Belt Buckle, Silver and Turquoise. Intact bar and prong on back.

Size: 2 1/2 X 1 3/4 X 1/2 in.

#5336 .

Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminum. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone for millennia due to its hue. The robin egg blue or sky blue color of the Persian turquoise (which they call “perozah”) mined near the modern city of Nishapur, Iran, has been used for centuries as a guiding reference for evaluating turquoise quality. The word turquoise dates to the 17th Century and is derived from the Old French “turquois” meaning “Turkish,” because the mineral was first brought to Europe via the Ottoman Empire. In ancient times Pliny the Elder referred to the mineral as “callais,” and the Aztecs knew it as “chalchihuitl.” Turquoise was among the first gems to be mined, and many historic sites have been depleted, though some are still worked to this day. Arizona and Nevada are currently the most important producers of turquoise by value. In many cultures of the Old and New Worlds this gemstone was considered a bringer of good fortune or a talisman, partially due to the fact that exposure to light, dust, or acidity can cause it to change color over time. The mother rock or matrix in which turquoise is found can often be seen as splotches or a network of brown or black veins running through the stone in a netted pattern, and this pattern is highly valued in the Southwest United States and Far East, though not appreciated in the Near East where unblemished and vein-free material is considered ideal. Given the condition of this piece, it was likely a beloved ornament worn occasionally on someone’s belt, treated and polished well enough to retain its color for a long time.