Jewelry

[Haca]

The magazine arrived. Fab!!! The cover shows a buch of turquoise bangles all with lots of matrix. Correction on the name: it's the New Mexico mag issue and not Arizona Highway as I had written before.

[Kachina624]

I knew what you meant, Haca. Read the article about Jemez Springs too. It's not very far from me, maybe 30 minute drive. Enjoy.

Azcowgirl, I was an art education major in college and had to take a silversmithing course or two. I thoroughly enjoyed them and looked into taking classes here. Would you believe in this Mecca of silver jewelry, I couldn't find a single place? It's an expensive hobby to set up. Yes, it's very hard on the hands; forget manicures. I think you have to be a meticulous, detail-oriented person to be successful.

[ennui1]

On 5/23/2014 kachina624 said:

Thanks for the photo, Jugsie. I'm on an iPad so can't post pictures. I thought it very unusual to find unstabilized turquoise, although I don't necessarily think it's a good thing. I'll have to be careful with it.

Is there a way to tell if turquoise is stabilized? I was digging around and found some old turquoise bracelets, purchased back in the 1990s. I think they are Kingman. They are nuggets, and look rough hewn. Barely tumbled. It occurred to me that they might not be stabilized?

Haca, I'm still looking at the magazine but haven't ordered yet. Is there a lot to read? Worth it?

[Kachina624]

No, you really can't tell by looking, ennui, unless it was a very sloppy home-done stabilization. I was suspicious of this bracelet because I know the mine is open to the public and a lot of hobbyists dabble in mining there. I asked the seller and he told me that it is not stabilized. The colors are more vivid than they appear in the picture. Your stones could very well be unstabilized. Sounds like they weren't fully processed.

[ennui1]

On 5/27/2014 kachina624 said: No, you really can't tell by looking, ennui, unless it was a very sloppy home-done stabilization.

Thanks for responding, kachina.

[Haca]

On 5/27/2014 ennui1 said:

Haca, I'm still looking at the magazine but haven't ordered yet. Is there a lot to read? Worth it?

Ennui...I would say the magazine is more than worth it. So you pay a few dollars s/h and wait a little bit, however, the information is reallly good. I read it (and reread some of the articles) from cover to cover. The articles cover Native American artists of wonderful newer, more contemporary pieces in jewelry and pottery as well as of the traditional designs. (Ken Johnson's work is also described - alas no pictures) The "Spirit of the Stone" is a different take on the history of turquoise and very well written with sumptuous photographs. There is information on the mines ("On the Turquoise Trail) and their owners as well as plenty of information on the beauty of the country side, shops and places to eat. I am glad Kachina suggested it. Previously I had ordered two books, "Turquoise Unearthed" and "The Allure of Turquoise". The latter is a compilation of articles from "The New Mexico" magazine. I found the information on design copycats (from Asia) very interesting as well as a comparison of stones from natural to stabilized to reconstituted turquoise. Kachina is correct, it is not that easy to tell if a stone has been stabilized.

Hope this helps, Ennui.

[HandJive]

On 5/27/2014 ennui1 said:

Is there a way to tell if turquoise is stabilized?

Oh you can tell. Have the stones changed color since you purchased them? Just assume 97% of what's sold on the market is stabilized. Unless your vendor (like in Kachina's case above) guarantees in writing it isn't stabilized turquoise.

There are five “kinds” of turquoise as described by law:

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.

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. (Kind of like the way a sponge turns a deeper color when you get it wet.) 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. (More than 97% of the turquoise on the market is stabilized.)

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.

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.

Imitation turquoise - there is no turquoise in this category. Either there are stones like Howlite (white stone, very porous) dyed to look like turquoise or there is pure plastic (epoxy resin) that has been dyed to look like turquoise. It is a shame that these materials are set in silver and priced as if they had intrinsic value.

Unfortunately, treated, reconstituted and imitation turquoise can be made to look remarkably like collectible stones. Trust is the bottom line. Be sure that the seller guarantees that the jewelry is what he or she says it is, not just verbally, but in writing, including a signature on the sales document with the name of the store on it. Also be sure to shop at businesses that offer refunds, whether the item was bought on sale or not.

Source for above: Indian Arts and Crafts Association

[ennui1]

On 5/28/2014 kathoderay said:

On 5/27/2014 ennui1 said:

Is there a way to tell if turquoise is stabilized?

Oh you can tell. Have the stones changed color since you purchased them?

I have no idea. It's been almost 20 years.

Haca, thanks for the review on the magazine. That does help. I was looking at the Allure book, too. I already have the Unearthed book.

[HandJive]

On 5/28/2014 ennui1 said:

On 5/28/2014 kathoderay said:

On 5/27/2014 ennui1 said:

Is there a way to tell if turquoise is stabilized?

Oh you can tell. Have the stones changed color since you purchased them?

I have no idea. It's been almost 20 years.

If there's a reputable vendor in your area, I find most times they're willing to answer questions and maybe help identify your turquoise.

[ennui1]

On 5/28/2014 kathoderay said:

If there's a reputable vendor in your area, I find most times they're willing to answer questions and maybe help identify your turquoise.

No reputable vendors near me. Since these are really old Relios items, I'm going to assume they are stabilized. However, I found a couple of them on ebay, and the sellers are listing them as natural. I'm guessing they mean natural vs plastic.