Cyan vs. Turquoise

Main Difference

The main difference between Cyan and Turquoise is that the Cyan is a color visible between blue and green; subtractive (CMY) primary color and Turquoise is a opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium.

• Cyan

  Cyan ( or ) is a greenish-blue color. It is evoked by light with a predominant wavelength of between 490–520 nm, between the wavelengths of blue and green.

  In the subtractive color system, or CMYK (subtractive), which can be overlaid to produce all colors in paint and color printing, cyan is one of the primary colors, along with magenta, yellow, and black. In the additive color system, or RGB (additive) color model, used to create all the colors on a computer or television display, cyan is made by mixing equal amounts of green and blue light. Cyan is the complement of red; it can be made by the removal of red from white light. Mixing red light and cyan light at the right intensity will make white light.

  The web color cyan is synonymous with aqua. Other colors in the cyan color range are teal, turquoise, electric blue, aquamarine, and others described as blue-green.

• Turquoise

  Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrated phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue. In recent times, turquoise has been devalued, like most other opaque gems, by the introduction onto the market of treatments, imitations and synthetics.

  The gemstone has been known by many names. Pliny the Elder referred to the mineral as callais and the Aztecs knew it as chalchihuitl. The word turquoise dates to the 17th century and is derived from the French turquois for “Turkish” because the mineral was first brought to Europe through Turkey, from mines in the historical Khorasan Province of Persia.