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Our Turquoise Varieties and Characteristics |
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Turquoise from various turquoise mines has distinctive characteristics:
Bisbee Turquoise, Number 8 Turquoise, Kingman Turquoise, Turquoise
Mountain Turquoise, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise |
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Bisbee Turquoise: Bisbee turquoise is mined near Bisbee, AZ and is
one of the most collectable and expensive turquoise gemstones because of
its rarity, high density and extreme clarity. The Bisbee turquoise mine
has recently been declared depleted and was subsequently buried under 50
feet of dirt. |
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Number 8 Turquoise: The Number 8 Turquoise mine was in Carlin, NV
but since first mined in 1929 has been depleted in 1961. While active
the Number 8 Turquoise mine produced some of the largest turquoise
gemstones ever mined. Number 8 Turquoise is also referred as the
gold-webbed turquoise due to its unique matrix of colors ranging from
golden brown to black, set against the powder blue stone. Since the
depletion of the mine and the unique characteristics of Number 8
Turquoise, this gemstone has become highly collectable. |
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Kingman Turquoise: The Kingman Turquoise mine in northwestern
Arizona is one of the largest turquoise mines in existence. The color of
the Kingman Turquoise has become a standard for the industry. The mine
became famous for it’s high grade bright blue nuggets with a distinctive
black matrix. Natural Kingman Turquoise is highly collectable. |
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Turquoise Mountain Turquoise: Located near Kingman Mountain,
Turquoise Mountain produces some of the most beautiful turquoise mined
today. The gemstone has a distinct range in color from pale blue to lime
green that makes Turquoise Mountain Turquoise one of the most sought
after gemstones. Also referred to as “Birdseye” turquoise, which
describes the gemstone’s character of light blue, circled with a darker
blue matrix resembling that of a bird’s eye. |
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Sleeping Beauty Turquoise: The Sleeping Turquoise mine in near
Globe, AZ. Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is noted for it’s solid, light blue
gemstone with no matrix. This mine is also one of the largest in the
Southwest. Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is one of the most popular with the
Zuni Pueble silversmiths for use in petite point and inlay jewelry
designs. |
Turquoise Buying Guide:Each Native American jewelry item is hand crafted and
has unique characteristics. When buying
turquoise
jewelry, we recommend enlarging the pictures to look
carefully at the detail of the turquoise and the work of
the silversmith. We provide enlarged pictures of every
item we have listed, but if you would like to see
additional pictures, do not hesitate to
email us.
By looking closely at the craftsmanship, ask yourself,
"how was this piece made?" and try to capture the
artistry in how the jeweler made the piece. Learn to
identify: |
Quality of the Setting:
Sterling Silver is .925 (92.5% pure sterling
silver) pure. Indian jewelers however do not generally
use the .925 stamp in their jewelry unlike some of the
Mexican jewelers or importers of imitation Indian
jewelry. |
Jewelry Techniques:Hand-made Indian jewelry displays marks of
hammers, chisels and file-work and when enlarged, small
irregularities can be seen. Sandcast sterling silver
jewelry is made by carving the jewelry form into
sandstone or volcanic stone (tufcast), then pouring
molten silver into the pattern. In mass-produced
jewelry, the method of spin-casting reveals striations
resulting from centrifugal forces in the casting
process. This jewelry is generally an imitation of the
original and is common with importers of "Indian like"
jewelry. |
Quality of Workmanship:Hand-made Indian jewelry should be well balanced but
unsymmetrical as well. The edges should not be rough and
the solder marks should be barely visible. The jewelry
settings should be artistically formed to hold the
gemstone in asymmetrical balance. In mosaic jewelry
common to Santo Domingo Indian jewelry, the
gemstones should be cut and fitted with exactness.
Cluster and needlepoint jewelry, common among the Navajo
and Zuni Indian jewelry, the placement of each gemstone
should be well balanced. In traditional hand-made
turquoise jewelry, each strike by the chisel of the
silversmith creates distinctive markings on the silver,
and the unique characteristics of the turquoise or other
gemstone makes for a one-of-a-kind collectable piece of
jewelry. |
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