Dip your toes into a sea of Turquoise
A perennial staple in Native American jewelry, turquoise has entranced people for thousands of years, from the Persian emperors to the ancient Egyptians to today’s acolytes. Found throughout the world, including the arid mountains of the American Southwest, the opaque blue green gemstone–the result of mineral deposits in hard rock–greets visitors to New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada at nearly every department store and gift shop. With the most impressive specimens rivaling pearls and rubies in value, turquoise is a natural wonder, and each stone unique. But with the introduction of liquid plastics and advanced color treatments, imitation–i.e., stabilized or treated–turquoise has flooded the market, making the most valuable stones much harder to come by.
Since 300 AD, turquoise has been prized by southwestern Native Americans for decoration, trade, and ritual. Early examples of Native American jewelry feature turquoise beads with holes drilled by the point of a stone or a cactus spine, and strung on cord to make necklaces and earrings. Though Spanish explorers introduced metalsmithing to southwestern tribes in the 1700s, it wasn’t until the late 1800s, when miners swarmed the area in search of gold, silver, copper, and lead, that Native Americans–notably the Zuni–began setting turquoise in silver.
Since 300 AD, turquoise has been prized by southwestern Native Americans for decoration, trade, and ritual. Early examples of Native American jewelry feature turquoise beads with holes drilled by the point of a stone or a cactus spine, and strung on cord to make necklaces and earrings. Though Spanish explorers introduced metalsmithing to southwestern tribes in the 1700s, it wasn’t until the late 1800s, when miners swarmed the area in search of gold, silver, copper, and lead, that Native Americans–notably the Zuni–began setting turquoise in silver.
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