They Say That Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend,

but diamonds may soon be replace by turquoise,

the word itself is derived from an Old French word for “Turkish” traders who first brought the Persian turquoise to Europe, it has graced the halls and tombs of Aztec kings and Egyptian pharaohs, such as Tutankhamun, whose golden funeral mask is inlaid with turquoise, the importance of this gem lies far beyond its name (Doo tl’ izh ii in Navajo), the mineral is typically found in arid climates—major regions include Iran (Persia), northwest China, the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and the American Southwest, less than five percent of turquoise mined worldwide has the characteristics to be cut and set into jewelry, despite the lack of mines in North America, turquoise is readily available on the market, with more than 75 percent coming out of China, however, much of this turquoise has either been filled with epoxy for stabilisation or enhanced for colour and luster, making it unsuitable for high quality gem work,

now the good news, last week at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City, a new exhibition opened called the Glittering World: Navajo Jewelry of the Yazzie Family, it runs from November 13, 2014 till January 10, 2016, and showcases some 300 examples of contemporary jewelry made by the Yazzie family of Gallup, New Mexico, it is the museum’s first exhibition to explore the intersection of art and commerce and the personification of culture through jewelry, although turquoise is not the only stone incorporated in the jewelry, it may be the most important, 

“Turquoise is a great example of a secular and sacred stone,” says Lois Sherr Dubin, the curator for the “Glittering World” exhibition, “There is no more important defining gem stone in Southwest jewelry and part of the exhibition’s purpose is to expose people to turquoise that is not dyed or stabilised, but is the authentic stone, what the Yazzies work with is the finest from the mines,” says Dubin, “We’re saying it’s more rare than diamonds.”

I have to say I am not very keen on the ring at the top of this post, but there you have it, maybe turquoise will become the girls new best friend.