Navajo Inlaid Cuff Bracelet
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Featuring shadowbox center with single coral and two Kingman turquoise stones surrounded by twisted rope borders and sterling bead accents.
Coral, Turquoise, Sterling Silver
High-Grade Navajo Sterling Silver and Multi-Stone Turquoise Collar Necklace
Located in Media, PA
Key Visual & Material Elements: The Turquoise: The stones appear to be Morenci or Kingman Turquoise, characterized by a vibrant "electric" blue and a distinctive metallic iron pyrite...
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Navajo Coral Nugget Belt Buckle
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Belts, Buckles, Navajo, Kingman, Turquoise, Silver, Native American Jewelry
Coral, Sterling Silver
American West Sterling Silver Multi-Color Gemstone Squash Blossom Necklace
Located in New York, NY
• Oval 8 x 10mm Kingman Turquoise, Orange Spiny Oyster, Lapis and Green Turquoise cabochons with a Naja at the center and squash blossom stations throughout between round 6mm silver ...
Multi-gemstone, Sterling Silver
Navajo Sterling Silver and Turquoise Concho Belt
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Each concho having single oval cut Kingman turquoise stone in sawtooth bezel setting.
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Navajo Sterling Squash Blossom
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Each bead is a coin hand stamped together. Center Kingman turquoise stone in naja. Four Liberty 1945 coins and two smaller ones on naja.
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Navajo Turquoise Earrings
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Navajo sterling silver and Kingman single-stone turquoise dangle earrings made by Navajo silversmith Avin Joe.
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Steven Battelle 50.3 Carats Arizona Turquoise Sterling Silver Bracelet
By Steven Battelle
Located in Soquel, CA
Six irregular shaped, approximately 14 x 22 mm cabochons of Arizona Kingman mine turquoise are set in sterling silver bezels, each decorated with a unique slightly different spiral b...
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Navajo Walrus Ivory and Turquoise Concho Belt
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Carved ivory bighorns with Blue Kingman Mine turquoise. Wonderful patina. Original leather; nine conchos total.
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Ancient Roman Coin, Opal & Turquoise 22 Karat Gold Asymmetrical Dangle Earrings
By Vicki Orr Designs
Located in Naples, FL
Hand-wrapped 22k yellow gold asymmetrical dangle earrings featuring Kingman Spiderweb Turquoise, Ancient Roman bronze coins, Moonstone, raw Paraiba Tourmaline and Australian Boulder ...
Moonstone, Multi-gemstone, Opal, Tourmaline, Turquoise, Turquoise Matrix...
Fine 8mm Ithaca Peak Blue Turquoise Strand of Beads Necklace with 14K clasp 18"
Located in Big Bend, WI
It is part of the Kingman mining operations turquoise from Arizona, which is the last full-time production mine in the US.
Turquoise
Fine 8mm Ithaca Peak Blue Turquoise Bead Bracelet 7.5" with 14K lobster clasp
Located in Big Bend, WI
It is part of the Kingman mining operations turquoise from Arizona, which is the last full-time production mine in the US.
Turquoise, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Navajo Three Stone Cuff Bracelet
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Navajo three stone bracelet. The turquoise is from the Kingman Mine in Arizona. Three turquoise nuggets set in a silver bracelet framed by silver holly leaves and berries with sterli...
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Navajo Turquoise Squash Blossom
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Navajo squash blossom necklace. The turquoise is from the Kingman Mine in Arizona. Eighteen turquoise stones total in shadowbox setting with twisted rope border and sterling bead acc...
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
The thought of vintage and antique turquoise jewelry often conjures up images of striking Navajo bracelets and necklaces worn with a denim shirt and cowboy boots. This all-American look has been celebrated by fashion designers like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger on their runways and in ad campaigns. In the October 2016 issue of Vogue magazine, Tom Ford said he only wears turquoise jewelry at his Santa Fe ranch. So what is it about this gorgeous blue-green stone that makes us wish that we were born in December?
It’s not surprising that turquoise is abundant in New Mexico and Arizona because, according to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), it needs to be in “dry and barren regions where acidic, copper-rich groundwater seeps downward and reacts with minerals that contain phosphorus and aluminum.
Turquoise is not found in a single crystal but is a combination of microcrystals. Its appearance, waxy and opaque, is attributed to its structure and composition. “It’s an aggregate of microscopic crystals that form a solid mass. If the crystals are packed closely together, the material is less porous, so it has a finer texture. Fine-textured turquoise has an attractive, waxy luster when it’s polished. Turquoise with a less-dense crystal structure has higher porosity and coarser texture, resulting in a dull luster when it’s polished,” notes the GIA. Since no one wants to set a dull piece of turquoise, porous turquoise is often treated to make the stone more attractive.
In the United States, there have been discoveries of turquoise from 200 B.C. It is not just loose turquoise stones that have been found, but entire suites of jewelry from prehistoric times. In the late 19th-century, the Navajo Indians, who learned silversmithing from the Spanish, started to make beads out of turquoise and eventually combined it with silver around the 1880s. Initially this jewelry was for ceremonial purposes, but it became fashionable once the tourism in the Southwest picked up in the beginning of the 20th century.
Find antique and vintage turquoise rings, necklaces, bracelets and other accessories on 1stDibs.