Joe Dan Lowry - Turquoise

This book captures the romance and insightful history of the worlds most colorful gemstone. Informative and interesting stories and vivid photography are combined to take the reader on a journey that will answer most turquoise-related questions. Turquoise mines from around the world are represented, along with artifacts, art, and memorabilia that showcase this gems splendor.

For thousands of years, turquoise has been described by its admirers as robins egg blue, Persian blue, sky stone, and earths stone.Spiderweb, eggshell, water web, and picture rock are descriptive phrases referring to each stones distinctive matrix patterns. Cultural uses and appreciation of grades and rarities evoke a variety of opinions about this gems mystical and monetary values. Wow, fascinating, and amazing have described art, carvings, and objects adorned or made with turquoise. Passionate, eccentric, and vibrant characterize the avid artists or collectors who search out turquoise gems from around the world. So, whether you love turquoise or are just starting to learn about it, we hope this book will fascinate you with its intriguing tales, colorful pictures, and fact-filled pages.

Sleeping Beauty turquoise nuggets. Photo by Davonna Lowry; courtesy of Turquoise Museum.

This book would be impossible to complete without the foresight and turquoise collection of Jesse Cordel Zachary Jr. and his wife, Lillian. The Turquoise Museum was established with their collection in 1993. Our dad began cutting turquoise when he was nine years old, and as he got older, he would always tell as many people as would listen that someday many of the American turquoise mines would stop producing this gemstone, which would then become rare and collectible. Today, Dads collection has samples from over one hundred and twenty turquoise mines from around the world, many of which no longer produce turquoise. He spent his lifetime collecting turquoise, traveling the world, talking to miners, and educating others about the gemstone. He loved many things: his wife, his kids, playing with kids, playing music, fishing, turquoise, and people. He was passionate about them all and wove his hospitality and wonderful sense of humor around them.

There was always another stone, a new mine, and Dads outlook on life was to look at a stranger coming down the pathway of life and hope that it was a new friend. That person might know something that Dad didnt and might have something he had never seen. Isnt that why we awake each dayto see, to learn, to live? Turquoise is life expressed in color, story, history, art, and especially in each individual persons opinions and tastes. Our family has been involved in turquoise for five generations, and as our collections have increased, we have discovered that there is always more to learn and more to see. Our hope is that many books will be written about this gemstone and how it has touched the worlds many cultures. Turquoise is about so much more than just the color of a blue or green stone set in a piece of jewelry.

We would like to thank those who have helped with their support and knowledge for this book project. As everyone knows, there are no experts in this industry, but there are a collection of wonderful people who provide prisms to look into each aspect of the turquoise world. One person may have a picture no one has seen, another a story never shared, another might have an opinion that is all their own, and then there are those who have scientific or historic knowledge from institutions around the world that tell the story of turquoise. There are many friends, miners, lapidaries, scientists, museums, andyesa few con artists who have all been a great help in getting this book published.

Persian and Altar turquoise. Photo by Davonna Lowry; courtesy of Turquoise Museum.

Color is defined as the refracting and revealing of light within the molecule. Such a technical definition seems like a sterile description of such an intriguing phenomenon. Colors stir our imaginations, are continually expressed in our words, and are used in the many arts to capture and preserve our feelings and memories of what we saw. Color is a language of beauty understood by every culture and is defined by words in every language. Each time we open our eyes, we see color schemes that are illustrated by every ray of light. Colors can be dull or vibrant, light or dark, or a variety of hues; everything can be defined by a color. Color can be single, a kaleidoscope of colors, matched, or clashing. Color is not limited by geography, language, or philosophy. It can be bottled but not contained; it can be sold but will never run out. It is everywhere, yet rare. And it is appreciated above many other treasures.

Nature is our first canvas because it forever paints beautiful and limitless pictures in our minds. The blues of the sky, the greens of the vegetation of the earth, and the vivid color of all of the animal kingdom are just the beginning of our introduction to color. Do you remember your first sunset, or maybe the vase of wildflowers in your grandmothers kitchen, or a bluebird as it flew upward through the white clouds above, or the warm sun as it shone in the distance and reflected the rainbow of colors between the valley basin and the dark storm clouds? Mankinds fascination with color has continued to develop within numerous cultures around the world. Peoples personalities have also been defined by color. Have you ever felt blue or met a shady character?

A variety of turquoise cabochons from various mines around the world. Photo by Davonna Lowry; courtesy of Turquoise Museum.

There are three primary colors in the color wheel: red, yellow, and blue. The secondary colors in the wheel are green, orange, and violet. The available variety obtained from mixing and matching these six colors is what makes every blink of the eye timeless.

Generally when we see color, we can see multiple colors with different richness such as a unique sunset, which is not just one color of red or orange. Or we can see one color at a time such as a solid green dress. Color speaks within our imaginations, asking what colors are the fish and the sea life in the oceans depths. Our minds record color when we see a beautiful woman and gaze into striking turquoise blue eyes. We can stand in the crowd watching as the Mexican fiesta dancers twirl their colorful dresses to the Latin music.