Natural, GEM-QUALITY, AMERICAN Turquoise Beads
Natural Damale, Bisbee, Carico Lake, Red Mountain and Kingman Turquoise.
With more than 60% of rough material going to waste in the process of bead-making, most if not 99% of all the strands available
today are made of less-expensive stabilized turquoise. Natural American turquoise is more rare than can be expressed, bead strands of
long-closed American mines are seldom seen and collectible. There will be a time in the near future when these pieces will only be found
when someone is reselling, not directly from traders or miners.
ORVIL JACK TURQUOISE: One of the rarest American turquoise available today is Orvil Jack from Lander County, Nevada. The mine has produced an exciting
and distinctive electric lime-green turquoise not seen elsewhere.
Most of the turquoise in miners and rock-hounds stashes
have been cut and set by now.
The rough material made into the bracelets (and a few rings to come) showing above
represents all the stonecutters have found in the past year. They believe that's the
end of the availability, at least from every contact they know in the business.
This particular stash of rough stones was found in a Texas rock dealer's shed by accident; he had forgotten he had bought them years ago.
While the turquoise at the Orvil Jack mine is still in the mountain,
it has not been worked
for quite some time and there are no plans to start up or sell it to someone
who will.
It is a family operation, and the owners would just as soon keep it in their
family and pass it on to the kids; whether it's mined in the next ten years or even in our lifetime cannot be known.
Those who have stashed Orvil Jack rough or turquoise (or finished in cabochons or
jewelry) over the years are in no hurry to sell it if they can keep it in their collection.
Still, the prices do not reflect the true value due
to such limited availability. You can't grow turquoise like trees, and turquoise from
closed mines such as Blue Gem, Bisbee, Morenci, Lander and Orvil Jack
are in finite supply, soon to not be available. Diamonds are plentiful and common compared to natural
American turquoise, and someday in the not too distant future may reflect that in price, that is if you can find the
type of natural, gem-grade material that this website and other reputable dealers offer.
There is another moderate grouping of Orvil jewelry expected
after this and then no more. Some of the turquoise in the strands of natural Bisbee, Red Mtn, Stennich and Kingman that you're going to see were mined over
25 years ago, and cannot be replaced. The Orvil Jack necklace is from my personal collection and will be listed for sale.
TURQUOISE FOR SALE ON TV: There is "Blue Ridge Turquoise" being marketed on HSN and elsewhere that is coming from China.
The first, and only American turquoise called Blue Ridge comes from Lander County,
Nevada.
There is a limited amount of this turquoise available. There's no way
any American turquoise can be sold
in quantity. Read the reviews on HSN about the turquoise being offered there and you'll see complaints about the "awful smell" and "rank odor"!!
That just about says it all, doesn't it?
It's a buyer beware situation when you see it on tv (or anywhere) at low prices and in quantity. You can safely assume it's a lower-grade, stabilized Chinese Turquoise.
What is available in natural American comes from the owners of the Orvil Jack Mine. Orvil Jack himself called the blue turquoise
that was found at the mine 'Blue Ridge'. Again, this is not to be confused with the imported, and much less valuable Blue Ridge
you're seeing on ebay and elsewhere.
Collectors and buyers must educate themselves and know that much of the so-called turquoise out there is not
even turquoise, but could be dyed calcite, or hematite in magnesite, or something cheap, plentiful and completely different.
If the seller says 'even geologists are baffled by this turquoise', it's because it isn't
turquoise and if they said what it really is, they wouldn't be able to ask the price they're asking. If it doesn't look like turquoise, good chance it isn't.
With the marketing campaigns going on from Ralph Lauren and elsewhere, dealers are assuming the public doesn't know the
difference and asking turquoise prices while they can. If it seems too cheap, or good to be true, it is.
Become an informed consumer, use common sense and buy from select dealers, you'll never regret it.
AmericanTurquoiseMines Yahoo Group: If you'd like to stay current on trends (and fakes) in the marketplace, and/or learn more
about turquoise in general, there is a Yahoo group made up of mine owners, rock-hounds, dealers and collectors of natural American turquoise
started by Philip Chambless, who holds the claim to a number of turquoise mines in New Mexico and Nevada.
I highly recommend the group, all are welcome.
You can ask questions there, learn what is real and what is not.
ADJUSTING YOUR BRACELET TO FIT
When reading the jewelry description, have you wondered what a 1" gap that can be adjusted to fit means? And how to do it safely?
We say 'every piece was made for somebody" and that's true, however rarely will a bracelet
fit like it was made for you straight out of the box. With a few minor adjustments here and there, they can become
so comfortable they become your new favorite bracelet right away.
The following applies to silver bracelets
that have stones set in individual bezels, or no stones at all.
(Please note that inlaid bracelets are the exception. They cannot be bent or their stones will pop out.)
A good fitting bracelet feels like a second skin; you love wearing it, it's like an old friend. You might have a favorite
side that you always wear facing out or in, or you wear it under your clothes just for yourself. It feels better on than off.
is generally easy to put on (no pulling of skin), stays upright without rolling
over on it's side or upside down, or falling off, and you can get it off
easily.
How much it moves up or down the wrist is a matter of taste and adjusting the gap larger or smaller.
The GAP is the distance
between the two silver ends.
You can consider that most should not go larger than 1 1/2" wide or they will roll over and/or fall off. The smallest gaps are
usually not much smaller than 7/8". When deciding if a bracelet will fit you, measure
your wrist just above the wrist bone with a measuring
tape or strip of paper, making a mark where the paper overlaps and measuring that distance. Using a 6 1/2" wrist as an
example, a bracelet with a 5 1/2" inside plus 1" gap is probably perfect. You take the inside measurement, add the distance
of the gap, and knowing you can adjust that gap down 1/8" or up 3/8", you're bound to find a spot where it feels made for you.
Also, some wrists are
more fleshy on the pinky, or outer side than on the thumb side of the wrist. If that's the case, you might want to choose one
side that you like to look at and always wear it that way. Adjust your bracelet with one side slightly wider (or rounder) than the other
side so when you put it on, it fits like a glove. It's your bracelet, adjust it how you like it and make it yours.
Hand-fabricated sterling jewelry has been
worked by hand, the molecules have expanded and contracted which makes the patina soft and deep, with a high-quality
look and color. It is more malleable than machine made jewelry which means it bends, up to a point, without cracking or breaking.
Use reason and common sense when deciding how large or small you can adjust
a gap. Also, find the spot that works and leave it there. It's not ok to bend it out, put it on, squeeze it in, then bend it out again
to get it off. Bending the gap over and over again will cause the silver to fatigue and most definitely break apart. If you have
any questions or need phone support when adjusting your bracelet, call us at 888-892-8686, we're here to help
you make your bracelet feel like the bracelet that was made for you.
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