07/06/15
Turquoise is a popular stone in jewelry since ancient times.. Turquoise can come from many places and from many mines. Some of the most popular turquoise comes from Arizona . The Sleeping Beauty mine in Arizona (which closed in 2012) produced some of the most beautiful turquoise and it is in high demand. Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Mine got its name from the mountain that resembles a sleeping woman who is lying on her back with her arms crossed. This turquoise is in very high demand because it is almost totally pure in color and is perfectly sky blue. Unlike most other turquoise it doesn’t have any veins or matrix running through it. This turquoise was actually discovered when the mine started to mine gold and copper. After being open for some time, they started to find bits of the turquoise. It is so bright blue that they were able to easily identify it in its rough form.
The Sleeping Beauty turquoise is stable and hard enough to be polished and used to make jewelry without having to do anything to it. Because of its strength and resiliency it is a favorite with jewelry makers and turquoise jewelry enthusiasts alike. There is obviously only a limited amount of Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, so getting some when you can is wise. Because the mine is now close, that finite amount is growing smaller.
If you aren’t drawn to the bright blue color of the Sleeping Beauty turquoise, you should look into our Mexican turquoise. This turquoise can come in a variety of different colors and styles. It has been a prized gem in Mexico for millennia and was used in tribal art and masks. Most of the turquoise that is mined in Mexico today comes from the Sonora region that shares a northern border with Arizona . The stones from this region come in varying shades of blue and green.
The earliest known place that started mining turquoise was Persia. Most historians believe that this stone has been mined for over two thousand years. Early Persians commonly believed that this stone represented the heaven’s because of its celestial color and they used it to coat the roofs of their places of worship in order to bring heaven just a little bit closer.
In the United States the Native Americans first began mining turquoise. Turquoise jewelry started with the Navajos in the 19th century when they first started working with silver and turquoise. This is how the jewelry we know today came about and the materials and methods that they used then are still the ones that we use today to make such beautiful jewelry.
There are many types of soft turquoise(a.k.a chalk) that need to be stabilized to be usable in jewelry .(their are several different methods of stabilization which we will cover in another post)
A large percentage of turquoise being sold has been stabilized to ensure durability and to keep it from turning green (oxidizing) over time. Most of the turquoise we carry has been stabilized with a clear resin. It is the natural color of the stone .We never add any dyes or any other type of coloring to our turquoise.
Turquoise because of its beauty can be worn with just about anything .
Turquoise will remain fashionable for many years to come.
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