Turquoise

(photo by twin rocks trading post, UT)

I love Turquoise. 

My grandmother always wore turquoise. When she died, i inherited some of her jewelry. Mom and Dad put a few of her diamonds in a beautiful white gold ring for me. But, I find myself wearing Grandma's old turquoise instead. It reminds me of her more than her diamonds do. 

She and Grandpa were both school teachers. They raised my Dad and his bro in Boulder, CO and were able to travel all summer long with their sons, always camping. My family always spent a few weeks each summer on road trips in our family van to meet up with them at National Parks. I remember campfire talks, hikes, and pancakes in Grandma's trailer, watching their humming bird feeder. My most special memories of them were in the forest, on the dirt.

A special thing about turquoise is that it can only be harvested from four states in the U.S.: California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado (although it can be found all around the world, these are just the only places it can be found in the States). So wearing my grandmother's old and intricate turquoise pieces makes me feel not only closer to her, but closer to home.