Quick Specs
- Brand: Sonavi
- Series: Crystal Scents Ritual Kit
- Format: Incense sticks with a small bag of chips
- Pack: 8 incense sticks
- Stone: Turquoise chips
- Sticks: Visible botanical grains
- Fragrance: Inspired by turquoise
A Blue Stone With a Turkish Name
Turquoise has been worn for thousands of years. GIA reports that ancient Egyptian rulers wore turquoise jewelry and that artisans in China were carving it more than 3,000 years ago. Iran has been an important source for at least 2,000 years, and the word turquoise comes from an Old French word meaning Turkish. Chemically, turquoise is hydrated copper aluminum phosphate, a porous stone that rates 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale, and that porosity is why much of the turquoise on the market is treated to harden it. It forms where copper-rich groundwater reacts with aluminum- and phosphorus-bearing minerals, and fine-textured material takes a waxy luster when polished. Its natural color runs from dull green to bright sky blue, with the blue attributed to copper. The chips in this kit are bright blue. The box is deep navy with a lavender glow, a gold sun framed by beaded chains, and a haloed figure flanked by crescent moons near the base. The eight sticks beside the chips are coated in dried plant material, gold flecks over black, with orange bare ends.
Turquoise has an old reputation as a protective stone. GIA reports that it has long been regarded as a stone of good fortune and protection from evil, and it appears in jewelry and amulets across many cultures. In modern crystal practice, turquoise is associated with the throat chakra and with communication, which makes it a natural companion for anything you want to say clearly: a letter, a toast, a message you’ve drafted three times. Those are lore associations. The bright blue shows up well against a dark desk or a white page, and a few chips beside your notebook give a drafting session a spot of color. Say the first line of what you plan to speak aloud while the first thread of smoke rises, with a chip beside you to give the moment a point of focus. Keep the kit within reach of the place where you do your talking and writing, so lighting a stick becomes the signal that the work has started. If you speak or read aloud for others, a chip in your pocket gives your hand something to hold while you talk.
Practical Ritual Applications
Light a stick when you sit down to say something that matters. Draft the message you’ve been postponing, rehearse a toast or a presentation aloud, or write the letter that needs three tries, with the chips in a dish beside the page. A reading can use the kit too: burn a stick before you read for a friend, when you want to explain what the cards say in clear words. For a short ritual, hold a chip while you say your first sentence out loud, then set it down and begin. A stick also works as a cue for a daily writing habit: light it, write until you’re ready to stop, and put it out. For more stones in the same family of lore, my communication, telepathy and angels stones collection has tumbled and raw pieces to set beside them.
How to Burn Turquoise Incense Sticks and Keep the Chips Dry
Three steps cover a dry setup, a steady burn, and a tidy finish.
- Set up a dry, safe corner
Turquoise is porous and prone to discoloration, so choose a dry spot away from heat and keep the chips on a dry saucer. Stand a heat-resistant holder that catches embers on a flat, heat-resistant surface, clear of curtains, paper and fabric, and open a window or door. Check that the holder grips a coated stick firmly before you light it.
- Light the stick and begin your work
Hold the tip to a flame until it catches, let the flame die so the end glows, and stand the stick in the holder. Open your notebook or take your seat. Pick up a chip when you're ready to start, and return it to the saucer afterward, a hand's width from the holder and clear of falling ash.
- Put the stick out and store the chips
Stay in the room while the stick burns, and keep it out of reach of children and pets. Press the glowing tip into a fireproof dish until it's out; blowing on it can spread sparks. Check that nothing is still smouldering, and let the ash cool before you empty the holder. Slip the chips back into their bag and keep them somewhere dry.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock the Turquoise kit for writers, speakers and readers who like a bright-colored stone beside a stick of incense. The chips come in a small bag, and the eight sticks give you a run of sessions that each begin with the same simple act. The slim box also makes an easy gift for a friend who writes letters or loves the color blue, and the chips are a lasting piece of the stone once the incense is gone. If you’d like to try other fragrances, my stick incense collection has many more to browse.
Frequently Asked Questions
Turquoise is porous and fairly soft, so it's often treated to make it harder and to deepen its color. Stabilization impregnates the stone with resin, plastic or water glass. Some turquoise is also dyed, and reconstituted turquoise is made from powdered fragments bonded with resin. Gem-trade sources report that most turquoise is stabilized, and that dyed howlite and magnesite are the most common imitations.
Iran is the classic source. GIA names the Nishapur district as the traditional home of the finest sky-blue stone, and Wikipedia calls Iran an important source for at least 2,000 years. Turquoise also comes from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, China, and the American Southwest, including Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and California.
Keep them away from heat and from chemicals. GIA says high heat can cause discoloration and surface damage, and that turquoise can be discolored by chemicals, cosmetics, skin oils and perspiration. Gem-trade references describe the stone as porous and prone to discoloration. GIA advises against steam and ultrasonic cleaners and calls warm, soapy water safe for cleaning turquoise.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet