Jewelry

[AliJoi5]

lol  It definitely took me a few minutes to get my bearings, but I'm actually not hating this new set up.  I like how everything's streamlined, and I love the heart feature.  I'm not sure why so many people were deterred, but yeah, the jewelry forum/sub-boards seem to be especially vacant.  Bummer.  Hopefully some familiar "faces" will eventually begin to make their way back (when they miss us so much they simply can't bear to stay away). 

I'm like you, always collecting that turq!  I think I recall you being a royston fan, so here's one of my new pendants.  I just fell in love with the coloration of this one.  It's a large piece... around 3-1/2" from top to bottom.  It's untreated of course, which I know you appreciate.  The artist is Bennie Ration (Navajo).  Now... quid pro quo (Clariiice)!  Gimme some of that eye candy please. 

[sunshine 919]

Alijoi5, I totally agree.

[Kachina624]

@AliJoi5I always get excited when someone says they have Royston because you never know what color it will be.  Funny how you can find it unstablized.  About a year ago I got a pretty bangle bracelet in unstablized Royston.  I tend to wear my bangles for months at a time without removing.  Now I'm afraid to wear this bracelet because I know I won't remove it every time I spritz some hair spray or perfume.

Your bracelet is a very attractive piece and will go with either blue or green.  That's unusual to find in one piece.  Nice matrix distribution too.

I like the new boards, not all the restrictions but the technical aspects are nice.

[surfk]

There is no purple turquoise in nature. Its a result of manufacturing and dying in order to create a fashion color stone.

They also often infuse some turquoise with copper as to make it more interesting (although it just looks strange in my opinion). Its what some manufacturers do in order to appeal to the fashion or costume jewelry buyer - people who don't care about nature so much as they want a purple stone to go with their purple hip boots or somethin'.

They also will dye it any other color, too. So one sees strange, nearly day-glo green turquoise, etc. They're not even trying to make it look like it was minded from the earth. They're making fashion pieces.

And usually you can tell because the stones are rarely mined of the earth. They're often reconstituted stones, Its essentially forming a stone using plastics or resins from turquoise powder. Then they dye it.

But one also sees a huge glut of natural looking reconstituted stones lately since turquoise has gained so greatly in popularity once again.

Sometimes you can spot it - even if they color and look of the stone is natural (blue or greens, etc). They tend to be the HUGE single stones selling for only $80. lol That's usually a big clue to their being reconstituted.

Reconstituted stones have almost zero value. They're made to be fashion or costume jewelry. They're not actually real "stones". They're simulated stones comprised partially of a natural material.

Natural, whole, mined of the earth turquoise is not costume or fashion jewelry as it is a real and genuine stone. It may be stabilized but besides not being reconstituted, you also really don't want it ever dyed. The color should always also be all natural.

ALWAYS check to see if the stones are whole and mined of the earth OR if they're reconstituted. Never buy the latter unless you know what it is and simply like the look or the color as costume fashion jewelry.

[AliJoi5]

@Kachina624  Your bracelet sounds lovely!    Yeah whenever I buy larger stone turq pieces, I always try to make sure they're unstabilized (just for collectability purposes, not because I have anything against stabilized stones... lawd knows I have plenty of them too).  Some of the untreated stones do require special care, as you said, so the color doesn't "turn."  But if the stone is high quality and sufficiently hard, you won't have a problem.  And chances are, if the stone is of such quality that it did not require stabilization in the first place, its porosity is likely very low.  You can always tell by the luster.  This one has a glassy finish.  I bet the stone(s) in your bracelet do as well.  But, as I'm sure you've also experienced, one should expect to pay through the nose for untreated stones.  I only trust a few vendors who actually buy their rough directly from the mine and cut/polish the stones themselves.  But, as I know you can also attest, once you have an eye for it and know what to look for, you're not easily fooled.  I also have a few untreated red web kingman pieces that are spectacular (IMHO anyway).  I commissioned the cuff just a few months ago through the Chaney family down in your neck of the woods.  Oh how I'd love to visit one day! 

I don't want to hijack OP's thread, but I just wanted to show you the back of the pendant so you can see the stampwork.  I know you also appreciate that sort of craftsmanship.  You know me, I could talk turq all day... but I'll spare you!

By the way, your avatar pup is stunning!  You so rarely see a dark maned collie like that.  Male?  I have a special affinity for that breed because it was the first dog I ever really bonded and fell in love with (a neighbor's when I was a kiddie).

[patbz]

I love Bennie Ration and have several of his pieces.  Currently I have my eye on another.  Buy my Bennie Ration from Skip Maisels (on Central in Albuquerque).  You Royston piece is very nice.

[depglass]

Snowwhite714, I bet you were watching JTV yesterday. I noticed she had a purple turquoise ring and a turquoise simulant heishi bead necklace. That particular "simulant" looked like plastic. Anyway, if you get Evine, check out a Paul Deasy turquoise show sometime. He gives basic gemstone information constantly, to the point of boredom to us old timers. But he's right on most of the time. From him I learned that purple "Mojave" turquoise is always dyed and reconstituted, including the metal matrix they throw in for good measure. I actually own one ring and wear it with a matching top.

[Kachina624]

@AliJoi5.  Yes, the stamp work on that pendant is spectacular.  Pieces like that are so versatile, you don't have to worry about colors matching.

I think you see a lot of unstabilized Royston because the Ottesons (owners) allow people especially rock hound groups to go in for a daily fee and "mine".  It's just an open pit which they bulldoze to turn up new veins.  I've bought cabs from some of these people, who also cut and polish them.  Very nice stones too.   Now all I need is a silversmith.

My dog, Jett, is a tri-colored collie.  The tris were the original color of all collies, and the original Lassie.  He's the man of the house.  Many of us were "raised" by collies.  Now the smooth coated (short haired) collies are very popular.  There's a lot to be said for easy grooming. 

[Kachina624]

@surfk.  Much of the turquoise you're seeing sold by TV shopping is "block" turquoise.  They take otherwise unusable chunks and scraps and bind them together in a mold using resin as "glue", and probably some dye.  When it hardens they cut and polish it just like they would a nugget. I

It's not made of reconstituted powder but it's sure not natural stone.  You can of course see the bit, pieces and chunks of stone when you look down on a piece of this product.  Both Paul Deasy and Jay King use a ton of this stuff.

[Kachina624]

@patbz.   Do you have a photo you could post of Bennie Ration's work?  I'm not familiar with him.  You got me started on Alex Sanchez and I now have a bunch of his, which I love.  The petroglyphs have always "spoken" to me.  I'm just sorry my mom is gone and can't see them as she would have loved his work.  She had a silver  necklace, now mine, dad gave her for their anniversary that has many of the same symbols that Alex uses.