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The cool blue mineral fashioned into gemstones is prized for its colour which varies from sky blue and blue-green to green-grey. "It was a staple on the runways in the '70s when all the celebs and rock stars were wearing it. Then it fell out of fashion for a few decades," says Ken McGrath, owner of Zuma boutique, a mecca for turquoise in Toronto. "But this year it's back with a vengeance." Pick up any who's who magazine and you'll see mounds of turquoise beads, nuggets, chips or doughnuts draped around waists, necks and wrists. The name "turquoise" may have came from the word "Turquie" which is French for Turkey. It was believed that the opaque mineral, mined in Persia and Egypt as early as 6000 BC, was transported through Turkey enroute to Europe. Today, China and Tibet are leading producers. Others speculate the word "turquoise" came from the French description of the gemstone, "pierre turquin," meaning dark blue stone. True blue On this side of the Atlantic, turquoise is sourced in the arid regions of Nevada and New Mexico. Native Americans and also Mexican Indian tribes have been using turquoise for beads, carvings and mosaic inlays since 200 B.C. But not until the 1880s, when white traders introduced the Navajo craftsmen to silver coins, did turquoise mounted in silver become popular. Stewart Scriver, an avid gem collector and expert has unique southwestern Native American silver and turquoise treasures in his Kensington Market shop, Courage My Love. Scriver, who has been sourcing turquoise in his travels since the '60s says when shopping for it, generally, the more true the blue the more precious and pricey the stone. But the widespread appeal of turquoise today has opened the market up to many variations and imitations. Something for every budget. There is "enhanced turquoise" created from the mineral powder that has been crushed, dyed and remoulded. Howlite is another mineral that can be dyed a turquoise colour. And there are lots of blue plastic pretenders -- which are the most inexpensive way to get the "look."
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