GUIDE TO TURQUOISE

The Colors of Turquoise

Turquoise Jewelry has a wide range of colors, from deep, sea blue known as "Persian Blue", which is often found throughout the Middle East (predominantly in Iran), to bright, neon green, such as that found in the American Southwest. The color of turquoise jewelry yielded by a certain mine is a result of the metal content. Generally, the higher the copper content in a specific deposit, the bluer the stone, and the higher the iron content, the greener the stone. Some mines, such as the Sleeping Beauty mine which houses a bright, clear turquoise, tends to have high concentrations of a single color, while others, such as the Royston and Fox mines, have a wide range of hues, from light blue to deep green. In active mines, such as the Kingman mine, new deposits are occasionally uncovered, which yield a new shade of turquoise. When this occurs, there is frequently a "buzz" among collectors who hope to add a unique piece to their collections.

The Matrix

One of the most unique characteristics of turquoise is the presence of the "matrix" in the stone. The matrix is formed by the thin veins of the host stone. These veins interweave throughout the stone, creating a unique pattern which contrasts with the blues, greens, earthy browns, rust, and black coloration. Similar to individual fingerprints, matrices vary from stone to stone, creating one-of-a-kind pieces that are visibly distinct from one another.

Some mines are known for the matrix that can be found in the turquoise jewelry and the stones they are produced from. For example, the earthy brown matrix of Boulder Turquoise and the tan to light brown matrix of the famous Bisbee mine are considered among the most desirable matrices found. The Kingman mine in Arizona yields both a common black matrix as well as a rare and highly sought-after silver matrix. One of the most popular types of matrix among collectors is the "spider-web matrix", which as its name implies, creates a characteristic, web-like appearance throughout its turquoise jewelry. Spider-web matrix can be seen often in #8 Turquoise.

Overlay

One of the most traditional styles popularized by Native American artists is the use of overlay. In this process, two sheets of metal are layered upon each other either to form a design with an oxidized background, or to create a stencil into which cut stone can be set. This technique can be seen in the use of Navajo stamped bracelets, which contrast oxidized patterns with centrally set turquoise jewelry stones, and in the detailed inlay work of the Zuni, who are famous for their elaborate, framed inlay.

Bezel Setting

One of the most basic and popular treatments of turquoise is the stone-setting technique known as bezel setting, whereby stones are nested in a mounting, and closed inside of a silver "frame" using jeweler's instruments. Since these stones are softer than most other gemstones, they need a bit more protection from bumping and rubbing than other, harder stones. Bezel settings are used for all types and shapes of stones, including needlepoint, petit point, ovoid or circular, or irregularly shaped stones.

Inlay

Inlay work describes the process of setting multiple small turquoise or other semi-precious stones in the same piece of jewelry. There are two types of inlay work—channel and mosaic. Channel inlay refers to the process of setting small stones in sequence with each other from end to end in a single line. Mosaic describes the process of setting multiple small stones in a geometric cluster, similar to bath tiles or bricks. Both types of inlay work require significant skill, as shown by the Zuni and, more recently, the Navajo. Because these stones are often set flush with the surface of the piece of jewelry, inlay offers a bit of additional protection from unnecessary exposure.

Stringing

One of the most traditional and oldest forms of turquoise jewelry making is the process of bead stringing which has been carried out by Native American jewelers for centuries. Turquoise jewelry can easily be shaped into beads and drilled for use in stringing. Turquoise cabochons are polished stones that are drilled and strung in a simple and classic form. Heishi beads are small, disc-shaped beads that are strung in sequence to form a simple beaded strand that may be graduated from small to large. Many of the Native Americans of the Southwest such as the Santo Domingo people, the Zuni, and the Navajo have unique styles and expertise in stringing beads of various shapes, materials and sizes.

Bisbee

Some of the highest-quality turquoise jewelry in the United States comes from the Bisbee mine in Southeastern Arizona. Bisbee is known for being among the densest turquoise found in the Southwest, which makes it both more valuable and more durable. This unique kind of turquoise is among the most easily distinguished, as it has a deep blue color and a dark brown and black matrix that is difficult to find elsewhere. Bisbee turquoise jewelry is a favorite among knowledgeable collectors of turquoise.

Blue Gem

While turquoise veins and deposits often reside close to the Earth's outermost surface, the turquoise yields from the Blue Gem mine are from one-inch veins as deep as 800 feet. Located in Lander County, Nevada and founded in 1934, production continued at the Blue Gem mine until the magnificent stone's depletion. As a result, the highly sought-after Blue Gem turquoise remains coveted by investors and collectors alike. Well known for its reflective and translucent look, the turquoise from the Blue Gem mine often contains pyrite, which adds a bit of sparkle to its glassy surface.

Similar to the fate of many other North American turquoise mines, the presence of precious metals including copper and gold accelerated production at the Blue Gem mine, eliminating what little turquoise remained. Whether through depletion or destruction, the value placed on the Blue Gem stones increased as a result.

Blue Ridge

The Blue Ridge mine holds a range of colors of stones, from sky blue to yellowish green. Blue Ridge Turquoise Jewlery from the mine that contains green hues is commonly referred to as Orvil Jack turquoise, named after the miner who originally discovered the deposits. Periodically excavated from time to time, the Blue Ridge mine is still operated by the descendants of Orvil Jack. When the zinc and iron are predominant, some green turquoise jewelry may be mistaken for faustite, a material that resembles turquoise but is actually a secondary mineral.

Boulder Turquoise

One of the finest and most unusual forms of turquoise is Boulder Turquoise which is mined from the Royston mining district of Nevada. Boulder consists of a brown or rust colored host rock through which a dazzling vein of turquoise runs (known as "ribbon turquoise"). Whereas most turquoise is named after the mine from which it was extracted, Boulder is named for its unique composition and appearance. The natural combination of varying tones of earthy browns, beige and rust in conjunction with sky blue to light green veins make a striking impression that is sought after by turquoise jewelry collectors. Because there is very little uniformity among Boulder stones, each piece of jewelry made with this distinctive stone has a one-of-a-kind look.

Kingman

For the past half-century, the Kingman mine of Northwestern Arizona has contributed the largest amount of turquoise utilized in Native American jewelry. The Kingman mine produces well-known turquoise nuggets consisting of brilliant blues to blue-greens, with the most common form of turquoise containing a black matrix, and the rarest a silver matrix. To this day, Kingman Turquoise remains one of the most recognizable names among turquoise.

Royston

One of Nevada's most popular mining districts, the Royston mining region continues to produce some of the most magnificent turquoise available. Renowned for its range of colors, the Royston Turquoise contains a multitude of blues and greens, ranging from a stunning Robin's egg blue to a limonite infused green. The Royston district contains four known turquoise mines including the Bunker Hill, Easter Blue, Oscar Wehrend and Royal Blue mines.

Once Nevada's largest producer of turquoise the Royal Blue mine yields a multitude of colors of turquoise with a brown matrix. Found in small veins and seams, the turquoise comes in the form of thin discs, large masses and sizable nuggets. Thought relatively low-yielding, the Easter Blue mine produces a wonderful, light Easter egg blue stone that is rarely found elsewhere.

Sleeping Beauty

Just outside of the small mining town of Globe, Arizona, is the highly variable and prolific Sleeping Beauty mine. With little to no visible matrix, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise has a clear, light turquoise appearance that is extremely popular worldwide. Though the Sleeping Beauty mine once produced a vast amount of turquoise, the majority extracted from this region today is from the tailing piles. Since much of the modern Sleeping Beauty turquoise jewelry is enhanced, and therefore cheaper, the small, high-grade yield from this mine is among the most coveted by collectors and artists.

White Buffalo

Though it is not technically turquoise, White Buffalo Turquoise has been found in conjunction with genuine turquoise in the Dry Creek Mine on the Shoshone Reservation. This breathtaking cream-colored and white stone with black matrix is formed in much the same way as blue and green turquoise, but the higher concentration of aluminum yields an entirely unique stone. With only one vein known to man, there is a premium placed on the White Buffalo stone. This unique stone was given its name by Native Americans because of its rarity in nature. Discovered in 1993 and predicted to have a short productive phase, White Buffalo is among the most popular semi-precious stones in the Southwest.

#8 Turquoise

Due to its rarity and magnificent spider-web matrix, the turquoise from the #8 mine is one of the popular types of turquoise jewelry among collectors. Closed and depleted in 1961, less than 10% of the turquoise derived from the #8 mine consisted of quality, high-grade stones. The spider-web matrix found in this lineage of turquoise contains gold, various hues of brown, and black, which form an intricate web pattern throughout the light, blue-green turquoise. Because #8 Turquoise can be found in a variety of host rocks including chert, shale and quartz, each piece is individually unique.

Located within the Lynn mining district of Nevada, the #8 mine yielded two deposits of turquoise for the original founders, the Edgar brothers. The Edgar family started mining the first deposit in 1925 only to deplete it within four years. Although the initial mine produced large amounts of low-grade, nodular turquoise, another nearby deposit yielded what we know as the high-grade #8 today. Though most turquoise stones extracted from this mine were relatively small, the #8 Turquoise mine once yielded a single, 150 pound turquoise stone, which was at the time the largest turquoise stone known to man.