I've been daydreaming of the desert.
The large Saguaro cacti with those burnt orange and vivid purple sunsets.
Yeah.....Okay, ya'll. It's time to talk Turquoise! This is one of my first loves and most favorite stones to create sterling silver jewelry with. I can tell you that 99% of the Turquoise that I use in my jewelry comes from the wild wild west.
It's timeless.
It's gorgeous.
It's the most beautiful shades of blue that you can imagine. It's as if bright blue skies and roaring ocean colors swirl and paint each stone. Yet there is white (White Buffalo) , brown (Wild Horse) and green as well.
It literally has my heart, yall.
No two Turquoise cabochons are the same. Cabochon is just fancy jeweler jargon for the stones that we use in our jewelry. It means that they have a flat back, perfect for silver work and stone setting. Here are some examples of my silversmith work with the various Turquoise types listed.
As you can see each one is so unique and beautiful.
The Royston Ribbon is probably my most favorite. That beautiful blue 'ribbon' like marking in a brown matrix stone speaks to my soul.
I have done my best to compile a list of Turquoise from the US.
Colorado
Cripple Crick
Villa Grove
Leadville
King's Manassa
Arizona
Kingman
Sleeping Beauty
Castle Dome
Bisbee
Morenci
New Mexico
Cerrillos Mine
New Enchantment
Santa Rita
Tyrone
Hachita
Nevada
Timberline
Valley Blue
Zuni
Blue Diamond
Pilot Mountain
Montezuma
Crow Springs
Royston
San Bernardino
Lone Mountain
#8
Stormy Mountain
Carico Lake
Lander Blue
I am sure I missed one, but OMG did you even know there were so many different types of Turquoise?
No judgement to Chinese Turquoise as it is absolutely gorgeous, too, in it's own way... But something about American mined Turquoise gets me every time. I mean you dont see the blues and the distinctive ribbons + patterns in Chinese Turquoise.
A popular example of Chinese Turquoise is Hubei.
Photo cred: Pinterest
As you can see in the stock photo above, Chinese Turquoise looks completely different. However, it is popular to some artist because Chinese Turquoise is also cheaper to the ol' bank account.
While we are on the topic of cheaper lets go ahead and discuss HOWLITE.
Howlite is a white stone found in California.
Although howlite was discovered in Canada, most howlite now comes from California and Los Angeles, USA. Deposits have also been found in Turkey, Germany, Mexico and Russia.
Howlite is naturally white and carries color extremely well. Therefore is often dyed blue and used in jewelry to accomplish the turquoise 'feel'.
Some newer and uneducated sellers have even tried to market this as genuine Turquoise.... IT IS NOT!!! Buyers beware! Know your stones.
Below is genuine Turquoise that I created into a ring.
Turquoise has been used in jewelry, like... forever. It was one of the first gemstones ever mined, perhaps even dating back to the early 6000s BC in Egypt.
If you are in the jewelry industry, you may of heard of stabilized Turquoise. Since Turquoise is actually a rather soft mineral, only a 5 on the Mohs scale, it is often put through a process to enhance its hardness called Stabilization.
During this process, the stone is put under pressure, causing it to absorb a clear jewelers epoxy or plastic filler. This results in a harder stone that is suitable for use in jewelry. This is still genuine Turquoise ;)
As I prepare for my trip out west for the annual Tucson Gem Show, I am considering visiting the Bisbee Mine. Although the mine is now closed to collecting, the history of the mining town and lure of touring the mine is really calling to me.
Ahhh, Turquoise. SO soothing and I am just loving writing about it this morning.
Lastly, let me mention the metaphysical properties to this powerful relic.
As you know, crystals and stones have a similar frequency to our own DNA and when programmed can work with our frequency and sublte bodies.
Turquoise IS A POWER HOUSE.
Turquoise is said to improve the mental state overall by increasing all of the following positive mental characteristics:
serenity
creativity
empathy
positive thinking
sensitivity
intuition
happiness
wisdom
self-realization.
If you're a romantic like me, then you may also be in love with this stone. Creating Turquoise jewelry is one of my most favorite things! I love working with my customers for custom jewelry designs , and I also have a few best selling Turquoise pieces on my website. Please feel free to check them out here.
Anyways back to my work bench and the 2559846330 things I should be doing besides daydreaming about TURQUOISE.
XOXOXOX!!!
Danae