But it would have been a show as you both exercised decorum while fighting for that bracelet.
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@OrbitOrange and I would never fight! Maybe arm wrestle, though…
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That’s the thing about vintage malls, thrift stores and consignment shops. It’s always a gamble.
I drive around town for my job on weekdays.
A lot of times, I pass by these places and don’t have time to stop.
Sometimes I get a feeling that I should stop, even though I know it will make my work day longer.
I’m often wrong and I’ve wasted my time, walking out empty handed.
So when I spot something worthwhile amongst all the clutter, it is like finding treasure. That’s what keeps me going back.
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What a great birthday gift to yourself! The stone is beautiful, but looks more like turquoise to me than variscite. I’m no expert on variscite, but most I’ve seen is much more green…oh well… whatever, the blue-green coloration is just gorgeous! And looks like it belongs on your wrist
.
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Thanks! I have to treat myself once in a while!
I wish you could see this stone in person. There is no blue at all in the color. And there are some distinct translucent areas right on the top of the stone. The camera just can’t capture it well. It needs to be seen by the human eye. I have never seen translucency in turquoise.
It screams variscite to me.
But we can agree to disagree! It’s all good
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Here are some variscite cabs from Dillon Hartman.
If you look closely, you can see a small degree of translucency just below the surface on these stones.
I frequently look at his Instagram page and challenge myself to see if I can guess what types of stones he has cabbed.
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@Stracci “I frequently look at his Instagram page and challenge myself to see if I can guess what types of stones he has cabbed.”
Yay, I’m not the only one who does this. I do the exact same thing with turquoisematrix on Instagram! He’ll post a photo of several cabbed turquoises & other stones for sale. I make my guesses. Then, I look at his list of the stones for the type & cost. It’s fun ~ sometimes I’m spot-on, sometimes I’m not 
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@Patina
Wow! It’s not just me! I feel that it’s my duty as a T-Person, to try really hard to ID turquoise (and variscite!)
Although I’m frequently all wrong! But I find it to be most educational. When you can tell the salesperson in a store what kind of turquoise is in the jewelry, then we have the upper hand, no?
Turquoise Matrix–yes! That guy’s work is stunning. He is also “bending light studio” on Instagram.
I fell in love with his bezels and tried to copy them in some earlier pieces I made.
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I didn’t mean to disagree with your assessment @Stracci, but was just expressing my thoughts.…seeing it in person makes a big difference and your last photo does look more greenish. Thanks for the education on variscite.
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Yes, that’s the guy & that’s his studio! I have to force myself not to buy his turquoise cabs since I can’t do anything with 'em. Oh, it’s definitely educational for me, too. Yep, it’s always best to have knowledge on our side when buying any jewelry.
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I think it’s great that we can talk about this stuff and throw ideas around about the origins, styles, makers and stones.
I like to know what everyone else thinks and see what we all collect.
That’s why I’m here, to learn from all of you.
The stones get real tricky, and I think we all know that!
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I completely know what you mean. I’ve had fantastic finds at thrift malls and the like. But you have to have a lot of patience, look through a lot of junk, and be educated about what you’re looking for.
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I just realized you said your birthday is in a few weeks. So is mine! However I’m up in Michigan where unfortunately there will be no turquoise cuff up here to jump onto my wrist 
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@Ziacat Well Happy Birthday to us! Enjoy your trip to Michigan!
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