I HIGHLY suggest you look on the sites of reputable Southwestern shops/trading posts, such as Perry Null in Gallup NM. You could also look on museum store’s websites such as the Heard Museum in Phoenix or the Eiteljorg in Indianapolis IN (yes I am biased towards that one because it’s in my home state). I’m sure other people here can recommend other store sites. Even if you end up not shopping on those you will see what the prices are for the varying pieces. I also recommend Garland’s in Sedona, Arizona. I have other stores that I love, but I don’t know that they sell online. I think this is safer for you than just shopping all over eBay, etc.
2 Likes
I hear what you’re saying, but if turquoise was like gold, in my opinion, it would be boring, because it would all look the same. And you know what, I have quite a few beautiful pieces that have stabilized turquoise.
1 Like
Thanks for the store names I’ll check them out but tbh I don’t think they will help me for pricing. I’m in the UK and I’ve already checked out the legitimate NA galleries that we have, so I have that baseline for pricing. The pictures I’ve posted here are from online shops (hate eBay) with similar pricing, but coming back with feedback such as not as represented or could be stabilised (when seller says it’s not) so pricing really isn’t a good indicator of true representation.
I don’t mean it should all look like gold or look the same, but it’d be nice if the world could agree on a set £ amount as a baseline for turquoise per 1 gram or something haha! Like the worlds done with gold.
You can get a sense of the market by following the reputable rough dealers. They don’t publish graphs but they do publish retail prices, and look right there, you have Excel. 
2 Likes
It’s really hard/can be impossible to tell if cabbed turquoise is stabilized just by looking at it, and even more difficult to to tell just by looking at pictures of it. Sometimes with raw or nugget turquoise you will see brownish clear stabilizing residue, but you won’t see that in a cab. I think the most reliable way to tell is to use spectroscopy, but of course most of us don’t have access to that. If it changes color over time it’s natural, but that doesn’t help us when we’re buying. If it has a very shiny glass-like surface, it might be a clue that it’s stabilized, but high grade natural stones can take a good polish too. I’ve heard people say that when you cut stabilized turquoise it has a telltale plasticky smell, but that also doesn’t help most of us who are not cutting our own turquoise. I think you might find this old thread helpful:
In it one of our members describes soaking cabs in water, if it darkens after a couple of hours with water penetration that means it’s not stabilized. That could be helpful if you’re buying stones; I haven’t tried it yet personally. Note he also mentions stones can falsely fail if they’re already impregnated with grease or oils.
So I know that it can be hard to “know your seller” as chicfarmer suggested, especially when you are just starting out, but really it is your best bet. Buy from reputable sources, and if possible directly from whoever mined and cut it because then their information will not be second hand. Another strategy would be to buy older jewelry. I don’t think stabilization was common until the 60’s, so any turquoise that was set before then should be natural. But then you have to learn to date jewelry, which is a whole other skill set. 
Or again, just buy from knowledgeable, reputable dealers.
4 Likes
@OrbitOrange super helpful thanks so much. I had read that thread pre signing up but its nice to go through it again as a refresher! I lurked for about a week and read everything I could find here on this forum
1 Like
If I could use this opportunity to ask for some reputable names of sellers on Etsy if anyone has any suggestions? I prefer Etsy for online shopping just purely from a consumer POV, I’m a bit more covered if anything goes wrong then I would be with direct websites.
I am looking for completely untreated high grade turquoise, beads or cabs or even set into jewellery. I just want to own an awesome (100% natural) piece of turquoise!! Not particularly after anything Native American.
FWIW, our daughter purchased a Verdy Jake (Navajo) cuff in Santa Fe last summer. She fell in love with its design and the stunning Sonoran Gold stones. A couple of months ago, one of the stones popped out and the reputable gallery we purchased it from reset the stone at no charge and paid shipping! There’s that word again, “reputable”.
Here’s the only photo I have of it when the loose stone was on walkabout. All is good now. Everyone is back home in their bezel. 
4 Likes
Lovely cuff. The problem is the definition of reputable. What is reputable? Being a vendor for 3 decades? Having thousands of sales? Thousands of positive reviews? All of that applies to the places I’m looking at turquoise… I’m still posting pics here and getting ‘it’s likely not what they’re saying’. So what exactly is reputable.
Think what this post refers to more then reputable is good aftercare. Again, good aftercare doesn’t mean a turquoise piece that’s sold as not treated, will be … not treated.
“Reputable” isn’t really as ambiguous as you imagine. In the fairly small and tight-knit community of turquoise and Native jewelry sellers, reputations are made and maintained, often over several generations–or not. In essence, such businesses are vetted by peers and buyers. In contrast is where I think you’re looking, a site like Etsy, where anyone can set up a shop and there’s no vetting whatsoever by peers or the site management, and each seller is siloed. Here you are on your own, basically. That’s fine, but it’s not the same.
6 Likes
Hmmm… I expect if you spend much more time on this site you may start desiring after Native American jewelry LOL
To me turquoise is synonymous with Native American jewelry.
2 Likes
Agree with everything said here. The other thing to keep in mind is, in this country at least, a lot of the top grade natural turquoise goes to NA jewelers. Some of them have connections to mines and mine owners and get dibs on the best stones before any of the rest of us get a chance. So although you may not specifically be looking for NA jewelry with turquoise, that’s where you’re going to find a lot of the high grade natural turquoise you are looking for.
5 Likes
@Bluesky
You are getting lots of good advice here!
Buying untreated turquoise cabs is like a minefield.
Maybe harder than choosing a loose diamond! LOL
Be patient, and take your time. The stones will wait for you!
2 Likes
I appreciate all your views and the times you’re taking to respond but unfortunately I’m actually not getting good replies, dare I say it!
@chicfarmer @Ziacat your perspectives are correct but they are not the only correct perspectives. This world is big. It’s extends beyond America (I mean that in the nicest way) and turquoise extends beyond what it means in a small part of America and the fact it’s synonymous with NA jewellery.
I’m afraid you can’t see that perspective and that’s making you unable to give objective advice / guidance. Can one really have the gall to suggest reputable for the entire world lies in the basis of what’s reputable for a few thousand square miles in a part of one country?!! Really!
But I do thank you for sharing your opinions and giving me your time, genuinely thank you. I can see this board may not have the correct collective mindframe for asking about things that is not within its niche - and that’s perfectly okay.
Oh I looooove this cuff! 
2 Likes
@Tah Verdy Jake does such nice work, always with good stones. I’ve followed her output for years. This is a beauty.
1 Like
Thank you for the compliments! Yes, it’s a nice contemporary piece with a vintage look. We searched all over Gallup, Santa Fe, and Taos and this is the one our daughter picked. Tara, I figured you would like it because it is similar in style and has that nice dark patina like much of your jewelry.
3 Likes
It’s gorgeous! Love the stones. I’ve got a silver saguaro pendant with Sonoran stones (pretty sure they are natural - the artist who I bought from directly is very clear about her pieces), but they are much smaller than those in your daughter’s cuff. She has excellent taste IMO! I also gravitate to the older looking stuff.
Sometimes taking forever to find the perfect piece is a good share of the fun!
1 Like
Thanks! She gets her excellent taste from her mom. 
2 Likes