Turquoise - The Desert Stone
At StravaMax , we love turquoise because it exudes a timeless beauty that is visually captivating evoking the essence of a southern desert porcelain sky and rugged sandy landscapes. When shopping for turquoise, you can find the classic robin's egg blue or coloring that shifts to green hues intertwined with a coppery sandstone or dark matrix.
Turquoise colors can complement both earthy and elegant styles, making it a jewelry makers favorite in everything from bold statement pieces to delicate, minimalist designs. So whether you're drawn to it for its aesthetics, heritage, or energetic properties, turquoise is one of those timeless stones that holds deep resonance on many levels.
Check out our Turquoise Jewelry page for our creations. Find earrings, bracelets and necklaces.
Nacozari Turquoise Bracelet
This bracelet was made for those who just want turquoise. The turquoise beads used in this bracelet are sky blue Nacazari stabilized nugget beads. This turquoise is sourced from the Sonora region of Mexico known for their vibrant and natural color.
The allure of bracelets resides in the wearer's capacity to appreciate them up close. Whether seated at your work station or lost in reverie on your patio, a mere glance downwards unveils the elegant adornment on your wrist.
Desert Scene Bracelet
Here is one of our creations that embodies that aura created by the turquoise.
This bracelet takes the same turquoise beads and adds hand created polymer clay beads that are reverse color matched to the turquoise beads. Each of the polymer clay beads are hand painted with a desert scene (cactus and symbolic desert sun).
FYI: Each of these bracelets is made with memory wire that gently opens and snaps back onto your wrist. These bracelets fit best on a 6 - 7.5 Inch wrist size. To measure your wrist wrap a cord around your wrist and measure it against a ruler.
Rattlesnake Earrings
How can one safely approach a pair of rattlesnakes? How about wearing them as earring pendants. These earrings have Nacozari turquoise nugget beads suspended below rattlesnake pendants. The intricately crafted TierraCast pewter rattlesnake pendants provide a wonderful desert accent to the beautiful sky blue turquoise.
FYI: TierraCast for many years, was once a USA company that designed and manufactured pewter components specifically for the jewelry industry. They were known for their intricate castings that came in a variety of finishes such as these gold plated rattlesnakes. Alas and sadly so, they closed shop. However, recently a company located in Greece called Passionfashion has purchased their name producing many of the these same components. Currently they do have these rattlesnakes available but not in gold, so for right now these are very special rattlesnakes.
Where do you find Turquoise? Truly a desert stone, turquoise is often associated with copper deposits as a secondary mineral generally found in arid, semi-arid, or desert environments. in North America you would associate southern states such as Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico as location for turquoise mining as well as Mexico.
Types of Turquoise
Raw Turquoise: This is untreated stone straight from the earth. It may have veins or inclusions (called matrix) and often has a chalky, matte finish unless polished. Caring for natural turquoise can be difficult because of its softness (relatively soft compared to most gemstones and can scratch or chip easily) and porosity (can absorb oil and dirt) and difficult to clean. Natural turquoise is relatively soft when compared to most gemstones.
Stabilized Turquoise: Real turquoise that has been treated (often with resin) to enhance durability and color. Still genuine, but less valuable than untreated. This is the type of gemstone we use in our turquoise collections. Stabilized turquoise is more durable and less costly than untreated turquoise and still maintains its color and beauty.
Reconstituted Turquoise: AKA Chalk or Block Turquoise - turquoise fragments ground up and mixed with resin. Great option for those looking for the turquoise color and matrix but not the cost. Like stabilized with resin coating and can have a simulated matrix.
Dyed or Imitation Stones: AKA African Turquoise or Turquenite - can be howlite or magnesite dyed to mimic turquoise. These are not real turquoise.