Turquoise is one of the oldest gemstones known to man, and has been in demand for jewelry for many centuries now. When the Egyptians first found this stone in the Sinai some six thousand years ago, only the rich and famous in their society were allowed to own it. This added to the folklore and legend of the stone but did little to enhance its popularity amongst the masses. That happened only several centuries later when turquoise was discovered in Persia. The Turks further helped popularize this blue stone by serving as a gateway to Europe, and becoming a major trading center for turquoise. The popularity of turquoise sky rocketed after its discovery in North America. Today, silver turquoise pendants and other jewelry from the American Southwest are very popular globally, and the demand for turquoise jewelry continues to grow. A little known fact about turquoise is that its popularity in fashion jewelry today is largely owed to a chemical process called stabilization. Most natural turquoise is too soft and porous to be used in jewelry. High quality turquoise that is strong enough to be used in jewelry is rare and expensive. Few fashion jewelry aficionados can afford natural turquoise. However, by infusing specimens of moderate quality with epoxy resin or vaporized silica, the characteristics of the stones can be improved so that they can now be used in pendants and other pieces. This process is called stabilization and has put turquoise jewelry within the reach of hundreds of thousands if not millions of jewelry fans.
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