Description
Turquoise Nugget – Natural Mineral Specimen from South Africa
This Turquoise Nugget specimen from South Africa is a genuine natural mineral piece, carefully selected for its attractive blue-green colour, natural nugget form, and collector appeal. Full sizing please see photo, and the photograph provided shows the actual specimen you will receive. Each item includes a Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card, confirming it as a genuine mineral specimen.
Mineral Species & Chemical Composition
Turquoise is a hydrated copper aluminium phosphate mineral with the chemical formula:
CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O
It is best known for its distinctive blue to green colouration, caused primarily by copper content, with greener tones sometimes influenced by iron impurities.
Turquoise crystallises in the triclinic crystal system, although well-formed crystals are rare. Instead, it most commonly occurs as:
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Compact nodules
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Vein fillings
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Massive nugget-like forms
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Botryoidal or earthy aggregates
Turquoise has a hardness of approximately 5–6 on the Mohs scale, making it durable enough for display and ornamental use, though it should still be handled with care due to its porous nature.
Colour, Texture & Natural Nugget Features
This turquoise nugget may display:
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Blue-green to greenish-blue tones
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Opaque body colour with a smooth or slightly textured surface
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Natural matrix patterns or host rock remnants
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Subtle colour zoning depending on mineral composition
Each nugget is naturally unique in shape, surface detail, and colour distribution. Some specimens may show darker veining or patches where turquoise formed within fractures in the surrounding rock.
The natural nugget form highlights turquoise in its raw geological state, making it appealing for collectors who appreciate uncut mineral material.
Geological Formation & South African Locality
Turquoise forms as a secondary mineral in the oxidation zones of copper-rich deposits. It develops when groundwater interacts with aluminium- and phosphate-bearing rocks in arid to semi-arid environments.
Over long periods, copper minerals weather and release copper ions, which combine with aluminium and phosphate to crystallise turquoise within fractures, cavities, and nodules.
South Africa hosts a variety of mineral-rich geological environments, including copper-bearing zones where secondary phosphate minerals such as turquoise can form. Turquoise from this region is valued for its distinctive natural colour and rarity compared with more widely known sources.
Associated minerals in turquoise-bearing deposits may include chrysocolla, malachite, quartz, limonite, and other copper oxidation products.
Authenticity, Presentation & Collecting Use
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Mineral: Turquoise
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Chemical Formula: CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O
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Crystal System: Triclinic
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Origin: South Africa
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Form: Natural nugget specimen
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Authenticity: Includes Certificate of Authenticity lifetime guarantee generic card
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Sizing: Full sizing please see photo
This specimen is ideal for mineral collectors, turquoise enthusiasts, educational geology collections, jewellery makers seeking natural nugget material, or as a unique natural history gift.
Collecting & Traditional Associations
Turquoise has been valued for thousands of years as one of the world’s most recognisable blue-green minerals, prized for both ornamental and mineralogical interest. Natural nuggets are especially appreciated for preserving the stone’s original geological character.
In spiritual traditions, turquoise is traditionally associated with protection and good fortune; these interpretations are cultural rather than scientific. From a mineralogical perspective, its true appeal lies in its copper-based colouration, secondary mineral formation, and natural nugget structure.
A genuine Turquoise Nugget specimen from South Africa, carefully chosen for quality and supplied with certificate of authenticity, perfect for collectors and natural mineral displays.
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