These of course are my favorite rings. I have tried to look at pictures, and have read multiple posts on the forum, but still have not a clue of what mine the turquoise came from. You guys are amazing, to me turquoise from the same mine can look so different. My mom thinks they came from Santa Fe around the 60’s or 70’s. Both are completely unmarked. Is it ok for soap, water and hand gel to come into contact with the turquoise? I was wearing these rings almost daily. But now I hand gel constantly (non-virtual pre-k teacher) and am afraid it will hurt the stones.
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Hi, I would always remove your turquoise as it can be damaged by soaps and I’m guessing the hand gel will be more harsh. Plus you should remove jewellery to make sure you get hand gel all over the skin to stop bacteria growing underneath.
Emma
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Thanks. I was afraid of that. I have pretty much stuck with wearing my gold and silver.
We hand gel ourselves and students about every 10 to twenty minutes so removing rings every time is not an option.
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It’s always good advice to keep lotions, oils and soap off your soft stones like turquoise. If the turquoise is properly stabilized it can take a little more abuse. As far as germs under your ring I wanted to share that silver is antimicrobial in itself. Sterling silver has copper in it too. Copper is anti-fungal. So sterling silver in effect is antimicrobial- anti-fungal and very good for long term wear. 
enjoy !!
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Yeah, as others have said above it’s generally not a good idea to get soaps and lotions on turquoise. Hand sanitizer I imagine would not be good either. Turquoise is a soft, porous stone and over time will absorb lotions and oils leading to color change. If the stone is stabilized it should be resistant to this but the problem is that it can be tricky to tell if a particular stone is stabilized. The other thing you want to keep in mind is that Native American turquoise stones are often set with a layer of sawdust under them in the setting. This helps lift the stone a little and also provides a bit of a soft cushion that can protect the stone when they tighten the bezel around it. But the sawdust can expand if it gets wet, and over time the repeated expansion and contraction can loosen the stone in the setting.
I get your frustration at not being able to wear these rings at work. I have a job that’s not really compatible with Native American jewelry either even though I love it and collect it. I just wear it on my days off and take joy in owning it the rest of the time.
Thanks for the important work you’re doing as a pre-K teacher, especially during the pandemic when the job is even tougher. As the mom of a three year old who was home for a while earlier in the pandemic, I can attest that you guys are absolutely essential and lifesavers!
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Thanks y’all! Great rocks I guess I will be sticking with the sterling. 
Thanks Orbit I love the little guys. Enjoy your little one! They grow up too fast:slightly_smiling_face:
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Thank you for working with these precious little ones.
Maybe you won’t want to wear the rings, but it’s a good reason to wear some awesome earrings! I would say necklaces too, unless the kiddos grab them!
I coach figure skating and usually wear native made rings, but the larger ones are forever getting stuck in my gloves.
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