Turquoise lovers, please advise!

[bludiva]

I was shopping for some boring supplies for the metalworking class I am taking and then I saw this and don't really know what possessed me to get it other than I'm getting (over)ambitious about making cool things. It's just so pretty. Is it a keeper?

Sleeping beauty ~20x15mm, supposedly completely untreated. Comes from a trustworthy source but no way for me to really tell otherwise. Any advice appreciated!

 

[Bluegemz]

It does look like sleeping beauty turquoise, which has a range of blues, but mostly with an intensity of color. I’ve seen some that have a touch of lavender, sort of a cool blue, and some which have a touch more green. That type comes from a mine in Globe Arizona, which is a very huge copper mine. Turquoise mining there was a by product and has now stopped. It is favored for its clean, mostly matrix free turquoise, which is great for beads, Native American inlay work and Zuni needlepoint and petite point turquoise work.
Like any other type, only 2-3% is gem quality and very stable. Therefore, the majority of Sleeping beauty, while famous, is stabilized. Another issue is that now they make composite turquoise which looks similar.
That said, it’s still not that hard to find sleeping beauty untreated material with good vendors and jewelry supply places as the mine produced big yields. But prices are climbing for sure.
My personal opinion is that your cab is gorgeous. I love a great piece of magnificent, blue turquoise in jewelry. Reminds me of an electric blue sky but with a touch of grounded-ness. Awesome that you are making jewelry!

 

[Missy]

I am not an expert like @Bluegemz but chiming in to say this is turquoiselicious! Lurrrve. I am a sucker for all blues but with this blue no one will be singing the blues cause it is bluelicious.

 

[bludiva]

It does look like sleeping beauty turquoise, which has a range of blues, but mostly with an intensity of color. I’ve seen some that have a touch of lavender, sort of a cool blue, and some which have a touch more green. That type comes from a mine in Globe Arizona, which is a very huge copper mine. Turquoise mining there was a by product and has now stopped. It is favored for its clean, mostly matrix free turquoise, which is great for beads, Native American inlay work and Zuni needlepoint and petite point turquoise work.
Like any other type, only 2-3% is gem quality and very stable. Therefore, the majority of Sleeping beauty, while famous, is stabilized. Another issue is that now they make composite turquoise which looks similar.
That said, it’s still not that hard to find sleeping beauty untreated material with good vendors and jewelry supply places as the mine produced big yields. But prices are climbing for sure.
My personal opinion is that your cab is gorgeous. I love a great piece of magnificent, blue turquoise in jewelry. Reminds me of an electric blue sky but with a touch of grounded-ness. Awesome that you are making jewelry!

Thanks so much for chiming in! It was from a jewelry supply vendor and specifically said no treatments as opposed to some much less expensive pieces they had which were labeled as stabilized. (This piece was a little under $200 I should have mentioned.) It looks fine jewelry quality to me but I'm so unfamiliar with this mineral that I'm not trusting my intuition. Super helpful.

 

[bludiva]

I am not an expert like @Bluegemz but chiming in to say this is turquoiselicious! Lurrrve. I am a sucker for all blues but with this blue no one will be singing the blues cause it is bluelicious.

I know, right? I never thought turquoise could be so mesmerizing. And I'm a December baby so clearly I need to have at least one. Ha!

 

[Missy]

I know, right? I never thought turquoise could be so mesmerizing. And I'm a December baby so clearly I need to have at least one. Ha!

Yasss! Lucky you. I am a peridot baby but never let that stop me and appreciate and enjoy all colored gemstones. My heart remains with all things blue despite my birth month.

 

[Bluegemz]

Thanks so much for chiming in! It was from a jewelry supply vendor and specifically said no treatments as opposed to some much less expensive pieces they had which were labeled as stabilized. (This piece was a little under $200 I should have mentioned.) It looks fine jewelry quality to me but I'm so unfamiliar with this mineral that I'm not trusting my intuition. Super helpful.

That’s about the right price range for an untreated sleeping beauty cab. In my experience. And the untreated, good quality material holds up really well. I have some of it in bracelets which in spite of my clumsiness has not suffered lol!
American turquoise is becoming quite mined out. Some varieties are very expensive now, such as Lander Blue. I also adore Blue Gem, which comes in such a vivid, brilliant blue. always love looking at this turquoise map to see the variations in material.

 

[bludiva]

That’s about the right price range for an untreated sleeping beauty cab. In my experience. And the untreated, good quality material holds up really well. I have some of it in bracelets which in spite of my clumsiness has not suffered lol!
American turquoise is becoming quite mined out. Some varieties are very expensive now, such as Lander Blue. I also adore Blue Gem, which comes in such a vivid, brilliant blue. always love looking at this turquoise map to see the variations in material.

that's really neat, thank you!

 

[stracci2000]

It's beautiful!
Be careful setting it. Being untreated, it may fracture under pressure. Also, it might become greenish if exposed to soaps and lotions over time.
Below is a piece of untreated turquoise. I gave this to a jeweler friend who does inlay work. He gave it back to me because it was too soft to use. It kept cracking when he tried to slice it.

 

[bludiva]

Good tips, thank you! I was worried it might be delicate...it'll be a while before I'm ready to set it but I was chatting to a couple of the ladies in my class and they also thought I should hold on to it.

 

[MidModMin]

I LOVE turquoise, but am always hesitant to buy it because there are so many fakes/reconstituted stones out there, so I am a bit envious of your find!

 

[bludiva]

I LOVE turquoise, but am always hesitant to buy it because there are so many fakes/reconstituted stones out there, so I am a bit envious of your find!

Lol! If i don't end up setting it within a year i promise to offer it up to the community. I have that same hesitation...a lot of finished jewelry especially doesn't include info about the stone so I just assume the worst.