Turquoise use in jewelry goes back to the early Egyptain times and maybe earlier than that. The Native American's use of Turquoise in their jewelry, especially from the southwestern United States, where it is plentiful, is still a favority among men and women alike.
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This design incorporates southwestern stablizied Turquoise tear-drop shapped pendant hung on silver from a necklace of Turquoise oval and Ivority barrel beads with Black Agate (Onyx) chips, silver plated highlights and a silver hook and loop clasp. Silver leverback earrings with matching Turquoise ovals complete the set.
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Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium. It is rare and valuable in its finer grades and has been prized as a gemstone and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue. In recent times Turquoise, like most other opaque gems, has been devalued by the introduction of treatments, imitations, and synthetics onto the gemstone marketplace. The substance has been known by many names, but the word Turquoise was derived around the 16th century from the French language 'turquie', for a Central Asian material which was a very early imported through Turkey from Persia. Today, Persian and certain southwestern United States Turquoise, especially Sleeping Beauty, commend some of the highest prices paid for this gemstone..
Black Agate (Onyx) which is truely a died black Agate, is more common and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as natural Onyx. Onyx is a crypyocrystalline form of Quartz. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color (save some shades, such as purple or blue). Specimens of Onyx contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. As stated, the pure black form which most people know as Onyx, is not a naturally occuring variety. Black Agate or poorly colored Onyx is heated and dyed black to come up with the pure black form so well liked within the jewelry industry.
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Ivoryite is a unique variety of an extremely fine grained mineral called Magnesite. It is a naturally occuring mineral and not man-made. It is found in Arizona and quarried by hand. Ivoryite has the creamy color, smooth texture, and satin luster of natural Ivory. It is slightly harder however than natural ivory.
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