ForMatter/Materials/gemstone/Turquoise (Natural)
mat_gem_turquoise_natural

Turquoise (Natural)

hydrated copper aluminum phosphate, opaque, blue-green · natural turquoise, Sleeping Beauty turquoise, Persian turquoise
highlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

A hydrated copper aluminum phosphate that forms in arid copper-mining country — dry climates concentrate the chemistry, and the world's best turquoise has come from the same belt of regions for thousands of years (Iran, the U.S. Southwest, Sinai, Tibet). Color ranges from sky blue (Sleeping Beauty mine, Arizona) through blue-green to apple-green. Most commercial turquoise is stabilized with epoxy because porous natural turquoise discolors with skin contact and oils.

CuAl₆(PO₄)₄(OH)₈·4H₂O, triclinic (rare crystal-form occurrences), almost universally cryptocrystalline / massive. Mohs 5–6. Specific gravity 2.6–2.9. Porosity 5–15%. Color from Cu²⁺; iron substitution shifts toward green. Stabilization by polymer impregnation is the trade norm and disclosed; "natural unstabilized" stones command premium and are mostly limited to Persian and Sleeping Beauty material.

mechanical

  • mohs_hardness5.5
  • specific_gravity2.7
  • porosity_pct10
source: GIA Turquoise Quality Factors

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg1.8
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilitymoderate
  • biodegradableFalse
  • localityprimary mining: USA (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico — Sleeping Beauty mine closed 2012, prior stock circulating), Iran, China
visual
sky blue (Sleeping Beauty) through blue-green to green, often with characteristic "matrix" of host-rock veining
tactile
porous, warm to the touch compared to other gemstones

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere matte finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      matte
albedo        #5ab8c8
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.75
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#5ab8c8",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.75,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Turquoise (Natural) · finish: matte
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_gem_turquoise_natural")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.1022, 0.4793, 0.5776, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.750
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Turquoise (Natural) · finish: matte
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_gem_turquoise_natural", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (90, 184, 200))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.750)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Turquoise (Natural) \u00b7 finish: matte",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.1022,
    "g": 0.4793,
    "b": 0.5776
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.75,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_gem_turquoise_natural",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.1022,
          0.4793,
          0.5776,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.75
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Turquoise (Natural) · finish: matte
def Material "mat_gem_turquoise_natural" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_gem_turquoise_natural/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.1022, 0.4793, 0.5776)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.750
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
Substitutes
Lapis Lazuli

Citations