانديد. در اين قسمت ادامه توضيحات را در خصوص سنگهاى شفابخش بخوانيد:
* براى تقويت صفت هاى خوب و ويژه آيا سنگى وجود دارد؟
- اوپال (Opal) با طيف هاى نورى رنگين كمانى كه دارد در رنگهاى گوناگون يافت مى شود. محل كشف آن استراليا، برزيل، مجارستان، چكسلواكى مى باشد. براى چاكراى تاج سر استفاده مى شود. اين سنگ به طلسم خوشبختى معروف است و براى هنرپيشگان و موسيقيدانان مناسب است. اين سنگ متعلق به متولدين فروردين، آبان، آذر و بهمن مى باشد. اوپال براى درمان ناراحتى هاى معده، روده، جريان خون بسيار مفيد است. گلبول هاى قرمز خون را افزايش مى دهد. اوپال سفيد چشم هاى مارا بر زندگى و افكار درونى باز مى كند و باعث تقويت صفت هاى خوب مى شود.
* چه سنگى براى تمركز و آرامش و تقويت حواس مفيد است؟
- فلورين (Florine) در رنگهاى سفيد، آبى كمرنگ، سبز، زرد و بنفش يافت مى شود. رنگ آبى روشن آن براى متولدين بهمن و بنفش آن براى متولدين اسفند مناسب است. از فلورين براى چاكراى تاج سر و چاكراى پيشانى مى توان استفاده كرد. قدرت كشش اين سنگ در تمركز بسيار زياد است. اين سنگ احساس و الهام ما را در برابر مسائل زندگى، دوست يابى و مسؤوليت پذيرى تقويت مى كند و يكى از مناسب ترين سنگها براى انجام مديتيشن است و براى تمركز و تقويت حواس بسيار مفيد است و روى افراد مبتلا به سندرم داون يا منگوليسم تأثير بسيار خوبى دارد. براى بيماريهاى استخوانى و عوارض زخم ها مفيد است و بخصوص براى كودكان در حال رشد كه نياز به جذب مواد معدنى و شيميايى غذاها دارند كمك مى كند. اين سنگ را ماهى يك يا دو بار در آب بشوييد و در معرض نور خورشيد قرار دهيد.
* آيا سنگى وجود دارد كه غصه را از انسان دور كند؟
- پريدوت (Peridot) به رنگ سبز يا سبز زيتونى است. متعلق به چاكراى قلب است. به متولدين ماه هاى خرداد و مرداد مربوط است. براى درمان اگزما مى توان چند قطعه سنگ پريدوت را ۱۲ ساعت در يك ليوان روغن فشرده شده خنك (از شب تا صبح) قرار دهيد بعد با يك گاز اين محلول را روى محلهاى مورد نظر بماليد. حتماً دقت كنيد كه پوست را مالش ندهيد. اگر دوست داشته باشيد مى توانيد به جاى روغن زيتون از يك ليوان آب استفاده كنيد. بعد از هر بار استفاده حتماً اين سنگها را در زير جريان آب بشوييد و در معرض خورشيد قرار دهيد. اين سنگ ما را در برابر تأثير ديگران محافظت مى كند و قدرت مبارزه و ايستادگى مى دهد و اندوه و غصه را دور مى كند. داشتن گردنبندى از پريدوت به گردن مانند انرژى محركه اى براى كسانى است كه به زمان اهميت مى دهند. اين سنگ براى ناراحتى هاى قلبى و پوستى و ناراحتى هاى داخلى مؤثر است. بافت ها را اصلاح و استخوان ها را قوى مى كند.
* عقيق چه خاصيتى دارد؟
- عقيق (Agate) يكى از قديمى ترين سنگ هاى شناخته شده و به كار گرفته شده از دوران بسيار كهن تا به امروز است. اين سنگ براى چاكراى خاجى استفاده مى شود كه اگر نارنجى باشد بهتر است. مربوط به متولدين ارديبهشت و آبان است. زمانى كه چشمهايتان خيلى خسته است مى توانيد روى پلكهايتان قطعه اى عقيق قرار داده و به مدت بيست دقيقه در همان حال باقى بمانيد. پس از مصرف عقيق را در آب جارى بشوييد و مى توانيد در اشعه خورشيد نيز قرار دهيد. ارتعاشات منفى را از شما دور مى كند و قدرت بيان را آسان مى كند. اين سنگ براى درمان سر درد، پشت درد، گرفتگى عضلانى، دردهاى كليه، پروستات، روده، كبد، ريه و معده مفيد است.
* چه سنگى انسان افسرده و خشمگين و غمگين را از نظر روحى كنترل مى كند؟
- سيترين (Citrine) از سبز متمايل به زرد تا زرد متمايل به قهوه اى ديده مى شود. اين سنگ مناسب شبكه خورشيدى است و مربوط به ماه هاى خرداد، ارديبهشت، مرداد و شهريور است.
براى كسانى كه غمگين و افسرده و خشمگين هستند مفيد است، هوشيارى ما را در برابر كوتاهى ها نسبت به خودمان كه باعث آسيب پذيرى مان شده افزايش مى دهد. با حمايت اين سنگ احساس تازه اى نسبت به زندگى پيدا مى كنيم. مشكلات غده اى را تسكين مى دهد و سوخت و ساز بدن را متعادل مى كند و براى دستگاه گوارش خون و تقويت اعصاب مفيد است.
* سنگى وجود دارد كه باعث خوش شانسى شود؟
- سنگ ماه (Moon Stone) به رنگ زرد متمايل به نارنجى است. اين سنگ براى چاكراى دوم استفاده مى شود. اين سنگ براى درمان اختلالات هورمونى خانم ها بسيار مفيد است. در بارورى و ازدياد شير مادر مؤثر است. مادران مى توانند اين سنگ را برگردن آويزند بطورى كه بين دو سينه قرار گيرد و با خود داشته باشند البته در زير تابش قرص كامل سعى كنيد از اين سنگ استفاده نكنيد. از مسافران حمايت مى كند و معتقدند كه اين سنگ شانس مى آورد، براى غدد زنانگى بسيار مفيد است، الهامات و حساسيت را زياد مى كند و براى مديتيشن نيز مناسب است. اين سنگ را با آب بشوييد و در زير تابش نور خورشيد قرار دهيد.
* فيروزه از قديم الايام در بين ما ايرانيان جايگاه ويژه اى داشته است از خاصيت هاى درمانى اين سنگ بگوييد.
- فيروزه (Turquoise) به رنگهاى آبى فيروزه اى، آبى متمايل به سبز در طبيعت يافت مى شود. اين سنگ باعث نشاط و شادى مى شود. اعتماد به نفس را زياد مى كند و انسان را در برابر كابوس ها، خواب هاى آشفته، ارتعاشات منفى و زيان بار حمايت مى كند و به قول برخى طلسم صاحب آن است. اين سنگ براى تمام بيمارى هايى كه در اثر كمبود مواد غذايى ايجاد شده مفيد است و عملكردهاى نادرست كبد- التهابات غدد ريوى- بيماريهاى تنفسى و قلب را اصلاح مى كند. اين سنگ به متولدين اسفند تعلق دارد و مناسب براى چاكراى گلو است. فيروزه را مى توانيد به مدت ده دقيقه بر روى چاكراى كودكانى كه حمام كرده اند قرار دهيد.
فيروزه را از عطر - آب - صابون - روغن و نور خورشيد دور نگه داريد. براى تميز كردن و شارژ آن را داخل نمك دريا قرار دهيد.
* مرواريد نيز سنگى است كه مورد پسند اكثر خانمها است در اين مورد هم توضيح دهيد.
- اين سنگ آهكى در داخل صدف شكل مى گيرد. در رنگهاى سفيد - زرد طلايى - خاكسترى - سياه يا صورتى يافت مى شود. گردنبندى از اين سنگ را اگر همراه داشته باشيد شما را در برابر نگون بختى حمايت مى كند. مرواريد نشانه متولدين ماههاى تير، مهر، اسفند و مرواريد سياه متعلق به متولدين دى ماه مى باشد. اين سنگها را محبوس نكنيد چون در خشندگى خود را از دست مى دهند. اين سنگها را يك بار در ماه در نمك خالص دريا تميز كنيد. مرواريد نگرانى و اضطراب را از بين مى برد. مرواريد براى زخم معده- ناراحتى هاى روده- سردرد مفيد است. چشم ها را تقويت مى كند براى تقويت طحال و غدد فوق كليوى مؤثر است كمبود كلسيم را جبران مى كند.
* لاجورد چه خاصيتى دارد؟
- لاجورد (Lapis - Lazwi) از جمله سنگهايى است كه انسان هزاران سال پيش به آن دست يافته و از آن زيورهاى گوناگونى براى خود ساخته است. رنگ آن آبى تيره و به متولدين ماههاى آذر، دى، بهمن و اسفند تعلق دارد. آگاهى ما را بالا مى برد و به عنوان سنگ عشق و دوستى معرفى شده، افسردگى را از بين برده و شادى را جايگزين مى كند، براى فشار خون بالا بسيار خوب است، تب را كاهش مى دهد عمل ريه ها، لنف ها وغده تيروئيد را تقويت مى كند و براى تميز كردن آن بهتر است آن را در نمك خشك دريا قرار دهيد.
* ياقوت كبود چه خاصيت درمانى دارد؟
- ياقوت كبود (Sophir) يكى از سنگهاى مناسب براى مديتيشن است. شما را در تصميماتتان حمايت مى كند. اين سنگ با ارتعاشات خود انرژى صاحبش را تقويت مى كند. ياقوت كبود سنگ عقل، واقعيت و خرد است. اين سنگ را براى از بين بردن بيخوابى كه موجب ناراحتى هاى عصبى مى شود، بايد روى چاكراى پيشانى يا چشم سوم قرار داد. براى بسيارى از بيماريها از جمله ناراحتى هاى پوستى- مو- ناخن سوزش معده و ناراحتى هاى مزمن گوش - فك - سينوسها- تومورها- سرگيجه بسيار مؤثر است. براى كودكانى كه دچار لكنت زبان هستند مى توانند آن را به همراه كلسدوئين (Calcedoine) به گردن خود بياويزند. براى تخليه اين سنگ را در نمك خشك دريا قرار دهيد و در حدود يك ساعت بگذاريد در نور خورشيد شارژ شود. اين سنگ به متولدين ارديبشهت، شهريور، اسفند، آبى تيره آن به آذر و آبى روشن آن به خرداد تعلق دارد.
* در مورد سنگ كهربا بگوييد.
- سنگ كهربا (Ambre) از فسيل صمغ درختان كاج تشكيل مى شود و قدمت آن به ميليونها سال مى رسد. به رنگ زرد و زرد متمايل به قهوه اى عسلى است. آلرژى هايى را كه در اثر عوامل محيط به وجود مى آيد شفا مى دهد. براى دندان درد كودكان و ناراحتى ريشه دندان بزرگ سالان مفيد است و سوخت و ساز بدن را افزايش مى دهد، براى ناراحتى هاى چشم - گوش - گلو - عفونت ها - مجارى تنفسى - زخمها و التهابات پاو زانو مفيد است. كهربا نيروى اراده را افزايش و ما را از نيروهاى خودمان آگاه مى سازد. كهربا سنگ متولدين خرداد، مرداد و شهريور است. به چاكراى شبكه خورشيدى تعلق دارد، براى درمان رماتيسم مى توان اين سنگ را ۱۲ ساعت در داخل يك ليوان آب قرار داده و صبح ناشتا آن را نوشيد.
* سنگى كه باعث افزايش عشق و محبت باشد، وجود دارد؟
- كوارتز در رنگهاى سفيد شيشه اى - سفيد با رگه هاى تورمالين سياه- آبى- صورتى- دودى- قرمز يافت مى شوند. كوارتز آبى براى افسردگى و كوارتز دودى رفع نگرانى كرده و ديد صاحبش را نسبت به زندگى مثبت مى كند. اين سنگ براى چاكراى طحال است و مخصوص متولدين دى است. براى پانكراس - شكم - كليه و اندامهاى جنسى زن و مرد مفيد است. كوارتز قرمز مخصوص چاكراى شبكه خورشيدى و متعلق به متولدين خرداد و مرداد است. نيروى ايمنى بدن را تقويت و براى ناراحتى ريوى مفيد است. كوارتز شيرى از شفافى به تيرگى مى رود. خستگى را از بين مى برد باعث توازن و هماهنگى در زندگى مى شود، عشق را زياد و عوامل منفى را مى زدايد، تقويت كننده و محرك دستگاه گوارش- سيستم عصبى- غدد و ريه ها و همچنين بافت هاى چربى مى باشد. كوارتز شيرى با قشرى از تور مالين نيروى تازه اى پس از شرايط سخت و ناهنجار به انسان مى دهد. كسانى كه با دوست يا همسر خود مشكلى دارند اين سنگ را همراه داشته باشند اين سنگ براى قلب وجريان خون مفيد و غدد هورمونى زنان و همچنين مردان را تنظيم مى كند و به درمان ناراحتى هاى استخوانى- زخم ها كمك مى كند. غم دورى از وطن را از بين مى برد اين سنگ براى هنر پيشگان بسيار مناسب است و افسردگى و ناراحتى هاى روحى را التيام مى دهد.
* ياقوت قرمز چه خاصيتى دارد؟
ياقوت قرمز (Rubis)
فشار خون خيلى پايين را افزايش مى دهد و حالت ناتوانى و ضعف را از بين مى برد. عمل متابوليسم بدن را آسان و غدد و اعصاب را تقويت مى كند. اين سنگ در حالت تمركز موجب پرورش نيروهاى معنوى مى شود. حامى خوبى در برابر انرژى هاى منفى مى باشد. ياقوت قرمز به متولدين مرداد، فروردين، تير تعلق دارد و براى چاكراى ريشه و قلب استفاده مى شود براى تخليه در آب جارى شسته شود.
* در مورد زمرد بگوييد
(Emerald) به معنى سبز است كه از كلمه يونانى اسماراگدوس Smaragdos گرفته شده است. زمرد از سنگ هاى قيمتى است رنگ آن سبز است كه هر چه پررنگ تر و درخشانتر باشد گرانبهاتر است در برابر حرارت بيش از ۸۰۰ درجه سانتيگراد رنگ باخته كدر مى شود و امكان شكستن آن بسيار است. اين زمردها تراش مخصوص به خود را دارند كه به آن تراش زمردگونه مى گويند. زمرد هر چه كمرنگ تر، كدرتر و داراى ترك باشد نامرغوبتر است به همين خاطر گاهى آنها را به صورت دامله يا كابوشن و يا گنبدى مى تراشند. از دوران كهن بيشترين ارزش را براى زمرد قائل بوده و رنگ سبز آن را به مزرعه سرسبز تشبيه مى كردند. در گذشته هاى دور افسانه هاى بسيارى درمورد زمرد نوشته اند. معتقد بودند كه اگر قطعه اى از زمرد را در برابر چشمان افعى نگه داريم بازتاب نورى كه از اين سنگ چشمان افعى را كور خواهد كرد و يا اين سنگ خلق و خوى اعتدال به صاحب خود داده و ثروت او را زياد خواهد كرد و يا باعث پيشگيرى از بيمارى ها خواهد بود. از نظر روانى آرامش و اعتدال ايجاد مى كند درباره معادن كلئوپاترا نيز بسيار نوشته اند و يا علاقه رومى ها به اين جواهر و ... و يا اين كه چينى هاى قديم از خرد و پودر كردن آن در علم پزشكى استفاده مى كردند. امروزه كشفيات ديگرى درباره اين گوهر گرانبها كرده اند و آن اينكه اثر مثبت بر روح و روان دارد. به كسانيكه مديتيشن مى كنند و يا در جستجوى راه هاى معنوى هستند كمك مى كند. حالت هاى دلواپسى و نگرانى ، حساسيت هاى بى مورد و زودرنجى را از بين مى برد. حس برتر را در انسان قوى مى كند قدرت بيان را زياد مى كند. برخى معتقدند كه اين سنگ طلسم خوشبختى براى هنرپيشگان و موسيقى دانان است و براى پزشكان و راهيان سفر و پدرانى كه با فرزندان خود تناسخى ندارند بسيار خوب است.
بر جسم فيزيكى نيز تأثيرات مطلوب دارد: در بهبود ناراحتى هاى قلبى - فشار خون - گرفتگى رگ ها - بيمارى ديابت - مجارى كيسه صفرا - كبد - دستگاه گوارش - دردهاى ستون فقرات - درد مفاصل - رماتيسم - پاركين سون - صرع بسيار مفيد است. آب زمرد چشمان خسته و ضعيف را تقويت مى كند. تب و گريپ كودكان را درمان مى كند. براى درد ناحيه ستون فقرات مى توان آن را مستقيم روى ناحيه دردناك قرار داد. اين سنگ بر تمام چاكراها بويژه چاكراى قلب تأثير مثبت مى گذارد. بعد از هر بار استفاده در زير آب جارى شسته و يكبار در ماه در برابر نور خورشيد قرار دهيد تا دوباره شارژ شود. اين سنگ به متولدين ارديبهشت و تير تعلق دارد.

فيروزه كوبي" هنري كه ظروف ايرانيان را جواهر نشان كرد

turquose — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:33:28 GMT

منبع : خبرگزاري جمهوري اسلامي ‪

هنر فيروزه كوبي با اين كه در كشور ما كه مهد بهترين فيروزه دنياست بيش از نيم قرن قدمت دارد، با اين وجود، هنوز شناخته نشده است.

اين هنر كه شهرتي جهاني دارد در برخي از مناطق كشور به قدري غريب است كه بسياري از هموطنان حتي با نام آن هم آشنا نيستند .

در هنر فيروزه كوبي، قطعات ريز فيروزه كه ديگر در جواهرسازي قابل استفاده نيستند را روي ظروفي از جنس مس، نقره، برنج يا برنز مي‌نشانند و مانند موزائيك كنار هم قرار مي‌دهند.

"فرناز فرنيا" اولين زني است كه در عصر معاصر به طوري حرفه‌اي فيروزه كوبي را پيشه خود كرده و آثاري را خلق كرده هم اكنون زينت بخش برخي از موزه‌هاي كشور است.

وي روز شنبه در رابطه با اين هنر به خبرنگار فرهنگي ايرنا گفت: در نمايشگاه‌هاي صنايع دستي، مردم ما اغلب از فيروزه كوبي چيزي نمي‌دانند و با تعجب به كارها نگاه مي‌كنند.

فرنيا افزود: در حالي كه فيروزه كشور ما به نام فيروزه نيشابور، در جهان بسيار معروف و معتبر است.

وي با اشاره به لزوم استفاده صنايع دستي در منازل تاكيد كرد : امروزه مردم ما در پي ديدن آثار نو و تازه هستند و ديدن شكل‌هاي قديمي و يا باستاني آثار هنري براي آنها جذابيتي ندارد.

اين هنرمند يكي از دلايل موفقيت خود را در فيروزه‌كوبي ساخت وسايل قابل استفاده در منزل عنوان كرد و اظهار داشت:وقتي من به طور حرفه‌اي به فيروزه كوبي پرداختم، سعي كردم يك نوع آوري در اين هنر ايجاد كنم، در حالي كه استادان من، مرا از اين كار منع مي‌كردند.

وي افزود: در حال حاضر از كارهايم راضي هستم چون مي‌بينم مردم از اشياي كاربردي بيشتر استقبال مي‌كنند.

فرنيا در رابطه با مصنوعات كاربردي فيروزه كوبي شده كه تاكنون ساخته است، گفت: من براي ازدواجم آئينه و شمعدان خودم را فيروزه كوبي كردم و ديدم كه براي همه قابل توجه شد و بعد از آن ميز عسلي، كاسه، قاب عكس، آباژور و ديگر وسايل را نيز به صورت فيروزه كوبي درست كرده و فكر مي‌كنم توانسته‌ام به اندازه كافي مردم را با اين هنر آشنا سازم.

فيروزه يك كاني كمياب و ارزشمند آبي رنگ نزديك به سبز است كه خواهان فراواني دارد.

اين كاني به‌دست فيروزه‌تراشان شكل داده مي‌شود و به عنوان نگين براي انگشتر، گردنبند، گوشواره و ديگر جواهرات به كار مي‌رود.

پيشتر اين كاني تنها از سنگ فيروزه به دست مي‌آمد، ولي امروزه همانند ديگر كاني‌ها مصنوعي نيز فرآوري مي‌شود، به گونه‌اي كه حتي تشخيص طبيعي يا مصنوعي بودن آن براي كارشناسان نيز بسيار دشوار است.

نامورترين و پرخواهان‌ترين فيروزه در ايران فيروزه نيشابور است و مهم- ترين معدن فيروزه در ايران در شهرستان نيشابور قرار دارد كه از دو هزار سال پيش استخراج مي‌شده است.

معدن اين فيروزه در نزديكي روستاي معدن نيشابور است و از سطح زمين دو هزار و ‪ ۱۲متر بلندي دارد.

به سبب وجود اين معدن در نيشابور، شهر فيروزه را به عنوان يكي از القاب نيشابور آورده‌اند، هرچند كه شهرفيروزه نام ديگر شهر بزغان كه يكي از شهرهاي شهرستان نيشابور است، مي‌باشد.

فيروزه يكي از ره‌آوردهاي نيشابور به شمار آمده و فروشگاه‌هاي فراواني در بخش‌هاي سياحتي شهر نيشابور و مشهد اين فيروزه را به شكل‌هاي گوناگون عرضه مي‌كنند.

افزون بر آن‌ها رنگ فيروزه‌اي يك رنگ نمادين براي نيشابور تلقي شده‌است.

در دهه ‪ ۱۳۷۰هجري از سوي شهرداري نيشابور تلاش‌هايي براي فيروزه‌اي كردن رنگ ديوارها و مغازه‌هاي خيابان‌هاي اصلي شهر نيز انجام گرفت.