Turquoise from Shiyan Region, Hubei Province, China

From the Shiyan region of Hubei Province in central China, this 2.34 kg (5.16 lb) turquoise specimen comes from an area where turquoise has been mined for decades. The Shiyan district includes a number of turquoise-producing localities, with Zhushan and the neighboring Yun area among the best documented. Material from the region is known for blue to blue-green color, dark matrix, and rounded or nodular forms, characteristics that give this specimen its distinctive appearance.