Nishapur turquoise

For over two thousand years the mines above Nishapur in northeastern Iran produced the finest turquoise in the world, the sky-blue “Persian turquoise” that set the standard everywhere and traveled the Silk Road to every court. The mines still work the same weathered rock. Iran is under heavy sanctions and travel advisories, so this is a heritage pin; genuine Persian turquoise is sold through the gem trade, and it remains the benchmark the stone is judged against.