I bought this ring at Teec Nos Pos Trading Post, and the owner said it was made in the 50’s (even if it was a decade later, it still had been handled a lot before I bought it). One of the reasons I loved it was because of the different colored stones. I’m pretty sure they have not changed much since then, and I’ve worn it a lot.
This ring is the one that was very, very pale, so much so it looked almost white when I got it. I actually like the blue way better. We discussed this once when we were wondering if some things called Dry Creek are actually not; maybe they’re just low grade natural that hasn’t changed color yet. I had an owner of a good store think that this was Dry Creek (it hadn’t turned yet), but I have the pawn ticket from Toby Turpens that says Kingman.
Hey @StevesTrail not sure if your comment is about the gold ring I posted but, I’m with you 100%. The discoloration is ugly. I initially thought the green funk was a mold or fungus, something organic, that I could clean off but that’s not the case. I’m presuming the turquoise is from Mexico since that’s where the ring was purchased. Maybe the stone was a lemon to begin with .
@Ziacat Not at all, this is all so fascinating and I really appreciate (and am enjoying) all these anecdotes I’m wondering if there are different reasons for color change but they look the same so it’s hard to tell apart.
Could it be that stones that changed on their own (and known to be unworn) were filled or polished with oil or some other organic material which oxidizes over time? I think a stone where someone rubbed it with a oily cloth or their fingers to give it a nice sheen would still be sold as “natural” or “not stabilized”?
Some sources on the internet say it’s the copper compounds that are oxidizing. I’m not a geologist by any means (but a mere engineer lol) but i can’t imagine that a rock could keep it’s color over geological time scales but oxidizes in a few months of human time. Also if the copper is already in +2 state, how can it oxidize anymore?
I bought the needle point piece in New Mexico on a road trip, it was neon blue like the color of the sky on a sunny day then slowly changed as i wore it over 2-3 years. The bear was from a gem show and all the turquoise was cyan but some turned after i wore it over a few really hot and sweaty days outside
The small heishi were bought as 16in strands of natural turquoise from a highend bead shop and were light aqua with variation, and the thick one was darker aqua. Both changed within a few years or less
So this article explains the humidity factor. Seems like too much water can be a problem, but a quick wipe to clean wouldn’t be.
I don’t know much about geology and chemistry, but I don’t believe color change is happening because of being filled or polished with something. Every article says it’s things turquoise comes in contact with above ground that causes the color change, because it’s porous. We aren’t seeing the underground changes, only what happens after it’s out, if that makes sense.
Getting back to the original issue of how to keep color change to a minimum, here are some good tips I just ran across.
@Ziacat i’m not familiar with turquoise that changes color quickly. My ring is from the 1960s. And, it took years before it changed from a lovely, solid blue color to a darker green color. There’s been a lot of good ideas/suggestions mentioned here as to what may cause turquoise to change color. It’s been an interesting thread.
Oh, I misunderstood you. I didn’t realize you meant it took all those years to change. My ring with the single stone I posted literally completely changed color within a couple years. But I wore it quite often. I have some higher grade natural stones that don’t look as though they have had any color change over many years.
@Patina i wonder if the stones were to be polished or recut by a lapidary artist, would the insides still be blue? @Ziacat’s link mentions buffing can bring some original color back.
@Ziacat very interesting the article mentions wool and latex gloves both which contain a lot of sulfur.
Maybe i will try ren wax on some beads i can bear to experiment with and see if the wax changes the color or preserves it. I should mention i live in a tropical climate so it’s not possible for jewelry to not be sweaty or exposed to humidity unless i keep it in a box The other day i spilled spicy Korean noodle soup on myself and my turquoise cuff i did wash it with water right after, i guess good thing it was green to begin with
@Zephyr , I think the wax would more likely soften (start to dissolve) stabilization material if and depending what was used. I would allow most of the naphtha to evaporate on a cotton cloth, then wax. And I assume the wax is natural color as they do make these waxes tinted more for furniture.
Thanks @StevesTrail! I was hoping someone on this site would have a piece appropriate, but it’s such a deep deep green. I’ll likely contact Perry Null. I agree with you, I can’t think of any of my personal collection that have changed color…of course I don’t wear each one very frequently, and I store them appropriately. @Ziacat, I also love these Zuni style rings with the varying color stones. I have several, but all are older pieces I purchased after they had changed color. It great you have personally seen the color change yourself. One would assume these cluster style used all the same turquoise, so how do we explain the color change in a few cabs, but not others? I’ve always thought the smaller Birdseye cabs could have come from small leftover pieces from different types or quality of turquoise, thus the difference in porosity?
In natural turquoise, hardness of the stone–which tracks with turquoise grade–plays a big role in color stability. The harder, gem grade material isn’t going to change color (much), vs. lower/softer grades.
My cluster ring was already changed when I got it. It was the single stone ring that I posted that changed reasonably quickly. I have another stone in a Hopi cuff that changed over the years after I bought it, but not as quickly. Sometime I’ll post that.
I read about why they change differently, and I believe it was just a difference in the hardness of the stones.
One of the stones fell out of the cluster ring after I bought it, and I had it fixed somewhere out west. I believe it was the Ravens Nest (now permanently closed of course ) in Sedona. I told them just to put in what stone they thought looked best since the color varied so much anyway.
Here it is against a cm and inch scale. Good size. Definately enough rock to cut a replacement. Let me know if you think it will work @Bmpdvm . Might also darken with age.
Thanks @StevesTrail. I think your nugget will certainly work (I’ll rub it a lot😬) I work with a jeweler here, but do you do repairs? The repair would only take a small piece ~6-7 mm diameter. Guess it depends on what you want to do with your nugget. If you’d rather sell the entire cab let me know.
I’ve gotten away from repairs @Bmpdvm . Now it’s more of a hobby. Send me your address by PM. I’ll send the nugget out by USPS First Class mail and make you a deal. Use what you need and if there is enough left over have your lapidary make an oval cab for me. They won’t know what they can do until they start cutting. And keep the balance in case you need it.
For interest this is the repair my jeweler completed on the dark green cluster ring. Thanks to @StevesTrail for the green nugget that worked perfectly!
The second photo shows the small cab made from the turquoise from the nugget and shows the original blue color of the ring when it was created. Unfortunately it was somewhat crumbly (and very porous) and cracked😔
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I’m wondering if there are different reasons for color change but they look the same so it’s hard to tell apart.
The other day i spilled spicy Korean noodle soup on myself and my turquoise cuff 
i did wash it with water right after, i guess good thing it was green to begin with 
) in Sedona. I told them just to put in what stone they thought looked best since the color varied so much anyway.
