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Popular gemstones and cabochons:
Amazonite
Parrot Wing quick guide: 1" = 25mm 1/2"=13mm 1/4"=6.5mm
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Turquoise ó Hemimorphite Zinc Silicate ó Ocean Picture Jasper ó Surf Agate ó Arizona Sunset Jasper Turquoise I know it's strange that although my company is located in Arizona, I haven't offered much of a selection of turquoise, until now. That's because top quality natural turquoise is hard to come by. Some "turquoise" found in cheapie souvenir jewelry contains no real stone at all--it's plastic! Some has what looks like tiny pieces of confetti in it--That's reconstituted turquoise, made from small pieces of stone mixed with blue dye and a plastic binder. Most mid-priced turquoise is stabilized, a technique developed in the 1960s where the natural stone is impregnated with polymer resins to strengthen it. "Clear shot" turquoise is stabilized with clear resin and the colors are deeper and richer than what comes out of the ground, but still natural (imagine wetting a beach pebble and you'll get an idea of the color deepening with stabilization). "Color shot" turquoise is stabilized with dyes added to the resin. As mines in the U.S. get played out, real unstabilized (untreated) turquoise is extremely rare, and becoming very expensive. For a more detailed explanation of the different types of turquoise, please stop by and read my Blog. Meanwhile, to insure that you're getting the level of quality that you're paying for, find a dealer you can trust, which means staying right here! In the pieces below, I state very clearly (and stand by) my assessment of each piece. I offer no reconstituted or color shot turquoise--all these colors are undyed. Unstabilized Turquoise Unstabilized turquoise comes primarily from the American Southwest. Each mine seems to have its own characteristic colors and patterns. Some of these pieces are backed, meaning that the stone is glued to a strong plastic (devcon) backing which makes it sturdier. In fact, backed pieces are evidence that the stones are unstabilized. W301 $23.50
W299 $35.00 Sorry, Sold! Unstabilized Birdseye Turquoise from Kingman, Arizona I was lucky enough to stumble across a
small cache of natural turquoise from a mine in Kingman Arizona
that now is closed. The material that made these pieces was mined forty years
ago, so these stones are very rare. They also are really lovely---Look at the
beautiful "wave" pattern across them. Quantities are extremely limited. Unfinished
reverse; no backing.
Click on photos to see the pattern details.
W294 $62.00
W295 $56.00 Sorry, Sold!
W296 $65.00 Sorry, Sold!
Unstabilized Sleeping Beauty Turquoise
This is the finest natural gem turquoise available, from the famous Sleeping Beauty mine outside of Globe, Arizona. It is a pure robin's egg blue, without flaws or inclusions. No backing is necessary because of the relative hardness and consistency of the stone. Unstabilized. Photo, left: 16 x 12mm oval cab 1.45 g GM 668 $62.00 Sorry, Sold! Above photo, right: 14 x 10mm oval cab .77g GM 664 $30.00 Stabilized Turquoise In Turquoise, stabilization is not a bad thing. It strengthens the stone, deepens and enriches the color, and aids in its overall protection. As the turquoise mines in the U.S. are being depleted, stabilization becomes the rule rather than the exception. The important thing is that the stone is not dyed, which these are not. Chinese Turquoise China has become one of the world's leading producers of turquoise. People used to look down their noses at it, but in my opinion, a talented cutter working with good material can produce some really lovely stones. All of these are matte-finished on the reverse. Clear shot stabilized.
W274 $16.00
W280 $38.00 Sorry, Sold!
Tibetan Turquoise Sorry, Sold Out Temporarily. More to come!This beautiful, multicolored turquoise comes from right over the Tibetan border in China. It is the same source of turquoise that the Tibetans have used and worn for centuries. If you are familiar with antique Tibetan jewelry, you will recognize it. Clear-shot stabilized. Unpolished on the reverse.
W313 $72.00 Sorry, Sold!
This is the same mineral that makes
Hemimorphite Zinc Drusies, but here, the crystalline structure is smooth. Under
the glassy, highly polished surface, the
deep sea blues have a fascinating depth about them that draws and holds the
eye. This material is not hard and so should not be used in heavy-wear pieces.
But it's fine in pendants and earrings. Two of the pieces, from
Yunan Province in China, are bright aqua compared to the smokey colors of the
other stones. Click on photos to get a better idea of the beautiful colors. W113 $38.50
W117 $34.00 Sorry, Sold!
W129 $46.00 Sorry, Sold!
W130 $18.50
W157 $44.00
Perfectly capturing the icy-blue color of glaciers, this unusual stone hails from British Columbia.
W61 $78.50
39 x 18 mm
W255 $36.00
W256 $42.00
W252 $28.00
Surf Agate Sold Out, Sorry! More Surf Agates coming soon. Can you BELIEVE this stone?! Gaze at it and you can almost hear the roar of the waves. Its teals and bright whites bring back luscious memories of walking on the beach. Click on photos to see these better.
W273 $54.00 Sorry, Sold!
W264 $32.00 Sorry, Sold!
W266 $34.00 Sorry, Sold!
W263 $37.50 Sorry, Sold!
Many of the little imperfections in these stones may not be of concern to many people, but in the interest of full disclosure, I announce these up front and let the customer decide.
W267 $40.00 reg $42 Sorry, Sold!
These stones are amazing--they look like little
watercolor paintings, with swaths of soft teal greens, mauves, and cream. If you
use your imagination, you can just picture the afterglow of a desert sunset.
Mined in Arizona. Left: W72 14 x 5 mm $12.00 Center: W73 21 x 5.5 mm $18.99
W66 $24.99
W65 $38.50
W257 $47.50
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Heart of Stone Studio Gemstones
Cabochons
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