How turquoise is created

Turquoise is geology’s slow art project.
It starts as water moving through rock and ends as a tiny blue world you can wear.

Scientifically, turquoise is a copper–aluminum phosphate that forms in dry climates, where water slowly reacts with copper-rich rocks over very long periods.

In simple terms:
water + copper rich rock + aluminum + phosphorus + time + dry air = turquoise.

1. The underground recipe

For turquoise to form, you need a very specific set of ingredients.

• Copper rich rocks
  Often in old volcanic or sedimentary rocks near copper deposits – common along the big mountain belts that run through Iran, Central Asia and parts of Africa.
• Aluminum and phosphorus
  Supplied by the host rocks or nearby minerals like apatite. MyRings Boutique
• Water on the move
  Rain and groundwater seep down through cracks, dissolve copper and other elements, and carry them through the rock.
• Dry, oxidised climate
  In the upper layers of the crust, where there is oxygen and not too much water, those dissolved ingredients react and crystallise as turquoise.

Geologists estimate that many turquoise deposits formed on geologic time scales – often on the order of ten to tens of millions of years for the right conditions, fluids and rocks to align.

Over time, this new mineral:

• lines fractures and veins,
• fills tiny pores and cavities,
• or forms irregular nodules inside the host rock.

The result is a quiet chemical dance – copper, aluminum, phosphate and water arranging themselves into blue crystal networks, while the original rock frames the scene.

2. Why some turquoise is sky blue and some is green

The colour and “feel” of turquoise come from its chemistry and environment:

• Copper is what gives turquoise its blue.
• Iron and later alteration can shift it toward green.
• Changes in temperature, fluids and oxidation can nudge a stone from bright blue to more mellow blue-green.

The classic robin’s egg blue from Neyshabur in Iran has long been treated as the reference point for “ideal” turquoise. U.S. Geological Survey Publications+1

At Maison Turkuaz we love that Persian blue, but we do not stop there. Some of the most interesting stones are the ones with tension – deep blues against dark matrix, teal seas with golden webbing, or pieces where a single streak of green runs through blue like a current.

3. Matrix, pyrite and malachite – the extras in the dance

The matrix is the host rock or other minerals that remain woven through the turquoise.

It can appear as:

• fine spider-web lines,
• big patches or islands,
• metallic flashes that look almost like liquid silver.

Geologically, matrix can be things like sandstone, volcanic rock, iron oxides, limonite, manganese oxides and, in some stones, metallic minerals like magnetite, specular hematite or pyrite. Wikipedia

Those bright silver or golden specks are often pyrite – tiny natural mirrors that catch the light. In some MT stones, it feels like the silver setting has a twin living inside the stone, reflecting back from within.

In our African-linked pieces, you may also see rich green swirls of malachite, a copper carbonate that often forms alongside copper ores in belts such as the Congo–Zambia region.
That green is the earthier cousin in the dance – copper expressed as forest instead of sky.

This is where it gets fun:

By looking at the colour of the turquoise + style of the matrix + any metallic or green companions, you can often get strong hints about where a stone was mined. It is not an exact passport, but it is a very good accent.

4. Where our stones come from

Maison Turkuaz stones are largely from a Middle Eastern and Central Asian belt, with some African influence:

• Persian / Iranian turquoise
• Our core source.
• The Neyshabur mine in northeastern Iran is one of the oldest and most famous turquoise sources in the world, with thousands of years of history and ongoing production. U.S. Geological Survey Publications+2Iga Magazine+2
• Iran still produces significant amounts of turquoise each year, with Neyshabur as the main dedicated turquoise mine. U.S. Geological Survey Publications
• Other Iranian deposits
• Mines in Kerman and Semnan provinces produce turquoise as a by-product of copper mining. Bardin Jewelry+2MyRings Boutique+2
• Material here often shows more dramatic veining and mixes of blue and green.
• Kazakhstan – Golden Hills
• The Golden Hills (Altyn-Tyube) mine is known for pale icy or lavender-blue turquoise with warm rusty matrix, like tiny winter skies broken by brushstrokes of earth. Tin + Turquoise Collective+2The Southwestern Style Gallery+2
• Africa and Sinai
• Historically, turquoise came from Sinai in Egypt, called the “Land of Turquoise”, feeding pharaonic jewellery from mines like Serabit el-Khadim. Egypt Museum+2naturalgemstones.com+2
• Across the African copper belt, green malachite and blue-green copper minerals often appear together, adding a lush, layered feel to the material.

Our long-term project is to build a sophisticated origin poster for Middle Eastern, Central Asian and African turquoise – something that does not yet exist in the way it does for North American mines. It means going through academic work, miner stories and the reality that many of these deposits are now quiet or closed. It is slow work, but worth it.

5. Mines, time and why quantity matters

Many turquoise deposits around the world have been exhausted, flooded or reduced to seasonal, small-scale work. Most turquoise is still produced in relatively modest volumes, often by hand or as a side product of copper mining. Wikipedia+1

When a mine’s output drops but demand remains, prices climb. That is why the quantity and consistency of material from a source mine directly affect its price.

For many collectors, the flawless Persian sky-blue “egg” with no matrix is still treated as the highest value tier in the traditional sense. Wikipedia

At Maison Turkuaz, we respect that tradition, but our hearts belong to the stones that look like natural art. Some pieces in our selection genuinely belong in museums – landscapes and spirit scenes painted by chemistry alone. These are true collector items, priced the highest, because they are geologic one-offs that will never appear in the same way again.

6. Does turquoise change over time?

Natural turquoise is porous. It can absorb water, oils and other substances like a tiny mineral sponge.

Because of that:

• Stones can lighten slightly as cutting moisture dries out.
• Over many years of wear, skin oils and oxidation can make some stones deepen or shift slightly greener, especially if they are untreated.

Think of it less as the stone “going bad” and more as the piece settling into your life. With gentle care – avoiding harsh chemicals, heavy perfumes, extreme heat and long soaks – your turquoise will age gracefully, the way good leather or wood does.

7. How we value a stone

When we choose stones, we are reading:

• Colour – calm, electric, deep, airy, sea-green, storm-blue.
• Matrix – webbed, islanded, metallic, malachite-kissed, story-rich.
• Energy – that quiet, unmistakable “yes” when the stone is in your hand.

Some of our pieces could be at home in a natural history gallery. Others are quieter guides for everyday wear. All are one of one.

Your stone may have started as rain in a Persian mountain, a Kazakh plateau or an ancient African copper belt. By the time it reaches you, it is:

• a tiny geological story,
• a map of its birthplace,
• and a calm blue reminder on your skin.

That is how turquoise is created.
And why, for us, origin, matrix and energy matter just as much as the classic blue.