Jewelry

[issiestorm]

Well ladies, with all due respect to both of your statements, I don't think my two pairs of antique turq. earrings were ever cheap pieces available in parking lots. For one thing, the silver is very artfully crafted and both pairs are well made. The turquoise stones in both are actually rather small, so them not being too shiny is not that much of an issue. But, I love my newer, shinier pieces too.

And I do indeed wear jewelry because I love it and it makes me feel good. What better reason to wear it?

[Jugtown]

On 3/26/2014 Issiestorm said:

Well ladies, with all due respect to both of your statements, I don't think my two pairs of antique turq. earrings were ever cheap pieces available in parking lots. For one thing, the silver is very artfully crafted and both pairs are well made. The turquoise stones in both are actually rather small, so them not being too shiny is not that much of an issue. But, I love my newer, shinier pieces too.

And I do indeed wear jewelry because I love it and it makes me feel good. What better reason to wear it?

I'm sure your antique earrings are beautiful! My wanting polish/shine on my stones is just a personal preference. I have some vintage pieces myself, and I love the weight and beauty of them as well.

[Jugtown]

My thing here is that everyone's preference is different - and I guess I feel like I'm being lectured (by some) for liking Sleeping Beauty and knowing that there are different qualities of it - depending on when it was mined and how it was treated/stabilized. As I've said, I love and own all types of turquoise and for those who don't like SB, to each their own.

Sales pitches should be questioned, but then get the facts already and stop saying "there's plenty out there" when you don't know that for a fact - and you don't know that it's good, quality SB.

[issiestorm]

For what it's worth Jugtown, I love SB turquoise too and I do have several pieces. I respect your viewpoint and I hope you didn't think I was questioning it in any way.

[Puzzle Piece]

On 3/25/2014 kachina624 said:

On 3/25/2014 Love Roses said:

On 3/25/2014 Shogirl said:

I guess it's only as valuable as the market allows it to be...

That's true for just about everything. The SB Turquoise is a color that isn't found anywhere else that's why it's the Cadillac of turquoise. It's also an American turquoise and the value is placed with other strictly Yankee products. It's not easy to come across and I do wonder why so much is passed off as SB. I think a lot of it is the Howlite dyed a turquoise color.

It is far from being the Cadillac of turquoise...it's just heavily marketed, especially to those that don't know anything about the stone. The stone considered the most valuable is called Lander Blue. There was only about 150 lbs of it mined. Right now Bisbee Turquoise is very much in demand and if the stone is good quality, it's fetching a hefty price. There are many, many other American turquoises which are highly sought after and much more valuable than Sleeping Beauty.

All of the desirable types have matrix. A true connoisseur of turquoise wouldn't allow Sleeping Beauty into his collection. It's sort of a joke to those in the know. Of course all turquoise stones are not created equal; there are both fine and mediocre examples from all of the mines. Keep in mind that fine stones of any type are not usually sold on TV; you find them in fine jewelry stores and galleries.

If visiting Albuquerque, I highly recommend a trip to the Turquoise Museum in the Old Town area. Its owner literally wrote the book on turquoise.

Interesting but then why are the ladies who are royalty and former first ladies gifted with the SB turquoise. It is a pricey stone. The stones that are rare are valued for their rareness, not necessarily their beauty or demand. I know that the shopping shows hock their turquoise as the SB and it's a small amount they managed to acquire for 'you' the general public, but they are just hyping a product for sales and I have found most is product from abroad or the dyed howelite.

[ennui1]

On 3/26/2014 jugtown said:

Sales pitches should be questioned, but then get the facts already and stop saying "there's plenty out there" when you don't know that for a fact - and you don't know that it's good, quality SB.

Well, there certainly appears to be a lot of Sleeping Beauty turquoise available. If you want it, you can find it. Every shopping channel has lots and lots.

[Haca]

On 3/26/2014 Love Roses said:

Interesting but then why are the ladies who are royalty and former first ladies gifted with the SB turquoise. It is a pricey stone. The stones that are rare are valued for their rareness, not necessarily their beauty or demand. I know that the shopping shows hock their turquoise as the SB and it's a small amount they managed to acquire for 'you' the general public, but they are just hyping a product for sales and I have found most is product from abroad or the dyed howelite.

Love Roses, how do you know that most of the SB stones are dyed howlite?? Are you implying that reputable vendors such as Carolyn Pollack, Jay King, etc. would ever sell "dyed howlite" as SB?? I personlly LOVE the color of SB and absolutely believe Carolyn or Jay that their stones are true sleeping beauty turquoise stone.

Lastly, I am a huge lover of any kind and color of turquoise with and without matrix. I have not met a stone I didn't like.

[scotnovel]

On 3/25/2014 jugtown said:

On 3/25/2014 Issiestorm said:

I think you're right, ennui, about the older turquoise not being shiny. I have two pairs of antique turquoise earrings (Native American), one a small silver pair crafted like an ear of corn and set with a turquoise, and one a larger, Zuni pair in a sort of chandelier style, set with needlepoint turquoises. In both these pairs, the stones are not shiny at all. Same goes for several older rings from the 60's. In any newer pieces, whether rings or earrings, they are.

They probably were once shiny - after stones age or are worn a lot and subjected to lotions, water, etc., they become dull. A good jeweler could probably buff and shine them up nicely.

Some pieces are shiny because they have been treated with chemicals or other processes to make them harder and resistant to damage. A lot of the older pieces of turquoise are not treated at all and are more natural. Most of the Sleeping Beauty pieces sold on TV are treated.

[ennui1]

On 3/26/2014 Haca said:

On 3/26/2014 Love Roses said:

Interesting but then why are the ladies who are royalty and former first ladies gifted with the SB turquoise. It is a pricey stone. The stones that are rare are valued for their rareness, not necessarily their beauty or demand. I know that the shopping shows hock their turquoise as the SB and it's a small amount they managed to acquire for 'you' the general public, but they are just hyping a product for sales and I have found most is product from abroad or the dyed howelite.

Love Roses, how do you know that most of the SB stones are dyed howlite?? Are you implying that reputable vendors such as Carolyn Pollack, Jay King, etc. would ever sell "dyed howlite" as SB?? I personlly LOVE the color of SB and absolutely believe Carolyn or Jay that their stones are true sleeping beauty turquoise stone.

Lastly, I am a huge lover of any kind and color of turquoise with and without matrix. I have not met a stone I didn't like.

kachina posted about fakes ... even the museums and galleries get fooled ... http://community.qvc.com/forums/jewelry-talk/topic/414272/is-your-turquoise-genuine.aspx

[scotnovel]

On 3/26/2014 Haca said:

On 3/26/2014 Love Roses said:

Interesting but then why are the ladies who are royalty and former first ladies gifted with the SB turquoise. It is a pricey stone. The stones that are rare are valued for their rareness, not necessarily their beauty or demand. I know that the shopping shows hock their turquoise as the SB and it's a small amount they managed to acquire for 'you' the general public, but they are just hyping a product for sales and I have found most is product from abroad or the dyed howelite.

Love Roses, how do you know that most of the SB stones are dyed howlite?? Are you implying that reputable vendors such as Carolyn Pollack, Jay King, etc. would ever sell "dyed howlite" as SB?? I personlly LOVE the color of SB and absolutely believe Carolyn or Jay that their stones are true sleeping beauty turquoise stone.

Lastly, I am a huge lover of any kind and color of turquoise with and without matrix. I have not met a stone I didn't like.

I don't believe that most of the SB stones sold on the home shopping networks are dyed howlite. However, before purchasing you should understand exactly what you are buying. The home shopping networks & others often sell "enhanced" gemstones (not just turquoise) that can mean a variety of things such as dyed stones, stones stabilized with plastic to enhance durability and color; stones compressed with a binding agent under extreme pressure and heat to bind together small pieces of natural material into a larger whole, stomes infused with wax, and lots of other "artificial" processes. The jewelry descriptions should tell you if the stone has undergone some process.

A lot of Sleeping Beauty stones have undergone a specific process called the Zachery process mainly to strengthen & stabilize the stones.