Still looking for help on trying to id the tourquise.
I was told when i bought it, what kind it was, but 30 years later I have forgotten
I bought this cuff April 1995 as an anniversary gift for my husband.
He passed away suddenly in August.
I wore this, his favorive cuff, to his memorial service. Thats when i realized i couldn’t remember which tourquise this was.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks
I’m sorry for your loss!
Unfortunately there is no way of knowing for sure what mine your turquoise came from without good provenance from the maker and/or seller. I don’t really even have much of a guess. Kinda looks a bit like some Kingman I have seen, maybe even some Chinese.
Thank you for your kind words.
Looking thru samples online with a friend of mine, we were guessing Kingman or Palamino.
I may never get a definitive answer, but i felt it was worth a try. They say you remenber things when you arent thinking about it, so maybe one day it will pop back into my mind when I’m doing a mindless task like washing dishes or something…
Without good provenance (I say good, because even a lot of sellers don’t know for sure) from when it was purchased there is no way of knowing absolutely what mine, but we do have fun guessing. To me Palomino Turquoise from NV looks quite different than this; however, turquoise from any mine can vary greatly. Kingman turquoise is the most prolific American mine, so it often becomes the default guess. But …Chinese turquoise is quite common also, and I have seen some online that looks a bit like your stone, so
You might see if the artist is on Facebook or Instagram (I am not on either so I have no idea) and contact him to see if he remembers.
Whatever the mine, wear it with good memories!
I’m so sorry for the sudden loss of your husband. It’s a beautiful bracelet with a lovely stone, and really nice that you have something that he treasured to remind you of him. I agree with @Ziacat’s assessment: without solid provenance we can guess at stone type but never really be sure; and like her there are no mines that immediately come to mind for me when I see this stone, although I did wonder if it might be Chinese. It is a lovely bracelet and stone even if we never do find out the mine.
@Sher, I’m very sorry about your husband’s sudden passing. I understand how precious this beautiful cuff must be to you, connected as it is with the memories of how much he cherished it.
Like @Ziacat and @OrbitOrange, I thought the stone might be Hubei turquoise (Chinese), although of course turquoise is the ultimate chameleon, and some mines can produce pieces with very diverse appearances. But it certainly would be nice to know which mine it’s from; it’s such a lovely stone.
I took a boo at both Facebook and Instagram but couldn’t find a Delbert Delgarito on either. If you wish to attempt to contact him, you could approach any online shop that is selling recent pieces of his to ask if they would be willing to pass along your contact details to him. For example, in late December 2024, Palms Trading Company posted some pieces by him on Facebook that they described as new, so that might be one place to try.
Several of his I found online state Kingman. The stones are similar but lack the strong colors and depth. Looks like he picked out a nicer single stone for your bracelet no matter the source.
So sorry for your loss. Hope time is lessening the pain. Zia is correct…it is hard to tell which kind of turquoise. Could be Kingman…looks a little like Lone Mountain too. What a nice looking cuff!