‘‘Matrix makes the patterns and character ... And, ‘‘less than 3 percent of all the turquoise available today is natural and gem quality.’’ Which may explain something about turquoise ...

The scarcity of high-quality natural turquoise has been driving up prices ... followed by the presence or the absence of matrix, the term for remnants of host rock often visible in the stone.

The natural turquoise is a soft opaque gem with a ... Turquoise by nature contains blotch with dark spots or veins of the matrix (a remnant of its surrounding rock) running through them to ...