Hi all - I bought these earrings a while ago and have always thought the stone was very pretty and not like all my other turquoise. Are these real turquoise? I know we can’t identify mines but any idea of the possibilities so I can see other similar beauties? The photos were taken outside and pretty accurately capture the color.
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Those are lovely! Not being an expert or anything, I would’ve bought those in a heart beat!
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Could they be Chinese turquoise? I am not as familiar with that. Love the stones.
I’m not going to say Kingman again cause seems like I always do (LOL)…
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Hi - I’ve been searching online for similar ones and I think Chinese could be a possibility, as well as No 8. Others looked similar, such as Indian Mountain, Nevada Blue, and Blue Moon, but they are more rare so I think unlikely. I was worried with the bits of whitish areas and that swirl of what looks like a shade of green that maybe it wasn’t turquoise. I haven’t been able to find examples with that type of coloring
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I’m no expert, but they look like turquoise to me. I have a number of turquoise stones that have bits of other colors. That’s one of the things I love about it!
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Yes, like one of my loves Royston (drool)! I guess it was the whitish spots that made me think maybe it could be another dyed stone
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I love Royston too! I have a specimen collection from 10 or 12 mines, anyway the Royston is a beautiful green, very unusual color. I will look through pics and see if i can pull it up. I was wondering if you could help me. I posted a pic of a strand but i guess everyone is busy like me. Can you take a look and tell me what you think. Im pretty sure its a great find for under $30.
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I’m still learning about turquoise myself so I don’t think I could help you. I’ve only been collecting jewelry for two years and I live in the East so I don’t have much chance to see it in person unless I buy it. Hopefully someone else can answer for you!
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Not sure. It’s pretty, but 30.00 is rather low for anything very quality. Can’t tell if it’s real. Hard to tell from pics. If it’s actual turquoise, I would guess stabilized Kingman.
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Sourcing your turquoise on Mercari (or eBay), and with little preparation, means you will have lots of costume-grade turquoise possibly worth what you paid, or less. Maybe that fits with your needs.
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The gray areas visible on most of these rocks are the residue of the stabilizing resin. Not something you see in good-quality stabilized material.
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i have a hard time with believing anything listed as “rare old stock.” it’s virtually impossible to prove, unless the item in question comes in an unopened manufacturer’s packaging. the nugget with the black inclusions - how it’s white-ish in all the valleys would give me pause. my guess is dyed something or other.
the strand of nuggets on fish line, see how the background color of all the stones is almost the exact same share of blue? to me that indicates dying. it may just be heavily stabilized lower grade turquoise, as ziacat suggests.
i’m not getting a really strong “natural” vibe from either of these, i’m sorry to say. buy them if you like the look of them for homemade beading projects, but not investment value.
“natural” turquoise has a very specific meaning for serious turquoise rockhounds, and it means ZERO enhancements of any kind. there is very little “natural” gem turquoise in the online retail marketplace, at the kind of prices you are looking at, and i would say even less of it is drilled as beads. 99.99% of turquoise is stabilized these days, which eliminates the “natural” descriptor. anything gemmy coming out of the ground commands a serious premium, and will likely be rough or cabbed.
My humble opinions. your mileage may vary.
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Ouch on the costume grade chicfarmer. Lol. Dear i cant afford strands from Kingman or other ruptable mines. Its 3 times more then i can afford. I make jewelry and make it simple so my buyers can afford a piece of Turquoise. Im just trying to find stones for this purpose. My purpose in asking what ya’ll think is so that i dont buy fake stones, magnasite or howlite. Stabilized is ok i really dont want dyed either. Im trying to finish my collection so i can list it. Someday i will show you some nice stones that i have seperate that i love and they are treasure to me so try not to make me cry over my stones Turquoise people.
Here is one of my necklaces. Also i value and respect your opion.
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Thank you, i gave up trying to collect after i bought some jewelry that was actually made in the Phillipines. So now i just design simple pieces so the average person can have a pretty stone. Unfortunately its so hard to tell fake stones. Anyway happy hunting.
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That is my Royston Specimen stone from the Royston mine. I have a reputable dealer who lives in Arrizona and she has a large collection from the Southwest.I have bought from her for years as she like Gobi Agate Dessert Agates which is something else i collect.
As far as my specimen collection I just want the history and the Turquoise before its gone so i can put it in a shadow box for my grand kids.
The strand, i paid less then half of what she was originally asking as i watched it for awhile. I am disabled and live on a fixed income so i cant afford exspensive “beads” as that is their purpose for me. I just want ya’ll to help me out from time to time so i can get them for this purpose. However i dont want Chinese fake, dyed, howlit or Magnasite.
Thanks so much for your valued opion.
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I hear what you are saying completely, but it will be very hard to find undyed, not fake stones cheaply online. And no one here can truly verify by pictures. I’m glad you want to learn, just know that people here will tell you what they think without sugar coating it. There is a LOT of amazing knowledge on this site. But members here also have done much study to gain that knowledge.
If you want to have some true beautiful stones to have for yourself because you love them, maybe don’t put them in the necklaces you sell (you posted one without turquoise you made that was very pretty), and save some money to put aside to buy some turquoise from a mine like Kingman. I just think you are risking spending a lot of $ on stones that aren’t what you want. And you also risk reselling stones that aren’t truly turquoise. When people on here give opinions on items, they know it can only be that. We can’t tell anyone for a fact what they have. IMO it’s always best to have less of good quality than more of bad quality.
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Ok, the stones i have for myself arent what i put in my jewelry. You made some really good points and i appreciate it. I think one of the reasons i try so hard to find a good deal and by that i mean beaders who have stopped beading and start selling their stock, also great necklaces with beautiful Turquoise. Middle class people even poor people should have an opportunity to own a pretty piece of Turquoise. Honestly its unobtainable for these people. My gosh Turquoise is only for people who have money, kind of like diamonds. I just want to share this amazing stone with people who love it but cant afford it. I did the same thing with my Wello Opal beads. I made things that were affordable for women and my motto was every women should have an opal. I have alot to learn thats for sure. I know i need the books so i can study which i love to do. Right now i am sick, and struggling just to do what i am doing. I know ya’ll must cringe when i post these beads but keep in mind my heart is in this to make it affordable for people like me. These incredible stones are out their waiting to be found, they dont have to be grade A, they just have to be pretty and not fake or dyed. I really do appreciate your input and advice. Sincerely, Kimberly
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Kimberly,
I wasn’t trying to trash you, or your collection. Just trying to share some tough-love knowledge about what you’ve shared with us. I’m not wealthy by any means, and don’t have a museum quality collection. I’ve been collecting (and jealously admiring) other folks stuff for years, and have learned that the true bargains are few and far between, and most of the time people trying to sell you something “rare” also usually have a deed to oceanfront property in Arizona tucked away.
You’re doing the right thing by educating yourself! You’re doing the right thing by making pieces to share with others! I used to make beaded jewelry myself, and realized that i was barely breaking even, or not breaking even at all, so i quit. I’d rather put that money into vintage things i can wear and enjoy, rather than buying beads at retail prices and expecting to make a buck. Have i bought things that later turned out to be fake/misadvertised/overpriced? Yep. Bought something I was hoping was X when it turned out to be Y? Yep. We all have at some point.
Unless you are buying turquoise from the miner that dug it out of the ground, or from the person they sold it to who has verifiable provenance from the person that pulled it out of the ground, mine attributions are basically guesses. It’s often easier to say what a stone is NOT, than what it is.
that being said, only you can decide if what you buy is worth what you paid. all the opinions in the world don’t mean a hoot when you like what you like. You may get opinions you disagree with, especially here. they aren’t meant to be hurtful, but to help you develop a discerning eye, so that you aren’t spending your hard earned money on things that might not be what they are advertised as.
Liz
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Thanks Liz, that was sweet. You know you are right about alot of things. I just designed 4 necklaces for a guy, gave him a $15 discount and when it was time to pay me he wanted to take $4 off because he doesnt like odd numbers. I told him to add a dollar and it would be even, so selfish. I make the jewelry for therapy, I probably dont even make a profit, and to your point i could probably buy alot of Antiques with what i spend on beads. Lol. Thanks for your great advice. Where do you recommend i buy Turquoise beads?
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That’s a great question - I never bought turquoise beads, i was into glass and lampworked beads, and other minerals/rocks when i was making jewelry. I spent way too much time buying vintage glass beads or trade beads on etsy, ot trolling junk shops for old glass bead necklaces i could take apart and repurpose. When we lived in Albuquerque NM, i might have tried some of the local jewelry supply places, but i honestly don’t know a good reliable online source for turquoise beads specifically. Maybe we could start a new thread for that question. i see lots of vintage and new nugget strands made by native american artists for sale, of varying size and quality, but i have no idea if they are drilling their own nuggets, or buying pre-drilled beads.
it’s a great question i don’t think i’ve seen asked here before!
Cheers -
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Where do you find those strands you mentioned? I have some Turquoise beads i want to show you. I will take a pic tomorrow. These stones are are gorgeous but were nearly ruined from some ladies perfume. Took awhile to restore them as the stones had layers of perfume soaked into the stones. I think they turned out pretty good considering im not a professional but i just had to save them. If they are worthless its ok because some lady who doesn’t have alot of money will love them. Lol
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