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Free Traveling Guides » States » New Mexico » Albuquerque Turquoise Museum
The Turquoise Museum is located in a strip mall, west of Old Town in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was established by Joe P. Lowry and his son Joe Dan Lowry. It houses world’s largest collection of turquoise, a semiprecious blue gemstone. The Turquoise displayed in the Museum has been collected from over 60 mines around the world. This mind-boggling collection comprises of little and huge; blue and green; veined, smooth, and carved; as well as fresh and polished pieces of turquoise.
At the entrance of the Museum, there is a small tunnel with turquoise embedded in its walls. This tunnel leads to the main hall, which features a number of impressive exhibits that illustrate the blue stone’s history, geology, and mythology. The exhibits mainly emphasize on the beauty and the physical properties of this widely adored gemstone. The most important property that determines the value of this gemstone is its density. The low-grade turquoise is too soft to be worked and too porous to be worn. It is, therefore, stabilized with plastic, which provides deep color as well as strength to the stone. On the other hand, a high-grade turquoise is hard and dense, and need not be stabilized. Turquoise can also be oiled, dyed, and waxed.
Besides, there are a number of maps that mark the places where turquoise is mined, ranging from Egypt to Kingman, Arizona. Various other exhibits and demonstrations help the visitors to determine whether the turquoise they are hoping to buy is of good quality or not. The Museum also houses an authentic lapidary shop that makes beautiful jewelry and sells the same in the Museum gift shop. In addition, the education center at the Museum provides an opportunity to learn how to distinguish plastic from the real McCoy. The Museum has a lot to offer and is certainly worth a visit.
- Address: 2107 Central Avenue NW,
Albuquerque, NM 87104
- Telephone: (505) 247-8650
- Hours: Mon - Sat, 9:30 AM - 4 PM
- Website: www.sanfelipedeneri.org
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