SOUTHWESTERN FLAIR - All the Colors !

SOLD Almost all of the colors one can find in jewelry from the Southwestern United States has been combined into this one necklace. The blue-green of Turquoise, the gold of Amber, the red of Sponge Coral, the blue-green of turquoise colored Magnesite, the black of black Agate (Onyx) and of course Silver.

All of this is found in the 17 inch necklace with a S-hook clasp and 2 inch chain extender. Matching French Hook loop earrings complete the set.

Turquoise comes in many colors and types in today's market. To help understand a bit, the following is provided----

Natural - This comes directly from the mine. It is cut shaped and polished and set into jewelry. It has no man made treatment or additives other than a polishing compound that adds to its luster. Several pieces of natural Turquoise from Arizona, can be seen to the right and are beautiful with very little polishing. Most stones in this state are very close to gem quality. The coloration of natural Turquoise can darken as oils from the skin work its way into the stone over the years, especially of not properly cleaned.

Stabilized – This is a natural turquoise usually in nugget form, but does not hold a luster. It is submerged into a stabilizing compound and dried, cut and prepared for jewelry. The turquoise has not been altered. The pores of the stone have been filled with a clear resin that makes the stone usable. This process allows for diversity of shapes and possibilities in jewelry making. Color Stabilized stones are considered altered and sometimes color has been added in this process. This in not necessarily bad, but it has less value than a piece that is naturally colored. Stabilized Turquoise usually does not change color with wear and because of its hardness, wears better in jewelry.

Treated - This form of color enhancement has been used for thousands of years. It is done as discussed earlier by submerging Turquoise stones into animal fat or vegetable oil and later air dried. Normally the color will not last very long. A new variety on the market, called "Motaska" and "Majave" Stone is much more stable and retains its color as well as being infused with gold, silver and copper.

Fake and Synthetic – Ceramics, bone, celluloid and plastic are used to imitate turquoise. Synthetic turquoise has a very natural matrix that is produced by placing stones in the synthetic “batter”.

Imatations - Then there are the imatations, in many cases natural gemstones that are beautiful in their own right, but due to the fact they accept dyes, many times are dyed the various turquoise colors and then are sold by unscrupulous dealers as real Turquoise. Price becomes the real determining factor when it comes to seperating real Turquoise from dyed Howlite, Magnesite or Ivoryite.

Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic rocks like serpentinite, turquoise and other magnesium rich rock types in both contact and regional metamorphic terranes. These Magnesites often are cryptocrystalline and contain silica as opal or chert. Magnesite is also present within the regolith above ultramafic rocks as a secondary carbonate within soil and subsoil, where it is deposited as a consequence of dissolution of magnesium-bearing minerals by carbon dioxide within groundwaters. Some of the best Magnesite deposits that can produce gemstone quality material are co-located with Turquoise deposits in the southwestern United States. Magnesite like Howlite, can be died to look like actual Turquoise.

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). A picture of a true Black Onyx specimum is seen below. True 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.

Amber - The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of Amber, called Baltic amber, with about 80% of the world's known amber found there. It dates back some 44 million years ago. It has been estimated that these forests created over 105 tons of amber. Because Baltic amber contains about 8% succinic acid, it is also termed succinite. It was thought since the 1850s that the resin that became Amber was produced by the tree Pinites succinifer, but research in the 1980's came to the conclusion that the resin originates from several species. Numerous extinct genera and species of plants and animals have been discovered and scientifically described from inclusions in Baltic Amber. Do NOT confuse Amber with Copal. Copal is not the fossilized, but rather an immature recent resin. Increasingly, Copal is being offered for sale, via the online auction services, gem shows, and shops, misrepresented as "Amber." The commercial value of Amber is related to its scarcity, age, inclusions of extinct species, and durability. Unfortunately, some dealers are more preoccupied with high economic returns, rather than whether or not their resin is fossil or recent. The age of Copal can vary from 50 years to 1.6 million years in age. It can be considered a semi-fossilized resin or an immature amber.

Sponge Coral is a natural organic substance that is considered a newcomer to the jewelry industry. It is related to the more traditional red/pinkish coral, thus Sponge Coral is not on the endangered species list, plus it is a sustainable product. Sponge Coral is a farmed product and thus is not removed from the Coral Reef and does not cause the environmental damage associated with traditional corals. Traditional coral is usually used in its natural shape which resembles a twiglet whereas Sponge Coral is reconstituted into different shapes.

This specific jewelry piece was designed and based on a specific request from a customer in Flagstaff, Arizona.

CARIBBEAN DELIGHTS - Green Forests, Cool Beaches & Red/Yellow Sunsets !

As one visits the Caribbean, the vibrant colors that are seen in the Ocean, on the Islands and in the Sunsets inspired this jewelry collection called "Caribbean Delights". This set encompases the green of the forests, the white and tan of the beaches and the reds and yellows of the sunsets.

Cool greens provided by a Dichroic glass teardrop pendant centered between green, yellow and tan Lampwork beads, Magnesite discs, Cats-eye and Czech glass beads and a white Coral highlight bead. This 20 inch necklace closes with a gold plated S-hook clasp and a 1 1/2 inch chain exension.

Dichroic glass is glass containing multiple micro-layers of metal oxides which give the glass dichroic optical properties. The invention of dichroic glass is often erroneously attributed to NASA and its contractors, who developed it for use in dichroic filters. However, Dichroic glass dates back to at least the 4th century AD as seen in the Lycurgus cup. Dichroic glass is an example of thin-film optics.

Lampworking is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with tools and hand movements. It was also known as flameworking or torchworking, but the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Although the art form has been practiced since ancient Syrian (1 Century B.C.E.) times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century. In the mid 19th century lampwork technique was extended to the production of paperweights, primarily in France, where it became a popular art form, still collected today. Lampworking differs from glassblowing in that glassblowing uses a blowpipe to inflate a glass blob known as a gob or gather, whereas lampworking manipulates glass either by the use of tools, gravity, or by blowing directly into the end of a glass tube.

Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic rocks like serpentinite, turquoise and other magnesium rich rock types in both contact and regional metamorphic terranes. These Magnesites often are cryptocrystalline and contain silica as opal or chert. Magnesite is also present within the regolith above ultramafic rocks as a secondary carbonate within soil and subsoil, where it is deposited as a consequence of dissolution of magnesium-bearing minerals by carbon dioxide within groundwaters. Some of the best Magnesite deposits that can produce gemstone quality material are co-located with Turquoise deposits in the southwestern United States. Magnesite like Howlite, can be died to look like actual Turquoise.

Matching French Hook earrings with a 2 1/4 inch drop made of Lampwork beads, Coral and glass beads, complete the set.

Crystals and glass beads are also used in this set.

SOUTHWESTERN FLAIR - Bold Metalic Look !

SOLD This bold modern southwestern look necklace set has a dramatic 2 inch foiled dichroic glass teardrop pendant in copper and silver as the central piece. It is highlighted with charmed crystals, pipestone Jasper and Cat-eye beads. Large Turquoise colored Magnesite and Ivoryite stones are complemented by rondels of Ivoryite, Cats-eye and pepermint Jasper. The necklace with a silver Toggle Clasp is 21 inches with the 2 inch drop of the pendant.

Matching French Hook dangle earrings complete the set.

Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic rocks like serpentinite, turquoise and other magnesium rich rock types in both contact and regional metamorphic terranes. These Magnesites often are cryptocrystalline and contain silica as opal or chert. Magnesite is also present within the regolith above ultramafic rocks as a secondary carbonate within soil and subsoil, where it is deposited as a consequence of dissolution of magnesium-bearing minerals by carbon dioxide within groundwaters. Some of the best Magnesite deposits that can produce gemstone quality material are co-located with Turquoise deposits in the southwestern United States. Magnesite like Howlite, can be died to look like actual Turquoise.

Dichroic glass is glass containing multiple micro-layers of metal oxides which give the glass dichroic optical properties. The invention of dichroic glass is often erroneously attributed to NASA and its contractors, who developed it for use in dichroic filters. However, Dichroic glass dates back to at least the 4th century AD as seen in the Lycurgus cup. Dichroic glass is an example of thin-film optics.

Ivoryite is a great substitute for ivory. It is a sedimentary precipitate of magnesium, calcium and silica. It is 5 to 5-1/2 on the Moh's scale, which makes it slightly harder than ivory. Ivoryite can be worked with metal tools, but cuts effortlessly with diamond tools. Polishes well with diamond, tin oxide, cerium oxide or white rouge. Excellent material for inlay, cabochons and small carvings. Do not confuse Ivoryite with Ivorite, whic is a black tektite material from Africa. The majority of Ivoryite currenly comes from the western United States, especially Colorado and California.

Jasper, a form of Chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone, especially in jewelry. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for snuff boxes. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded Jasper. Jaspilite is a banded iron formation rock that often has distinctive bands of Jasper. Jasper is basically Chert which owes its red color to iron inclusions. Peppermint Jasper is a named variety of brown, tan and white striped banded Jasper.

Crystals and cat-eye beads are also used in this set.

SOUTHWESTERN FLAIR -- Wild Horse Magnesite and Ivoryite !

From the deserts of the Southwesten United States comes a exciting gemstone called by many Wild Horse Turquoise. Although coming out of the same mines as Turquoise, its characteristic is a reddish-brown matrix surrounding a snow white background. This is a beautiful and very extraordinary combination. However, the correct identification of the material is Magnesite, not Turquoise since there is no cupric in it to give the blue, blue-green or green coloration that makes Turquoise so famous. But wheather called Wild Horse Magnesite or Wild Horse Turquoise, it is from the same locations and is extremely hard to find but make beautiful jewelry.

You are looking at true Southwest. The colors of the desert - tans and browns - are predominent in the Sterling Silver bezel set Wild Horse Magnesite triangular pendant. Magnesite barrels and Ivoryite rondels are interlaced with sterling silver and chain links to give this 19 inch necklace with 2 inch extender its fantastic look. Magnesite and Ivoryite are further paired in teh 1 inch long Leverback earrings that complete the set.

Magnesite occurs as veins in and an alteration product of ultramafic rocks like serpentinite, turquoise and other magnesium rich rock types in both contact and regional metamorphic terranes. These Magnesites often are cryptocrystalline and contain silica as opal or chert. Magnesite is also present within the regolith above ultramafic rocks as a secondary carbonate within soil and subsoil, where it is deposited as a consequence of dissolution of magnesium-bearing minerals by carbon dioxide within groundwaters. Some of the best Magnesite deposits that can produce gemstone quality material are co-located with Turquoise deposits in the southwestern United States.

Ivoryite is a great substitute for ivory. It is a sedimentary precipitate of magnesium, calcium and silica. It is 5 to 5-1/2 on the Moh's scale, which makes it slightly harder than ivory. Ivoryite can be worked with metal tools, but cuts effortlessly with diamond tools. Polishes well with diamond, tin oxide, cerium oxide or white rouge. Excellent material for inlay, cabochons and small carvings. Do not confuse Ivoryite with Ivorite, whic is a black tektite material from Africa. The majority of Ivoryite currenly comes from the western United States, especially Colorado and California.

GEMSTONE JEWELRY - Substitute for a well known Gemstone !

Over the years, due to its popularity, the price paid for Turquoise keeps going higher and higher and in many cases the availability is also becoming less and less as more mining areas are depleted and have been closed. Turquoise is normally divided into four classes, and priced accordingly.

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Natural - This comes directly from the mine. It is cut shaped and polished and set into jewelry. It has no man made treatment or additives other than a polishing compound that adds to its luster. As seen to the right, a raw piece of Sleeping Beauty Turquoise from Arizona, can be beautiful with very little polishing. Most stones in this state are very close to gem quality. The coloration of natural Turquoise can darken as oils from the skin work its way into the stone over the years, especially of not properly cleaned.
Stabilized – This is a natural turquoise usually in nugget form, but does not hold a luster. It is submerged into a stabilizing compound and dried, cut and prepared for jewelry. The turquoise has not been altered. The pores of the stone have been filled with a clear resin that makes the stone usable. This process allows for diversity of shapes and possibilities in jewelry making. Color Stabilized stones are considered altered and sometimes color has been added in this process. This in not necessarily bad, but it has less value than a piece that is naturally colored. Stabilized Turquoise usually does not change color with wear.
Treated - This form of color enhancement has been used for thousands of years. It is done as discussed earlier by submerging Turquoise stones into animal fat or vegetable oil and later air dried. Normally the color will not last very long. A new variety on the market, called "Motaska" and "Majave" Stone is much more stable and retains its color as well as being infused with gold, silver and copper.
Fake and Synthetic – Ceramics, bone, celluloid and plastic are used to imitate turquoise. Synthetic turquoise has a very natural matrix that is produced by placing stones in the synthetic “batter” .

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In addition to these four classes , we also have some natural gemstones that can be colored to look like Turquoise. The best known is Howlite, but some other common Turquoise colored gemstones are Magnesite and Ivoryite. Howlite, especially, is known for being colored in many colors other than Turquoise.

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This design uses turquoise colored Magnesite barrels in line with two sizes of Carnelian round and flat beads with Sardonyx barrels. The set is completed with silver French Hook earrings with a dangle of Carnelian, Sardonyx and stabilized Turquoise flats.

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Magnesite is a compound that substitutes iron for magnesium with a complete solution series with siderite. Dolomite is almost indistinguishable from magnesite. Magnesite is normally stablized and color shot except for that which is left white or ivory in color as a substitute for Ivory. Many vendors sell Magnesite as stabilized Turquoise. Also the famous Wild Horse Turquoise sold throughout the Southwest is predominately Magnesite dug from the same mines as Turquoise and many times has Turquoise as well as other minerals mixed through it to make for the beautiful designs.

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Stabilized turquoise - Turquoise that is soft or normally referred to as "chalk" Turquoise is infused with a clear epoxy resin. This resin, under pressure, is absorbed into the rock, which permanently hardens the rock and deepens the color. Unlike the collectible natural tTrquoise 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 today is stabilized and should not cost as much as natural Turquoise. Stabilized turquoise can be very beautiful, and is a good buy. Because of it's hardness and consistant color, stabilized Turquoise wears much better in Jewelry.

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Sardonyx is a variant of Onyx or Agate in which the colored bands are Sard in shades of red rather than black. Pure black Onyx, which is truely a died black Agate, is more common and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as natural Onyx with its banded colors of browns, whites and black.
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Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a reddish-brown mineral which is commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone. Similar to Carnelian is Sard, which is generally harder and darker. The difference between the two is not rigidly defined, and thus the two names are often used interchangeably. Both Carnelian and Sard are varieties of the silica mineral called Chalcedony and are colored red by impurities of iron oxide. The color can vary greatly, ranging from pale orange to an intense almost-black coloration.

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A New Turquoise and Magnesite Set !

It seems as if the East and West Coasts of the United States are going their own directions and are following different style and color themes for this coming Fall Season, and the mid-lands, well they continue with the old stand-bys.

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So in keeping with the majority of the country and the "Big and Bold" theme, the following new Jewelry Set has been designed using carved Arizona Magnesite Tubes, Arizona Blue Turquoise discs with Silver highlight beads and silver chain. Matching Arizona blue Turquoise discs mounted on silver French Hook earrings complete the set.

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click on picture for enlarged view

The fun part about the upcoming Holiday gift season is that anyone can wear Turquoise. Watch the spotlights and see all the celeb fashionista's that wear this stone. This is a really easy Christmas gift that is perfect for your friend or LOVE who watches what and wearing what the celebs are wearing.

See www.jewelrybycnc.com/html/body_ne_sets.html for more Turquise Necklace Sets.

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Arizona & New Mexico "Turquoise" !

New Mexico designated Turquoise as the official state gem in 1967. Turquoise was designated as the official gemstone of Arizona in 1974. Probably one of the oldest gemstones known, Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral. Until the 20th Century only the prized robin's egg blue color was used to make gemstones and be placed in jewelry. The majority of the world's finest-quality turquoise comes from western and southwestern United States, the largest producer of turquoise in the world, surpassing the famous blue Turquoise of Persia. Turquoise has been used extensively by both southwestern U.S. Native Americans and by many of the Indian tribes in Mexico since about 200 B.C. to make solid turquoise beads, carvings, and inlaid mosaics. Turquoise, especially the robin's egg blue gemstone worn by Pharaohs and Aztec Kings, is probably one of the oldest gemstones known to man. Nearly all important deposits of Turquoise are located near copper deposits in arid desert regions of the world.

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Until the 1920's, New Mexico was the United States largest producer of Turquoise. However, since then Arizona and Nevada have surpassed New Mexico in terms of both annual and total production. Production of Turquoise from deposits in the Cerrillos Hills, Santa Fe County (the oldest known Turquoise mine on the North American Continent goes back 2000 years) ; the Burro Mountains and Little Hachita Mountains, Grant County; the Jarilla Hills, Otero County; and the Guadelupe Mountains, Eddy County; can be traced to prehistoric Indians. Several different mines have operated at each of the New Mexico locations mentioned, producing seam and nugget turquoise. Many of the more famous and higher-quality deposits are now economically depleted. Turquoise can still be found in New Mexico, but production in any significant quantity is a question of economics and the determination of the individuals involved.

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Most of Arizona’s turquoise mines are actually large open pit copper mines in which the turquoise deposits are leased. Many of the Turquoise deposits are located on Indian Reservations, and access is controlled by the reservation. The Bisbee mine "the Lavender Pit", near Bisbee, Arizona, is one of the more famous. Castle Dome was active in the 1970s. The Ithaca Peak mine is located in northwestern Arizona above the Kingman mine, and is famous for its beautiful blue with Pyrite matrix. Morenci Turquoise is mined in southeastern Arizona. It is high to light blue in color. Morenci has an unusual matrix of irregular black pyrite that, when polished, often looks like silver. The Sleeping Beauty mine is located near Globe, Arizona. Its Turquoise is noted for its solid, light blue color with no matrix, which set the world standard after the Persian material. This mine is one of the largest in North America and is still operating. Turquoise Mountain and "Birdseye" Turquoise come from the same mine in northwestern Arizona near the Kingman mine. This mine was closed in the 1980s. Cave Creek Mine is a new mining operation, near Cave Creek, Arizona. The material is medium to dark blue in color and has an "old Kingman" or Morenci look to it, alot of times with Pyrite in it. Most times, the company or person with a lease for a particular Turquoise location is called in to mine the Turquoise when a pocket is hit as the copper mining takes place. Regardless of the size or the sophistication of the initial copper mining or recovery operation, the actual Turquoise is recovered by careful extraction using age old hand methods.

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Turquoise and Turquoise Jewelry worldwide has surged in and out of fashion like a strobe light, yet never really losing its popularity, just being more popular at certain times than at others. Currently Turquoise popularity is on a rise and high note in the fashion world. From as far back as 6,000 B.C., Turquoise has been mined, traded, and revered by ancient cultures in Egypt, Persia, Turkey, and China as well as in the New World, by the Aztecs, Incas, and tribes of the American southwest and Mexico. Turquoise comes in a variety of colors, from all shades of blue to all shades of green, although rare, even yellow, red, brown and white. But one must be very careful when purchasing Turquoise, especially colors other than blue as many times what is offered is actually dyed Howlite, Magnesite or Ivoryite. Even actual Turquoise can be stabilized, or reconstituted. Also plastics and other newer resin materials can be made to look like Turquoise. Price is usually the determining factor as to real verses fake, stabilized or reconstituted Turquoise, or if it is colored Howlite. The picture to the left above is of Howlite, but yes there is a White Turquoise found only in Arizona, known to the Indians as "Sacred White Buffalo Turquoise". Most white Turquoise sold as "White Buffalo" Turquoise is actually either Howlite or Magnesite.

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ADDITIONAL NEW DESIGNS !

The following new sets use combinations of Agate, Arizona Turquoise, Bronzite, Ceramic Beads, Czech Crystal, Arizona Magnesite (Wild Horse), Onyx and Tiger Iron in varying designs with silver and gold highlights and clasps. All the sets have matching Earrings.

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All these sets will be placed on the web-site over the next week.

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TURQUOISE !

In response to e-mails, yes got more and some different types of Turquoise at Tucson this year. Currently am busy creating some different designs and mixing the Turquoise with new and different types of gemstones, plus have found in many cases Copper looks much better than the old stand-by Silver for the accents and clasps.

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Here are some new designs that will soon appear on the Web-site.

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And here are the last containing Turquoise that are left from last year.
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Set GS184 --- Set GS177

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