Code: 11929 A

Turquoise Simorgh Unveiled

Turquoise Simorgh Unveiled

TEHRAN.(Iranart) -- D istinguished Iranian gem-cutter Hamid Amreza, who specializes in turquoise, unveiled his latest artwork titled ‘Turquoise Simorgh’ last week in Neyshabur, Khorasan Razavi Province.

Simorgh is a benevolent bird in Iranian mythology and literature. It is sometimes equated with other mythological birds such as phoenix.

It took the artist 20 days to finish the handcrafted piece. He used 15.6 grams of white gold, 12.6 grams of turquoise and about 1 gram of diamond to create the artwork, Honaronline reported. Turquoise is an opaque, bluish-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminum. It is valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique shade.

The art of cutting turquoise has a long history in Iran, such that Neyshabur’s turquoise is known as the finest in the world. Turquoise mines near the city, in northeastern Iran, have supplied the world with the gemstone for at least two millennia.

Although Afghanistan, Egypt, the US and China also have turquoise reserves, Neishabur’s turquoise is distinguished for its unique hue.

Khorasan Razavi Province is home to 300 turquoise-cutting workshops, making it the top province in this regard.

 

Turquoise Simorgh
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