Campitos Turquoise is a good choice for Blue Turquoise

Campitos Turquoise

    Highly valued since ancient times, turquoise continues to be prized by rock collectors, jewelers, and jewelry enthusiasts alike for its unique beauty. A compound of hydrated copper aluminum phosphate, turquoise contains varying proportions of copper, iron, nickel, and other minerals. These differences in composition is what accounts for the widely varying colors, shades, and qualities of turquoise.
   There are many different types of turquoise. When choosing turquoise jewelry or rough turquoise for collecting or jewelry crafting, it's important to understand the differences in the many varieties of turquoise available, so that you can ensure you're getting the color and quality you desire.
Mexican and American turquoise tends to have a clear light to medium blue color, deeply prized for its beauty and clarity. Mexican turquoise pairs beautifully with silver making it a popular choice for rings, necklace pendants.
     There are several turquoise deposits throughout Mexico, some of which have been mined since ancient times. One location is Campitos Mountain outside of Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. The Campitos mine has been in production since the 1980s. The beautiful Campitos turquoise produced here is famous around the world, know for its brilliant, very blue color. The color of some Campitos turquoise is often compared to the shade of Sleeping Beauty's soft yet intense blue. Campitos turquoise can range in shades of light or medium blue to a vibrant blue-green. Turquoise from the mine often contains traces of pyrite, which gives Campitos turquoise an extra luster and sparkle. The mines also occasionally turns up specimens of Spiderweb turquoise, a turquoise that has a rich blue color overlaid by a dark brown or black pattern of thin, delicate lines that resemble a spider's web. Turquoise can have a matrix of brown or black. Spiderweb varieties of turquoise produced at the Campitos Mountain mines adds depth, elegance, interest, and appeal to an already beautiful stone. Some turquoise from Campitos Mountain has pyrite in the turquoise.
Campitos turquoise stands out from other varieties of turquoise also in the unique way that it is mined. Most turquoise is sourced from rock veins, where it is found deeply embedded in the mother stone,some Campitos turquoise, however, is found within deposits of clay, where it develops into free-form, uniquely shaped nuggets.
Natural turquoise, is unaltered by any chemical processes and is not dyed. Stabilized turquoise is turquoise that has been treated in a way that increases its durability and protects its color. Whether stabilized or natural, Campitos turquoise is a smart choice if you're looking for quality, artistry, uniqueness, beauty, and value.
     When you're choosing turquoise jewelry or turquoise for crafting, what matters most is whether or not the stone appeals to you. Do you like the coloring? Is the matrix attractive? With a turquoise such as the Campitos turquoise, you know you're getting turquoise, straight from the earth and containing all the power, strength, and beauty found therein. If you're in the market for turquoise, what you pay for is what you get, and you deserve to at least get what you pay for—actual turquoise If you're looking for a very blue turquoise at a good value that has vibrancy, clarity, Campitos turquoise from Campitos Mountain in Sonora, Mexico is a great choice.
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Wild Horse Cabochons

Wild Horse is a stone that is found in Arizona. It is made up of two mineral components,namely magnesite and hematite. The term 'Wild Horse' is just a nickname that has been given to this stone, its geological name is magnesite. This stone hasn't been in the gemstone and jewelry market for a long time, it was discovered in the mid 90s in the southern region of Arizona.

Wild Horse is a beautiful gemstone. Its beauty makes it highly sought after. Its color cuts across various shades of chocolate with white plumes and in some cases black,red & yellow inclusions. It is much harder compared to other magnesite gemstones like ivoryite and howlite. Wild horse has been regarded highly by the American Indians for a long time, they have used it for jewelry .

The rough wild horse is processed into cabochons which are used in jewelry making. Cabochons refer to the polished but unfaceted versions of gemstones. Wild horse has a Mohs hardness of 4. It is polished into cabochons and also cut into beads and carved to make various items

The cabochons are available in various shapes ranging from circular to spherical to rectangular to triangular and other shapes like conical shape, trapezoidal and hexagon. The thickness of the cabochons also varies. Most cabochons measure 5mm and above in thickness.

Wild horse cabochons are used in making various kinds of jewelry. These include pendants, rings, necklaces, studs, earrings, bracelets, chains, and even watches. The cabochons may be used alone in a given jewelry or they may be combined with other materials. They are usually combined with silver and used in items like pendants, bracelets, and necklaces. Wild horse and silver form quite a perfect pair.

Wild Horse jewelry is a great gift to give to someone special or even to buy for yourself. The chocolate-white gemstone is magically beautiful, rare, and precious.

• WILD HORSE CABOCHONS

Arizona Peridot

Arizona Peridot
Are you involved in jewelry making and in need of peridot? We sell strands of Arizona faceted peridot beads. These beads are faceted from peridots mined from the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. They are skillfully dug out of a volcanic basalt matrix by the local miners. Selection is then made from among the rough peridot and the chosen rough gems cut to specification.We try to choose the best quality of peridot. Arizona peridots are of very good quality and therefore treatment or any kind or enhancements are not needed.

Arizona faceted peridots are indeed beautiful. They have an olive green color and a crystal-like appearance which makes them glow magically in the presence of light at night. The peridots are able to split and bend the rays of light passing through them. This consequently gives them a bright and sparkly appearance making them one of the most beautiful gemstones.

Peridot is a gemstone of its own kind, its an all time beauty. It has been a favourite of jewelry designers and jewelry lovers since time immemorial. Peridot was being mined in Egypt from as early as 1500 BC. Ancient Egyptian records show that it was being mined at Topazo Island. This island is now known as St John's Island. Peridot was prized in Egypt because of its beauty and its crystal-like appearance that made it radiate at night in the presence of light. They were placed in Pharaoh's burial treasury. Peridot holds significance as the national gemstone in Egypt.

Europe too was not left behind in the love for peridots. European emissaries used to bring back with them large parcels of peridot from their travel abroad. They would use the peridots for decorative purposes. They used them to decorate churches and also to decorate robes. A cathedral in Cologne, Germany is an example of the places that were decorated with peridots in the ancient ages.

Key figures in history also loved peridots. Cleopatra, an Egyptian queen who was famous for her beauty and her love affairs with Rome's Julius Caesar, wore ornaments made from peridots. France's Napoleon also used peridot .
Peridot's green colour has led to it often being confused with emerald which is also green. The ornaments which Cleopatra wore were for example were mistaken for emeralds  for quite a long time . The peridots in ancient Egypt and those at the cathedral in Cologne were also thought to be emeralds for quite a long time.


Peridot is also the birthstone for those who are born in August. As a birthstone, peridot is deemed capable of instilling power and influence. It is also deemed capable of warding off evil powers. Peridot also symbolizes strength. Peridots have spiritual significance in  ancient times, peridots would be used to ward off evil spirits in some places.
Peridots are also a symbol of purity in Christian forklore. In addition, they are used as healing crystals

Arizona faceted peridot beads are popular and a gemstone used  as  the November birthstone. Our beads are temporarily strung  in sixteen inch length. These beads can be used to make various kinds of jewelry among them pendants, chains, necklaces, earrings and bangles.

Arizona faceted peridots are much loved across the world because of their stunning beauty and good quality. A peridot is a perfect gift for a loved one, he or she is likely to cherish it. Peridots are popular with celebrities too. Many celebrities have had them for engagement rings. The fact that celebrities have gone for it attest to how precious it is as a gemstone. It is indeed a very highly sort after gemstone. Wearing an accessory made from Arizona faceted peridot can greatly improve your look, adding a great deal of elegance and class to your outfit.
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Answering the mystery of turquoise provenance

CrediThis is a turquoise sample from Cananea, Sonora, Mexico.

t: Wikipedia; CC BY 2.0

Turquoise has had cultural significance for Native American peoples in the southwestern United States and Mexico for more than a millennium, and turquoise artifacts have been recovered from archaeological sites hundreds of kilometers distant from known sources of the mineral. Evidence for pre-Hispanic turquoise mining has been recognized across much of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, including as far north as Leadville, Colorado, and as far south as Zacatecas.

Detailed archaeological studies of ancient turquoise mines are rare, and little is known about the timing of their exploitation or the cultural identities of the miners In this study, Alyson M. Thibodeau and colleagues show that many geological sources of turquoise in the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico can be distinguished from each other through the measurement of lead and strontium isotopic ratios. These isotopic analyses thus provide a new way to investigate the mining and movement of this mineral in prehistory.

Reference:

Isotopic evidence for the provenance of turquoise in the southwestern United States

A.M. Thibodeau et al., Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA. Published online ahead of print on 3 June 2015; DOI: 10.1130/B31135.1 Note : The above story is based on materials provided by Geological Society of America

More Turquoise Info

Turquoise Mining

Two of the main areas for turquoise mining are Arizona and Mexico. Turquoise mines in Arizona include Bisbee Turquoise, Castle Dome (Pinto Valley), Gleeson/Courtland, Ithaca Peak, Kingman, Morenci, Sleeping Beauty, and Turquoise Mountain.Turquoise mining in Mexico takes place mainly in the northern state of Sonora, and its mines include Caridad Mine, Barraca Mine, and Mun. de Baviacora.Also mines in Nacozari and Cananea ,Sonora ,Mexico.Baja California also has produced turquoise.

Processing of Turquoise

Most turquoise has been treated by processes such as plastic bonding, chemical vapor penetration, paraffin, or a different stabilizing agent. It has been estimated that only 3-10% of all mined turquoise is strong enough to be used without some form of stabilizing treatment. If left untreated, the majority of turquoise will soak in chemicals from the environment, causing the color to take on more of a green hue over time.

Many different types of treatments exist for turquoise stones, one of the most common being stabilization. This is the process of hardening the stone, usually by adding a polystyrene plastic resin into its pores, thereby sealing the color of the stone. This process may be substituted by oil or wax treatment, but will result in a far inferior product as the oil and wax do not give permanent results.

Some turquoise may also be color-treated, a process similar to that of stabilization, but with the addition of a color-enhancing dye. Color-treated dye may have a less natural, more plastic appearance. The color infusion process will likely result in a more blue, polished stone.

Treatment may also take the form of reconstitution. In this process, turquoise powder is combined with chips mixed with plastic resin along with coloring agents and then compressed. This type of processing results in a highly unnatural look which only vaguely resembles the natural turquoise stone.

Cutting of Turquoise

Turquoise is often cut into a cabochon in order to be used in various types of jewelry. Cabochon is a term that refers to a gemstone which has been shaped and polished rather than faceted, a technique commonly used on opaque stones, such as turquoise. Turquoise that is cut into a cabochon takes the form of a convex obverse with a flat reverse. This form of cutting also makes the turquoise stone more resistant to scratches and noticeable imperfections of the like. Cabochons are usually cut into an ellipse as the human eye cannot easily observe small asymmetries within this structure as it can with rounded shapes.

The process of cutting turquoise into a cabochon starts with a slab of rough rock and a slab saw, and the shape is stenciled from a template. The slab is trimmed using a trim saw and is then grinded down using diamond impregnated or silicon carbide wheels. The shaping can then be completed by hand by a process known as “dopping,” adhering the stone with hard wax onto a dop stick, which is then ground to the template line. Finally, the top of the turquoise stone is sanded and polished, usually into the shape of a dome.

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