Turquoise has been revered since ancient times, and it always finds itself at the forefront of fashion. The bright, cheerful robin's egg blue color of Sleeping Beauty turquoise makes it one of the most sought after varieties of this trendsetting stone.
Turquoise has long been thought of as a holy stone, a bringer of good fortune or a talisman and has been called a "gemstone of the peoples." The name turquoise is derived from an Old French word meaning "Turkish stone," because the stone was introduced to Europe by Venitian traders who purchase turquoise at Turkish bazaars. These stones likely came from the Sinai Peninsula in Iran, an area that has been mining turquoise since 5000 BCE. The Persians called turquoise "firouze," which means victorious. Turquoise is the national gemstone of Iran. Sleeping Beauty turquoise is a unique variety of turquoise revered for its smooth robin's egg blue coloring with limited veining.
LOCATION: Arizona
The rare and exceptional Sleeping Beauty turquoise is sourced from the Sleeping Beauty mines, located in Globe, Arizona. The mountain where this gem is mined resembles the figure of a sleeping woman, lying on her back with her arms crossed. The mine was first opened more than 40 years ago in the pursuit of copper and gold. However, in the past decade, mining has been focused on the vibrant, bright sky blue stone. The Sleeping Beauty mine is the largest producer of turquoise in the United States.