Interesting Facts about Turquoise are as follows:

• Fact 1 - Definition: Turquoise are a blue to gray-green mineral consisting of copper aluminum phosphate. It is a hydrous phosphate of aluminum with a small percentage of copper which gives it the blue coloring, however, when associated with iron the color tends to be greenish

• Fact 2 - The origin of the name Turquoise is derived from the Greek word "Turkois" meaning "Turkish" because it was first brought from Turkey
• Fact 3 - The most common color of Turquoise is blue
• Fact 4 - The Turquoise is the birthstone of the month of December which relates to the Zodiac Sign of Sagittarius. Sagittarius dates: November 23 - December 21
• Fact 5 - The alternative Birthstones for Sagittarius are Topaz, Beryl, Rubies, Blue Topaz, Blue Zircon, Lapis Lazuli and Citrine
• Fact 6 - The symbolism associated with Turquoise is as follows:

  • Prosperity

  • Success
  • Happiness
  • Good fortune
• Fact 7 - Turquoise are also the Wedding anniversary gemstone and are given as gifts for the 5th and 11th year of marriage
• Fact 8 - Turquoise come in a vast range of natural colors and shades including blue, green and yellow-green. The percentages of the minerals in the rock dictate the gemstone’s shade
• Fact 9 - The color is mainly determined and caused by the gem's selective absorption of certain wavelengths of light called the body color.
• Fact 10 - The colors of the Turquoise gem consist of three components, the hue, tone and saturation:

  • The Hue which gives the first impression of the color

  • The Tone which relates to the the lightness or darkness of the color of the Turquoise ranging from light to medium to dark
  • The saturation which relates to the intensity of the Turquoise's color, which is measured from dull to strong to vivid
• Fact 11 - Natural turquoise may need to be cut and polished, but no artificial changes are made to the gemstones
• Fact 12 - All gemstones, including Turquoise, are graded by color, cut, clarity and carat weight
• Fact 13 - The tradition of giving gifts of birthstone jewelry containing Turquoise dates back many hundreds of years
• Fact 14 - There are specific birthstones and gemstones, such as Turquoise, which are traditionally given according to the month that a person is born
• Fact 15 - Turquoise is formed by a chemical reaction that occurs when water leaks through rocks which contain specific minerals such as copper and aluminum