Phosphate · CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O · 5 to 6

Turquoise

Turquoise is a copper aluminium phosphate that forms where water seeps through copper-rich rock in dry country, filling cracks with sky-blue to green veins. It has been mined for at least 5,000 years, from the Sinai for the pharaohs, in Persia, and across the American Southwest. It is soft and porous, so most turquoise sold today is stabilised with resin, and much cheap "turquoise" is dyed howlite or plastic. It is not grown in labs in any real quantity.

From the ground to your hand

The same stone at four moments. Tap a photo of a listing to see it on Amazon.

01 In the ground (step 1 of 4)

A vein of turquoise in its host rock from the Cerrillos Hills, New Mexico, mined by Ancestral Puebloans. Smithsonian collection.

Real specimen. Photo: Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0.
02 Rough (step 2 of 4)

A raw turquoise nugget: chalky and porous on the outside, which is why most turquoise is stabilised before cutting.

Real specimen. Photo: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0.
03 Cut (step 3 of 4)

Turquoise cut in the mining village near Nishapur, Iran, the source of classic Persian turquoise.

Real specimen. Photo: Sonia Sevilla, CC0.
04 Set (step 4 of 4)

A turquoise bead bracelet.

Amazon listing photo. See it on Amazon

Mineral: Turquoise (copper aluminium phosphate)
Colour from: Copper (blue) and iron (green)
Hardness: 5 to 6, porous
Grown in labs: Essentially no; imitations abound
Famous sources: Iran, Egypt, the US Southwest, China

Famous turquoise in museums

What the finest natural stones look like: real pieces in public collections. The whole gem museum.

Tutankhamun's scarab pectoral: Gold, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian and other coloured stones and glass, about 3,300 years old. — **Tutankhamun's scarab pectoral**Gold, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian and other coloured stones and glass, about 3,300 years old.Egyptian Museum, Cairo (exhibited 2019)The blue scarab body is lapis lazuli carried thousands of miles from Afghanistan to the Nile.Photo: Claude Valette, CC BY 2.0.

**Tutankhamun's scarab pectoral**Gold, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian and other coloured stones and glass, about 3,300 years old.Egyptian Museum, Cairo (exhibited 2019)The blue scarab body is lapis lazuli carried thousands of miles from Afghanistan to the Nile.Photo: Claude Valette, CC BY 2.0.

The pectoral of Princess Sithathoryunet: Gold inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise and garnet, from about 1880 BCE. — **The pectoral of Princess Sithathoryunet**Gold inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise and garnet, from about 1880 BCE.Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkMade for a daughter of the pharaoh Senusret II and found in her tomb at Lahun in 1914. Each tiny stone was cut to fit its gold cell.Photo: Ismoon, CC BY-SA 4.0.

**The pectoral of Princess Sithathoryunet**Gold inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise and garnet, from about 1880 BCE.Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkMade for a daughter of the pharaoh Senusret II and found in her tomb at Lahun in 1914. Each tiny stone was cut to fit its gold cell.Photo: Ismoon, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The double-headed serpent: Carved cedar covered in a mosaic of turquoise, with red shell mouths and white shell teeth, Aztec or Mixtec, 15th to 16th century. — **The double-headed serpent**Carved cedar covered in a mosaic of turquoise, with red shell mouths and white shell teeth, Aztec or Mixtec, 15th to 16th century.British Museum, LondonProbably worn on the chest in ceremonies. Turquoise was so precious to the Aztecs that conquered towns paid tribute in it.Photo: BabelStone, CC BY-SA 3.0.

The mask of Tezcatlipoca: A human skull covered in bands of turquoise and black lignite mosaic, with eyes of pyrite and shell, Aztec or Mixtec, 15th to 16th century. — **The mask of Tezcatlipoca**A human skull covered in bands of turquoise and black lignite mosaic, with eyes of pyrite and shell, Aztec or Mixtec, 15th to 16th century.British Museum, LondonTezcatlipoca, the smoking mirror, was a god of night and fate. The mask is one of the treasures of Mexican art outside Mexico.Photo: Andres Rueda, CC BY 2.0.

A turquoise mosaic shield: A ceremonial shield covered in turquoise mosaic, Aztec or Mixtec, 15th to 16th century. — **A turquoise mosaic shield**A ceremonial shield covered in turquoise mosaic, Aztec or Mixtec, 15th to 16th century.British Museum, LondonMade for display, not battle: thousands of tiny turquoise tiles fitted by hand.Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0.

**A turquoise mosaic shield**A ceremonial shield covered in turquoise mosaic, Aztec or Mixtec, 15th to 16th century.British Museum, LondonMade for display, not battle: thousands of tiny turquoise tiles fitted by hand.Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0.

An Aztec turquoise mosaic disc: A round disc covered in small pieces of turquoise mosaic, Mexica (Aztec). — **An Aztec turquoise mosaic disc**A round disc covered in small pieces of turquoise mosaic, Mexica (Aztec).Museo del Templo Mayor, Mexico CityIt was found at the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Turquoise was so prized that the Aztecs collected it as tribute from distant towns.Photo: GiveMeMollusks, CC0.

**An Aztec turquoise mosaic disc**A round disc covered in small pieces of turquoise mosaic, Mexica (Aztec).Museo del Templo Mayor, Mexico CityIt was found at the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan. Turquoise was so prized that the Aztecs collected it as tribute from distant towns.Photo: GiveMeMollusks, CC0.

The Marie Louise Diadem: A diadem of more than 1,000 old-cut diamonds set with Persian turquoise. Napoleon gave it to Empress Marie-Louise in 1810, set with emeralds. — **The Marie Louise Diadem**A diadem of more than 1,000 old-cut diamonds set with Persian turquoise. Napoleon gave it to Empress Marie-Louise in 1810, set with emeralds.Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, WashingtonIn the 1950s a jeweller took the emeralds out and sold them one by one, and put turquoise in their place.Photo: Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA, CC BY 2.0.

An Egyptian broad collar: A wide collar of many rows of blue-green faience beads, ancient Egypt. — **An Egyptian broad collar**A wide collar of many rows of blue-green faience beads, ancient Egypt.Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkFaience is a glazed ceramic made from crushed quartz. Egyptians used it as a cheaper stand-in for turquoise and lapis.Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0.

**An Egyptian broad collar**A wide collar of many rows of blue-green faience beads, ancient Egypt.Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkFaience is a glazed ceramic made from crushed quartz. Egyptians used it as a cheaper stand-in for turquoise and lapis.Photo: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0.

Tutankhamun’s scarab necklace: A gold pectoral and necklace of scarabs, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise and feldspar. — **Tutankhamun’s scarab necklace**A gold pectoral and necklace of scarabs, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise and feldspar.Egyptian Museum collection, photographed on tour in 2019The lapis in Tutankhamun’s treasures was carried thousands of kilometres from the mountains of Afghanistan.Photo: Claude Valette, CC BY 2.0.

**Tutankhamun’s scarab necklace**A gold pectoral and necklace of scarabs, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise and feldspar.Egyptian Museum collection, photographed on tour in 2019The lapis in Tutankhamun’s treasures was carried thousands of kilometres from the mountains of Afghanistan.Photo: Claude Valette, CC BY 2.0.

A Cartier cigarette case in lapis and turquoise: A cigarette case of gold, lapis lazuli, turquoise, sapphires and diamonds made by Cartier in Paris in 1930. — **A Cartier cigarette case in lapis and turquoise**A cigarette case of gold, lapis lazuli, turquoise, sapphires and diamonds made by Cartier in Paris in 1930.Cartier Collection, GenevaArt Deco loved strong colour pairs, and lapis against turquoise is one of the boldest.Photo: Sailko, CC BY 3.0.

A Boucheron Art Deco corsage ornament: A corsage ornament of palladium gold, lapis lazuli, coral, jade, onyx and turquoise made by Boucheron in 1925, the year of the Paris exhibition that gave Art Deco its name. — **A Boucheron Art Deco corsage ornament**A corsage ornament of palladium gold, lapis lazuli, coral, jade, onyx and turquoise made by Boucheron in 1925, the year of the Paris exhibition that gave Art Deco its name.Boucheron Collection, ParisFive coloured stones in one jewel: Art Deco treated gems like paint.Photo: Sailko, CC BY 3.0.

The Master of Dragons pendants: A pair of gold pendants showing a figure holding two dragons, inlaid with turquoise, garnet, lapis lazuli and carnelian and hung with pearls, from Tomb II at Tillya Tepe. — **The Master of Dragons pendants**A pair of gold pendants showing a figure holding two dragons, inlaid with turquoise, garnet, lapis lazuli and carnelian and hung with pearls, from Tomb II at Tillya Tepe.National Museum of Afghanistan, KabulHidden from looters through decades of war, the Bactrian gold resurfaced intact in 2003.Photo: World Imaging, CC BY-SA 3.0.

A Seljuk bracelet of garnets and sapphires: A gold bracelet set with garnets, sapphires and turquoises, made in Iran under the Seljuks in the 12th century (V&A M.32-1957). — **A Seljuk bracelet of garnets and sapphires**A gold bracelet set with garnets, sapphires and turquoises, made in Iran under the Seljuks in the 12th century (V&A M.32-1957).Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonMedieval Persian goldsmiths built bracelets from fine gold wire and granules, then studded them with stones.Photo: Vassil, CC0.

The Crown of Stephen Bocskai: A gold crown set with rubies, spinels, emeralds, turquoises and pearls, given by the Ottoman sultan to Stephen Bocskai, Prince of Transylvania, in 1605. — **The Crown of Stephen Bocskai**A gold crown set with rubies, spinels, emeralds, turquoises and pearls, given by the Ottoman sultan to Stephen Bocskai, Prince of Transylvania, in 1605.Imperial Treasury (Kaiserliche Schatzkammer), ViennaA Muslim sultan crowned a Protestant prince, and the crown ended up in the treasury of the Catholic Habsburgs he had fought.Photo: Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0.

A Tillya Tepe sheath set with turquoise: A sheath for three knives from Tomb IV at Tillya Tepe, of gold and bronze set with turquoise. — **A Tillya Tepe sheath set with turquoise**A sheath for three knives from Tomb IV at Tillya Tepe, of gold and bronze set with turquoise.National Museum of Afghanistan, KabulIt belonged to the only man buried among the Tillya Tepe graves, probably a nomad chieftain.Photo: Artacoana, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Tutankhamun’s falcon pectoral: A gold pectoral of the falcon god Horus with wings spread and a sun disc on his head, holding shen rings in his talons, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise and blue glass. — **Tutankhamun’s falcon pectoral**A gold pectoral of the falcon god Horus with wings spread and a sun disc on his head, holding shen rings in his talons, inlaid with lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise and blue glass.Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza (formerly Egyptian Museum, Cairo)The upturned wings were meant to wrap the dead king in protection.Photo: Claude Valette, CC BY 2.0.

Real turquoise vs the imitations

What real turquoise is and what is sold as turquoise
	Real turquoise	Common imitations
Material	Copper aluminium phosphate, usually stabilised with resin	Dyed howlite or magnesite, "reconstituted" powder in resin, plastic, glass
Matrix (the dark web)	Natural host rock, varied and often slightly recessed	Painted-on or perfectly even lines
Colour	Uneven, from sky blue to green	Uniform, or white showing through chips and drill holes
Acetone swab	Stays clean	Dyed stone turns the swab blue
Price	From cheap stabilised to very costly natural mine-named stones	Very cheap; often sold as "synthetic turquoise"

Treatments. Most turquoise is stabilised: soaked in resin to harden it and fix its colour, which is normal and expected. Untreated, natural, high-grade turquoise is rare and costs far more. Watch for "reconstituted" (powder glued with resin) and dyed howlite or magnesite sold as turquoise. Many listings on Amazon openly call their stones "synthetic turquoise", which here means an imitation. All gem treatments explained.

Where turquoise comes from

Pins mark mining districts, not exact mines. Drag to move, pinch or scroll to zoom, tap a pin to read about it. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

List of every place on the map (5)

Turquoise: Nishapur, Iran. Persian turquoise, mined for thousands of years.
Turquoise: Arizona and Nevada, United States. American turquoise, including the closed Sleeping Beauty mine.
Turquoise: Sinai Peninsula, Egypt. Mined by the ancient Egyptians from about 3000 BC; the goddess Hathor was called the Lady of Turquoise.
Turquoise: Cerrillos Hills, New Mexico, United States. Worked by Ancestral Puebloans for a thousand years; their turquoise traded as far as Chaco Canyon and Mexico.
Turquoise: Hubei, China. Today the largest producer of turquoise.

How it is cut

Turquoise is opaque, so it is cut as cabochons, beads, nuggets and inlay, never faceted. The best stones are cut to keep the attractive web of matrix, and Native American silversmiths set it in silver bezels to protect its soft edges. See cuts from easiest to hardest and whether cutting your own is cheaper than buying cut.

What to buy

Checked in stock on October 10, 2026. Photos are the listings' own; prices are rounded.

Our first pick

Timberline Traders Sleeping Beauty turquoise studs, 5 mm, sterling silver

about $30

Named-mine Arizona turquoise, the famous even sky blue, handmade in sterling silver.

See it on Amazon

Also good

RTZN turquoise flat-bead bracelet, 8 mm

about $60

An everyday turquoise bracelet for men or women.

See it on Amazon

All 5 checked turquoise picks

See them all For women 4 For men 2

The turquoise shop: 3 more pieces we trust

Every piece names the real stone and comes from a seller with a record, checked in stock on October 11, 2026. Photos are the listings' own; prices are rounded.

MenTurquoise Network turquoise ring, sterling silverA big slab of turquoise with dark matrix lines. Sized for men or women.about $90on Amazon →

WomenTurquoise Network turtle pendant, sterling silverTurquoise inlaid into a silver turtle.about $100on Amazon →

WomenTurquoise Network necklace and earrings set, sterling silverTeardrops in matching sizes.about $100on Amazon →

Your kit for turquoise

Five tools that let you check what you bought (a loupe, a UV torch, locking tweezers, a gem box and a pocket scale), plus a turntable that spins your stone under the light the way jewellers show one. The full collector's kit.

LookGemOro 10x triplet loupeunder $20

LookDARKBEAM filtered 365 nm UV flashlightabout $10

HandleHonoson locking tweezers, 3 packabout $10

StoreTeensery gem display boxes with clear lids, 10 packabout $9

ShowComXim motorized turntable, adjustable speed and directionabout $15

MeasureGemOro Platinum XP500 pocket scale, 0.01 gabout $40

In short

Turquoise is a soft copper mineral mined for 5,000 years from the Sinai to the Southwest. Most is stabilised, which is fine; the fakes are dyed howlite and plastic. Buy from sellers who name the mine, check the matrix and do the acetone test on anything cheap.

See our first pick: Timberline Traders Sleeping Beauty turquoise studs, 5 mm, sterling silver

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if turquoise is real?

Look at the matrix lines: natural ones are irregular and often slightly sunken. Check drill holes and chips for white showing through, a sign of dyed howlite. A cotton bud with acetone on a hidden spot turns blue on dyed stone. For anything expensive, buy from a seller who names the mine.

Is stabilised turquoise fake?

No. Stabilised turquoise is real turquoise that has been impregnated with resin so it does not crumble or change colour. Most turquoise on the market is stabilised. It should simply cost less than natural, untreated turquoise.

What is Sleeping Beauty turquoise?

Turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty mine near Globe, Arizona, famous for its even sky-blue colour with little matrix. The mine stopped producing turquoise in 2012, so it now comes from existing stock.

Photo credits

turquoise-cerrillos-smithsonian.webp: Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
turquoise-specimen-162776.webp: Robert M. Lavinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
turquoise-nishapur-mine.webp: Sonia Sevilla, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Product photos: Amazon listings, via the Amazon Product Advertising (Creators) API.

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