Hahaha!! They need that sign on the bathroom sink where I work.
I see what you’re saying. Yes! I completely try to keep stuff like lotions and things away from my stones. Only thing that touches my turquoise is my fingers! Lol
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I work part time as a beer tender. We were using bleach/soap water to wipe down surfaces.
I liked to wear bracelets to work, as they were often conversation starters with customers.
Would push the bracelet up before wiping things down.
One day a beautiful bracelet with turquoise/coral chip inlay fell down into the solution. I immediately took it off, rinsed with water and wiped it dry, but the damage was done.
The next day, some of the inlay was bulging.
I could push it down.
Ended up eventually using some rock glue in a syringe to secure it.
Ever since then, nothing with silver or turquoise is worn to work.
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@fernwood That had to hurt! I’ll never immerse my jewelry in water again, I’ll wipe it up with cloth instead
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Oh no!! I would have been just sick at heart.
@Blackturtlehawk, you probably will know this also, but I didn’t, even for quite a while after I started collecting jewelry. Sometimes the silver bands on the rings flatten a bit as you wear them. I had someone tell me to slide it down a ring sizer at a jewelry store. I did that. Not long later a stone popped out.
Sliding it down the sizer slightly put pressure on the back of the ring and loosened the stone. I’ll never do that again!
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@Ziacat ragic!! Hard lessons along the journey of loving turquoise and hearing others bad experiences can help prevent poor performance 
I learned the hard way with some pieces with stones popping out by cleaning them in water but I caught the stone with luck from falling down the drain and I had to set it myself with the prongs and a loupe so luckily I saved it
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Why did they use sawdust and cardboard? Their had to be better materials.
I think it’s a combination of availability, affordability, and the fact that they actually serve the purpose they are looking for quite well. The point of the sawdust/cardboard is to lift the stone in the setting a little so that the stones appear a little thicker than they are, but also to protect and cushion the stone in their bezels. It gives a little, protecting the stone when they push down on and tighten the bezel, and also protects the stone slightly if it gets knocked. So they actually want something with a little give. Sawdust is cheap and readily available and it gets the job done.
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@OrbitOrange gave you a great answer. I realize the screenshot I posted had cut off some of the info so I deleted it. I also read somewhere that it’s a way of honoring traditional practices in jewelry making by Native Americans.
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