African Turquoise: What It Is (and What It Isn't)

Pick up a piece of African Turquoise and the first thing anyone asks is the obvious one: is this really turquoise?

It isn't — and once you know what it actually is, the stone gets a lot more interesting. Here's the honest story behind one of our best-loved rough rocks.

The name is a bit of a sales pitch

True turquoise is a hydrated copper aluminium phosphate, prized for its sky-blue colour for thousands of years. Genuine turquoise is expensive, and much of what's sold as "turquoise" isn't the real thing at all.

African Turquoise is jasper — specifically a variety of quartz — that has been marketed under the turquoise name because of its colour. The name stuck. Most people in the trade know it as African Turquoise, and we sell ours under the same name, but it's worth being clear: it is not true turquoise.

So what is it, really?

African Turquoise is a green-to-blue jasper with a network of brown, beige and black veining running through it. That contrast — cool colour broken up by earthy matrix lines — is exactly what makes it so recognisable.

Jasper is a microcrystalline quartz, which makes it:

• Hard and durable — it takes a good polish and stands up to handling.
• Opaque — you're seeing the stone's colour, not light passing through it.
• Patterned — no two pieces look the same, so every specimen is genuinely one of a kind.

Where colour comes from

The green and blue tones come from mineral traces locked into the quartz as it formed. The brown and beige lines are the matrix — fractures and seams filled with other minerals that hardened along with the stone.

That's why African Turquoise usually shows a whole spectrum in a single piece: deep green, milky blue, ochre, rust brown and near-black, all in one stone. Cut it or tumble it, and the pattern changes completely.

What African Turquoise is good for

• Display and collecting — a great-looking specimen for a shelf or a bowl of mixed rocks.
• Jewellery — it cabochons, tumbles and shapes beautifully.
• Tumbling — reaches a good shine and holds its pattern.
• Gifts — the colour is unusual enough that it always gets a second look.

If you're naming it for customers, "African Turquoise" is fine and widely understood — just don't claim it's true turquoise.

Caring for it

Jasper is tough, but it isn't indestructible:

1. Rinse with water and dry with a soft cloth — that's usually all it needs.
2. Avoid household acids and harsh cleaners, which can dull the surface.
3. Keep it out of prolonged direct sun — some of the colour can fade over time.
4. Store pieces so they don't rub against harder stones, which can scratch the polish.

A little care goes a long way, and the stone will hold its colour for years.

Our African Turquoise

Ours comes from Springbok in the Northern Cape, in rough pieces measuring roughly 2.5–7.5cm high. Every piece shows that green-to-turquoise colour with brown and beige matrix, and being natural, size, weight and shape vary from stone to stone — which is half the charm.

Browse the range and pick your piece.