For thousands of years, turquoise stones have been everyone favorite ornamental gemstone. This beautiful opaque bright blue to blue-green colored stone with its unique charisma as its best quality is one of the most prized gemstones of all. Other than its beauty, it is also believed to have both astrological and healing powers. It is a calming stone that removes all negative thoughts, stresses and tensions, thus making the wearer achieve a peaceful mind. Also, it has detoxing power and improves the immune system.
There are mainly three factors in determining the price – its origin, the overall quality and the weight of the stone.
In terms of origin, the Persian or the Iranian turquoise is the costliest one. Then come the American ones and the cheapest of them is the Tibetan turquoise. When it comes to turquoise jewellery, Tibetan stones are considered to be a perfect choice.
Secondly, the overall quality is considered. In order to meet the quality requirements, characteristics like clarity, color, shape, polishing etc. should be excellent. The most popular turquoise stone color is the consistent blue color, hence the high price. To be considered of superior clarity, the stone must be spotless, or free from scratch marks similar to spider web pattern that is common for turquoise, that implies a perfectly polished surface.
The consistency of the color is an important part in determining the price as well. Even if the stone is not of exact blue color if the texture is right, then the monetary value increases. Pear-shaped turquoise is the higher priced category and the more affordable ones are oval-shaped stones. It is because the pear-shaped ones are rarely available, whereas oval-shaped ones are commonly seen.
Finally, the size of turquoise stones are considered. Since it is a secondary mineral, it is pretty difficult to find unbroken scratch-free ones. Therefore, large turquoise sizes are incredibly scarce and are therefore of high value.
The price is variable according to the above factors and standard daily rates.