Bone turquoise

Description

A fossillized mammoth bone or ivory that has been treated to produce a turquoise blue color. Bone turquoise, or odontolite, originated in southern France. In the Middle Ages, a heat-treating techniqued was developed that turned the stone blue. It was used in jewelry to simulate turquoise stones.

Synonyms and Related Terms

fossil turquoise; odontolite

Authority

• Maggie C. Pedersen, Gem and Ornamental Materials of Organic Origin, Elsevier, London, 2004 Comment: p. 61

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997