Despite all my books I still need an expert’s opinion on the quality of this piece of natural cerillos turquoise — mid quality range or less? Please let me know what you think , thanks.
Douglas Magnus makes some incredible pieces of jewelry. He calls these stones the highest quality of Cerrillos.
Telling a grade of turquoise or whether it is natural from an image is difficult. You can compare yours to these stones, but it isn’t going to tell you much. The best thing if it is important to you is to send it to an expert.
That is some spectacular Cerillos! Thanks Jason.
I think this brings us to an interesting topic of discussion- what aesthetics and characteristics of turquoise make it “valuable” to us, the “average” collector. I like really webby turquoise with nice matrix. But I’ve noticed a lot of other collectors, and lots of middle eastern and Asian cultures prefer clean, matrix-less turquoise.
I think a lot of the value relies on overall durability of the stone too. I don’t like thin, delicate slivers of stone. Not only am I getting less carat weight, but I feel like I might break the stone if I accidentally bang it on something. That nice, high dome cut of your turquoise is really unusual and IMHO, makes it a desirable piece.
Appreciate your thoughts, thanks. I’ve already cracked my favorite piece of turquoise (and it wasn’t a thin sliver) so I’ve gotta be more careful. I don’t like the bracelet so much but wondered if the stone was worth keeping, forgetting that you are absolutely right, high domed pieces of turquoise aren’t the most common. I’ll hold onto the bracelet ‘til I can find a qualified appraiser.