Katrinka Wilson, age 8, of Cave Creek, Arizona, for her question:

Where do they find turquoise?

Turquoise is just about the most beautiful stone that can be found in the ground. It is made by the earth and we may find pieces of it mixed with the pebbles around dried up streams. We also may find it deeper underground, buried among the rocky stones of deserts. In America, some of the most likely spots to find it are in your wondrous home state of Arizona. Turquoise also may be found in the desert regions of Nevada and New Mexico and Colorado. Its name means Turkish stone.

In olden days, the loveliest turquoise came from Turkestan and countries of the Middle East. Nature makes the lovely stones from atoms of phosphorus and aluminum mixed with water. A trace of iron in the recipe adds a greenish color and a smidgeon of copper makes turquoise of heavenly blue. The waxy smooth stone is not hard and it tends to fade in heat or strong light. It is easy to work into beautiful objects of jewelry. But the lovely mineral is rated only as a semiprecious stone, less valuable than diamonds and other precious stones.