Persian Turquoise: Jewel of the Orient

With its elegant blue hue and exquisiteness, Iranian Turquoise, AKA Persian Turquoise, is one of the most precious and eye-catching gemstones, extracted mostly in Neyshabur city of eastern Iran, which has the biggest and oldest turquoise mine in the world.

In Persian language, turquoise is called Firoozeh which means victory and is also used as a girl name. Turquoise is actually one of Iran's national gemstones.

Known as one of the top souvenirs of Iran, the sky-blue Persian Turquoise has always been a magnet for beauty seekers throughout history.

For over 2,000 years, Iranian mines have been used to extract turquoise gemstones to form some of the most sophisticated pieces of jewelry in the world.

The popularity of Persian Turquoise as the perfect addition to any outfit is evident in the world of 21st century fashion.

The difference between Persian Turquoise and turquoise of other regions is that the turquoise sourced from Persian mines is believed to be of the excellent and purest quality.

In Iran, in addition to Neyshabur (Nishapur) turquoise mine, which is the most important mine in the country and in the world, there are other turquoise mines like Damghan, but due to the small amount, the mined turquoise is not famous as the one in Neyshabur.

The color of the Persian Turquoise differs in shade from blue, green and blue-green depending on its origin.

Iranian culture is intertwined with turquoise as numerous monuments and exquisite domes of mosques have been adorned over the centuries by this precious gemstone. It easily gets clean and does not lose color with time.

Persian Turquoise jewelry is not merely an item of pageantry for Iranians. It is also linked with religion as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has advised his followers to wear it, believing turquoise can fortify heart and strengthen eyesight.

Turquoise inlaid plates (Firoozeh koob) and artifacts are one of the most beautiful Iranian artworks, mainly produced in Isfahan and are among the most desired items by tourists as souvenirs.

The art consists of inlaying small turquoise stones on copper, silver, brass and bronze dishes.

As a traveler to Iran, you may not be able to travel to Neyshabur to get some original turquoise, but you can find it in handicraft shops or traditional bazaars in other cities of Iran, like Isfahan, Tehran, Shiraz.

Also read about Persian handicrafts:

Papier-mache and lacquer work

Kapu weaving of Khuzestan