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Navajo Turquoise Squash Blossom
By Navajo
Located in Coeur d Alene, ID
Navajo old pawn Morenci turquoise and sterling silver squash blossom. 11 natural stones in twisted rope and shadow box border ending in a two stone sand cast naja.
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
JC Native American Navajo Sterling Morenci Turquoise Sunburst Cuff
Located in San Diego, CA
This Native American sterling silver cuff with sunbursts is clearly stamped JC with a sunburst hallmark and contains ultra-rare Morenci Turquoise, revealing a stunning Pyrite matrix.
Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Henry Mariano Sterling Silver Morenci Turquoise Native American Navajo Ring 11
Located in San Diego, CA
Henry Mariano is a contemporary Navajo silversmith who made a few rings in this style, but when you are a serious collector of Native American jewelry you are aware of the rarity and...
Coral, Turquoise, Sterling Silver
Three Stone Shadowbox Bracelet by Kenneth Begay, circa 1965
By Kenneth Begay
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Three hand sawn bezels encircle gem quality Morenci turquoise cabochons. Hand-chiseled ridges surround a shadowbox.
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.
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