This story originally appeared in the January/February 2017 issue of Elite Traveler.
By Kristen Shirley
Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Persians, Aztecs and Native Americans all wore turquoise, making it one of the world’s oldest forms of jewelry. Today’s designers create beautiful pieces that aren’t at all folksy, but rather elegant artistic expressions. Turquoise can have a matrix, or veins, which are markings left by the host rock. While stones without a matrix have higher values, the matrix itself can be very beautiful and add visual interest to the stones.
David Webb Ball ring in 18K gold, platinum and turquoise with diamonds and green enamel, $24,000, available at David Webb in New York, +1 844 811 9322, davidwebb.com
David Webb’s ring has a carved turquoise ball with a beautiful black matrix, set off with green enamel and white diamonds. From his Bamboo collection, this necklace by John Hardy has natural Arizona turquoise beads mixed with carved sterling silver beads. John Hardy will plant 49 bamboo seedlings for each necklace purchased as part of its sustainable luxury program. The Capri collection from Pomellato evokes the famous blue waters that surround the island; the round stones even look like bubbles. Designer Luna Scamuzzi creates bold, organically-shaped jewelry for her label Lucifer Vir Honestus. Each piece is handmade using a 15th century wax-molding technique. The Trofeo earrings have large pear-shaped turquoise and her signature nature-inspired gold posts. At De Grisogono, designer Fawaz Gruosi used turquoise in his Melody of Colors collection. These earrings feature 48 cabochon-cut turquoise, 18 marquise-cut aquamarines and 232 blue sapphires.
Lucifer Vir Honestus Trofeo earrings in 18K rose gold with 91 carats turquoise and 0.20 carats diamonds, from $12,000, available at The Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove in Miami, +1 786 577 0858, lucifer-vir-honestus.com
Pomellato Capri ring in 18K rose gold with 14 carats turquoise and 1.7 carats diamonds, $20,800, available at Pomellato in New York, +1 800 254 6020, pomellato.com
John Hardy Bamboo bead necklace in sterling silver with 7mm turquoise beads, $8,900, available online at johnhardy.com.
De Grisogono Melody of Colors drop earrings in 18K white gold with 21.30 carats turquoise, 10.95 carats aquamarine, 7.68 carats blue sapphires, $54,000, available at De Grisogono in New York, +1 212 439 4200, degrisogono.com
Click next to see more Elite Traveler editor’s picks for the turquoise trend.
Sutra earrings with 33.29 carats turquoise with sapphires and diamonds in 18K white gold, $40,500, annoushka.com
Lalique Paon ring with turquoise, sapphires and diamonds in white gold, $9,750, lalique.com
Gurhan one-of-a-kind pendant in 24K gold featuring with teardrop cabochon turquoise, $4,900, gurhan.com
Jennifer Meyer earrings with turquoise and diamond earrings in 18K gold, $10,000, net-a-porter.com
David Yurman Renaissance bracelet with turquoise and tsavorite in 18K gold, $11,000, davidyurman.com
Cartier 18K yellow gold panther turquoise and black enamel pin, $12,000, truefacet.com
Paul Morelli Large Petal ring with turquoise and rubies in 18K yellow gold, $3,800, paulmorelli.com
Vhernier Freccia bracelet with turquoise and rock crystal in rose gold, price on request, vhernier.com