Natural Turquoise and Pearl Ring. Turquoise is a bright blue to greenish stone that is cryptocrystalline, meaning that it is actually made of millions of tiny crystals, invisible to the naked eye. It has a long and distinguished history, and is one of the most famous stones of the ancient world, prized by the Egyptians, the Aztecs and the rulers of Shang dynasty China. Turquoise was thought to have general protective qualities, and rumoured to discolour if its owner’s health was declining. The stone’s name ‘turquoise’, now synonymous with its famous colour, originally derives from the French turquois, meaning ‘Turkish’, as most stones traded in Europe were sourced in Iran, and then were imported via Turkey. Turquoise was highly valued in Georgian jewellery, as even in very small cabochons, the stone was strikingly bright and vivid, and looked particularly beautiful when paired with pearls. This late 18th/early 19th century ring is a rare survival of a jewel in this style, in closed-back settings typical of the period. Turquoise and pearls are among the more fragile materials used for rings, but if worn occasionally and treated with care, it will be sure to keep lasting through the centuries ahead.

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