Gem silica is chalcedony that has been stained by chrysocolla producing a beautiful translucent blue stone that is very hard and well suited for use in jewelry.
Blue stones that look like turquoise.
Turquoise is a copper mineral with a bright blue to blue green color.
Other gemstones that have a mohs hardness of 7 are amethyst and citrine.
Widespread in both inexpensive jewelry and designer pieces turquoise is the most popular of blue gemstones.
Like many blue gemstones.
Like many blue gemstones turquoise will typically have a noticeable touch of green.
This rare form of chrysocolla is harder than turquoise and is a 7 on the mohs hardness scale.
Many turquoise gemstones are greener than they are blue.
The color is so familiar and so enjoyed that the word turquoise has become a commonly used word for a milky blue green color.
Blue minerals are rare and that is why turquoise captures attention in the gemstone market.
Brilliant and bright montana sapphires commonly have a secondary green hue but this stone s lack of a steely gray look is exceptional.
A sky blue turquoise with minimal veining is typically considered to be the most valuable though in some countries blue turquoise with black veins or complex matrix patterns are more desirable.
They look just like turquoise if you have looked at inexpensive gemstone beads cabochons and tumbled stones your eye has probably been drawn to a sky blue material with a semi gloss polish that looks exactly like turquoise many pieces even have the gray to black veining often seen in genuine turquoise specimens from the bisbee and sleeping beauty mines.
The most desirable color of turquoise is a sky blue or robin s egg blue.