This 16 Inch strand of Natural Turquoise is "WYSIWYG" - You will receive the exact strand pictured
Bead Size and Shape: 10mm x 15mm Nugget Beads - This strand has smaller nugget spacers between the larger nuggets - These nuggets are from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, AZ
The product code for this item: TQN1510-02SB
Description: These are natural turquoise that has been stabilized to add hardness. These have a very super polish and great even cuts. These have a minimal amount of matrix. These have a beautiful robins egg blue color.
This 16 Inch strand of Natural Turquoise is"WYSIWYG" - You will receive the exact strand pictured
Bead Size and Shape: 5mm-8mm Nugget Beads - These nuggets are from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, AZ
The product code for this item: TQN85-04SB
Description: These are natural turquoise that has been stabilized to add hardness. These have a very nice polish and great even cuts. These have a minimal amount of matrix. We found a super turquoise vendor and will continue to offer only quality genuine turquoise. We strive to find Sleeping Beauty Turquoise at affordable prices.
This 16 Inch strand of Natural Turquoise is "WYSIWYG" - You will receive the exact strand picturedBead Size and Shape: 4mm-6mm Pebble Beads - These pebbles are from the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Globe, AZ
The product code for this item: TQP46-01SB
Description: These are natural turquoise that has been stabilized to add hardness. These have a very super polish and great even cuts. These have a minimal amount of matrix. These have a beautiful robins egg blue color.
WHAT AND WHERE IS TURQUOISE
Turquoise was among the first gems to be mined, and while many historic sites have been depleted, some are still worked to this day. These are all small-scale, often seasonal operations, owing to the limited scope and remoteness of the deposits. Most are worked by hand with little or no mechanization. However, turquoise is often recovered as a byproduct of large-scale copper mining operations, especially in the United States. The Southwest United States is a significant source of turquoise; Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada. The deposits of California and New Mexico were mined by pre-Columbian Native Americans using stone tools, some local and some from as far away as central Mexico. Cerrillos, New Mexico is thought to be the location of the oldest mines; prior to the 1920s, the state was the country's largest producer; it is more or less exhausted today. Only one mine in California, located at Apache Canyon, operates at a commercial capacity today. One of the richest mines in Arizona is the "Sleeping Beauty" mine. It produces some of the highest quality turquoise for jewelry and has a robin's egg blue color.
Bisbee Blue or Bisbee turquoise refers to the turquoise that comes from copper mines located in the vicinity of Bisbee, Arizona.
Though small amounts were found in the Campbell shaft mine, as well as in streambeds in the Mule Mountains, the vast majority of Bisbee turquoise surfaced when the Phelps Dodge Corporation started open pit mining operations at the location now known as the Lavender Pit, especially the eastern side of the pit. Large amounts of a conglomerate rock bed needed to be removed before the deeper located copper ore could be reached. This conglomerate "waste" rock was the host for most of the turquoise, both in vein and nugget form.
Bisbee turquoise can be found in many different shades of color and quality, from soft, low quality pale blue to the quality hard brilliant blue turquoise and most every shade of blue in between. Green turquoise is also found in Bisbee, but is not usually of very high quality. During the time that the largest quantities of turquoise were being extracted from the mine, the company made no organized effort to recover it. It simply got loaded into large dump trucks and hauled off to the "dumps". During this time (primarily through the late-50s into the late-60s), almost all recovered turquoise was made by company employees, taking it home in their lunch boxes, etc. Though this activity was prohibited, it was rarely enforced. For several years (mostly the early to late 70s), these individuals locally know as "dumpers", were the only source for this fine turquoise. Also, during this time, Phelps Dodge leased out the dumps to an individual to mine the dumps for turquoise.
SLEEPING BEAUTY MOUNTAIN
GLOBE, ARIZONA
The trucks on the left transport the turquoise laced rock to the "shaker" on the right.
This machine separates the rock into different sizes and sends it down a conveyer belt where workers pick out the turquoise from the common rock.
There are five “kinds” of turquoise as described by law
1 - Natural turquoise - turquoise that is so hard and beautiful that it is simply mined, cut, polished and set into a piece of jewelry or carved into a fetish or sculpture. Less than 3% of all the turquoise on the market worldwide is natural.
2 - Stabilized turquoise - soft or "chalk" turquoise has been infused with a clear epoxy resin. The resin, under pressure, absorbs into the rock, which permanently hardens the rock and deepens the color. Unlike the collectible natural turquoise which deepens in color over time by gradually absorbing oils from the skin as it is worn, the colors in stabilized turquoise are permanent. Most of the turquoise on the market is stabilized and should not cost as much as natural. Stabilized turquoise can be very beautiful, and is a good buy.
3 - Treated turquoise - soft or "chalk" turquoise that is stabilized as described above, except that the epoxy resin is also dyed. Colors in treated turquoise have a tendency to look artificial. Prices should be much less than natural or stabilized.
4 - Reconstituted turquoise - turquoise "chalk" that is very low grade and has been ground into powder, saturated with epoxy resin, dyed, and compressed into blocks or cakes to be cut into shapes for jewelry making. Prices should be most inexpensive.
5 - Imitation turquoise - there is no turquoise in this category. Either these are stones like howlite (white stone, very porous) dyed to look like turquoise or they are pure plastic (epoxy resin) that has been dyed to look like turquoise.
Turquoise has a waxy luster and is a phosphate of aluminum with copper and traces of iron. Depending on its origin, the stone can be sky blue to green depending on the amount of copper (which makes it blue) and iron (which makes it green).
TURQUOISE METAPHYSICAL LORE:
Turquoise is said to attract prosperity and success, to have the power to influence creative powers, and to enhance the ability to communicate. The stone has long been prized as a powerful talisman with healing properties. Turquoise increases resistance to viruses and helps to relieve sore throats, lung infections and the affects of allergies.
Disclaimer: Metaphysical lore on healing and spiritual healing is not a prescription, diagnosis or healthcare information; they are alternative and complementary and are not scientifically substantiated. By using this metaphysical and healing lore information, you acknowledge and agree that you personally assume responsibility for your use or misuse of this lore.
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