Turquoise (color)

Turquoise^[a] is a cyan color, based on the mineral of the same name.

The X11 color named turquoise is displayed on the right.

Names

The word turquoise dates to the 16th century and is derived from the Old Frenchturquois meaning "Turkish" because the mineral was first brought to Europe through the Ottoman Empire from the mines in the historical Khorasan province of Iran (Persia).^[1]^[2]^[3] The name is considered a misnomer,^[4] as the mineral came from Persia and is not found in Turkey.^[5] The first recorded use of turquoise as a color name in English was in 1573.^[6]

Pliny the Elder referred to the mineral as callais (from Ancient Greekκάλαϊς) and the Aztecs knew it as chalchihuitl.^[2]

In professional mineralogy, until the mid-19th century, the scientific names kalaite^[7]^:571–572 or azure spar were also used, which simultaneously provided a version of the mineral origin of turquoise.^[8]^:452 However, these terms did not become widespread and gradually fell out of use.

Turquoise gemstones

The turquoise gemstone is the namesake for the color.

Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula Cu Al₆(P O₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue.

Turquoise was mined by pre-Columbian Native Americans in deposits in New Mexico (Los Cerrillos) and likely in California as well.^[9] Additionally, it was used by the Ancient Egyptians, although not very commonly.^[9] Several turquoise artefacts, such as beads and reclining calves, have also been found in Greece, dating to the Mycenaean era (1500BC).^[10]

Turquoise mining later attracted brief European interest in the late 1800s. Prices peaked in 1890, then collapsed by 1912, ending large-scale operations.^[11] During Mohammad Khodabanda reign (1578–1587), accumulated turquoise dust from fifty years of mining in Safavid Iran was squandered lavishly, reflecting royal excess amid economic hardship, political discord, and rising factionalism among the qezelbash elite.^[12]

Turquoise is a stone and color that is strongly associated with the domes and interiors of large mosques in Iran, Central Asia, and Russia.^[13]^[14]

Variations

Celeste

Celeste is a sky blue turquoise.

Light turquoise

Light turquoise is a lighter tone of turquoise.

Turquoise blue

Turquoise blue is close to turquoise on the color wheel, but slightly more blue.^[15]

The first recorded use of turquoise blue as a color name in English was in 1900.^[15]^:206

Medium turquoise

This is the web color medium turquoise.

Dark turquoise

This is the web color dark turquoise.

Bright turquoise

This is the color bright turquoise.

Notes

↑/ˈtɜːrk(w)ɔɪz/TUR-k(w)oyz

References

↑Beale, Thomas W. (October 1973). "Early trade in highland Iran: A view from a source area". World Archaeology. 5 (2): 133–148. doi:10.1080/00438243.1973.9979561. ISSN 0043-8243.
1 2Palache, C.; Berman, H.; Frondel, C. (1951). Dana's System of Mineralogy. Vol. II (7th ed.). Wiley. pp. 946–951.
↑TurquoiseArchived 20 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine. minerals.usgs.gov
↑Lowry, Joe Dan (2010). Turquoise. Gibbs Smith. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-4236-1980-2.
↑Mi, Xiaolei; Guo, Bailu; Li, Xiang (2024). Stephanidis, Constantine; Antona, Margherita; Ntoa, Stavroula; Salvendy, Gavriel (eds.). "The Information Visualization Design Research on Turquoise Along the Silk Road". HCI International 2024 Posters. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland: 285–291. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-61950-2_32. ISBN 978-3-031-61950-2.
↑Maerz and Paul (1930). A Dictionary of Color. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 206; Color Sample of Turquoise [green]: Page 73, Plate 25, Color Sample I5.
↑The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, 1st American ed., Volume 13. — J. and E. Parker edition, 1832.
↑Encyclopaedia Britannica, Volume fifth. — Edinburgh: printed for Archibald Constable and Company, 1824.
12Karampelas, Stefanos; Kiefert, Lore; Bersani, Danilo; Vandenabeele, Peter (2020), "Gems Through the Ages", in Karampelas, Stefanos; Kiefert, Lore; Bersani, Danilo; Vandenabeele, Peter (eds.), Gems and Gemmology: An Introduction for Archaeologists, Art-Historians and Conservators, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 5–38, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-35449-7_2, ISBN 978-3-030-35449-7, retrieved 1 May 2026
↑Henderson, J.; Evans, J.; Nikita, K. (2010). "Isotopic evidence for the primary production, provenance and trade of Late Bronze Age glass in the Mediterranean". Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry. 10 (1): 1–1. ISSN 2241-8121.
↑"Turquoise Mining History | Cerrillos Hills". www.cerrilloshills.org. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
↑Munshi, Eskandar Beg (1629). History of Shah 'Abbas the Great (Tārīkh-e 'Ālamārā-ye 'Abbāsī) / Roger M. Savory, translator. p. 341. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
↑Petersen, Andrew (21 June 1999). Dictionary of Islamic Architecture (1st ed.). Routledge. p. 121. ISBN 978-0415213325.
↑Said, Farida M. (20 November 2012). "Tradition of the tile". Archived from the original on 3 June 2013.
1 2Maerz; Paul (1930). "Color Sample of Cyan: I". A Dictionary of Color. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. page 73, plate 25, sample K12. — 'Turquoise blue' is shown lying very close to Turquoise, but very slightly more bluish.

[1] /ˈtɜːrk(w)ɔɪz/TUR-k(w)oyz

[Beale-1973-2] Beale, Thomas W. (October 1973). "Early trade in highland Iran: A view from a source area". World Archaeology. 5 (2): 133–148. doi:10.1080/00438243.1973.9979561. ISSN 0043-8243.

[Dana-3] 1 2Palache, C.; Berman, H.; Frondel, C. (1951). Dana's System of Mineralogy. Vol. II (7th ed.). Wiley. pp. 946–951.

[USGS-4] TurquoiseArchived 20 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine. minerals.usgs.gov

[5] Lowry, Joe Dan (2010). Turquoise. Gibbs Smith. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-4236-1980-2.

[6] Mi, Xiaolei; Guo, Bailu; Li, Xiang (2024). Stephanidis, Constantine; Antona, Margherita; Ntoa, Stavroula; Salvendy, Gavriel (eds.). "The Information Visualization Design Research on Turquoise Along the Silk Road". HCI International 2024 Posters. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland: 285–291. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-61950-2_32. ISBN 978-3-031-61950-2.

[7] Maerz and Paul (1930). A Dictionary of Color. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 206; Color Sample of Turquoise [green]: Page 73, Plate 25, Color Sample I5.

[Edinburgh-8] The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, 1st American ed., Volume 13. — J. and E. Parker edition, 1832.

[Brit-9] Encyclopaedia Britannica, Volume fifth. — Edinburgh: printed for Archibald Constable and Company, 1824.

[:0-10] 12Karampelas, Stefanos; Kiefert, Lore; Bersani, Danilo; Vandenabeele, Peter (2020), "Gems Through the Ages", in Karampelas, Stefanos; Kiefert, Lore; Bersani, Danilo; Vandenabeele, Peter (eds.), Gems and Gemmology: An Introduction for Archaeologists, Art-Historians and Conservators, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 5–38, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-35449-7_2, ISBN 978-3-030-35449-7, retrieved 1 May 2026

[11] Henderson, J.; Evans, J.; Nikita, K. (2010). "Isotopic evidence for the primary production, provenance and trade of Late Bronze Age glass in the Mediterranean". Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry. 10 (1): 1–1. ISSN 2241-8121.

[12] "Turquoise Mining History | Cerrillos Hills". www.cerrilloshills.org. Retrieved 4 August 2025.

[13] Munshi, Eskandar Beg (1629). History of Shah 'Abbas the Great (Tārīkh-e 'Ālamārā-ye 'Abbāsī) / Roger M. Savory, translator. p. 341. Retrieved 10 May 2025.

[14] Petersen, Andrew (21 June 1999). Dictionary of Islamic Architecture (1st ed.). Routledge. p. 121. ISBN 978-0415213325.

[15] Said, Farida M. (20 November 2012). "Tradition of the tile". Archived from the original on 3 June 2013.

[Maerz-Paul-1930-Pl25K12-16] 1 2Maerz; Paul (1930). "Color Sample of Cyan: I". A Dictionary of Color. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. page 73, plate 25, sample K12. — 'Turquoise blue' is shown lying very close to Turquoise, but very slightly more bluish.

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Turquoise (color)

Names

Turquoise gemstones

Variations

Celeste

Light turquoise

Turquoise blue

Medium turquoise

Dark turquoise

Bright turquoise

See also

Notes

References

関連するトピック

cyan

mineral of the same name

X11 color

Old French