July '16

The intention behind the July sock was to embellish. This time we do not mean the embellishment of our Club members’ honorable feet, but rather the beautification of our socksmithy’s roof, which had been infested by two malign assailants: moss and lichen. We have won the fight of man against nature thanks to the great help of our ally – a solution of copper sulfate. Interestingly, the festivities celebrating the victory over our rooftop foes revolved not around the flora itself, but rather the rich turquoise color of the solution also known as bluestone. Later, having read a great volume of literature on the topic, we discovered that turquoise, the mineral that gave this captivating color its name, belongs among the gemstones with the richest history. First mentions of turquoise come from ancient Egypt and are over 5,000 years old. Bluish-green was a color praised as a symbol of good health and gave this gemstone the power to start the tradition of imitating gemstones. Ancient Persians also interpreted this stone as the symbol of heaven on Earth. It was at this moment that the Council decided there was no doubt about turquoise-based socks.