Monday, February 22, 2010

Turquoise - The Color of 2010!

We are thrilled that Pantone chose Turquoise as the color of 2010! We'll be seeing so much of this vibrant yet soothing color this year in fashion and interior design. We've all had intense winter weather and Turquoise conjures up feelings of peaceful, tropical waters.
Two of our favorite stones to work with are American Turquoise and Gem Chrysocolla. There are many Turquoise deposits in the world occurring with Copper Mining - some of the biggest in China, but we prefer to showcase stones from America. They are rarer and part of the history of our country. Native Americans have revered this stone in their culture. Called "Sky Stone" it has been a symbol of happiness and health utilized in sculpture, pottery, jewelry and ceremony.
Turquoise is available in many different grades. It is typically a soft stone - often treated to harden or enhance color. We seek out Hi-Grade pieces, hardened by Mother Nature with no enhancements or treatments - that is also why you'll see ours set in gold. When the stone itself is rare due to its grade it deserves to be set in gold. Most turquoise settings are Sterling Silver.

If you are thinking of investing in a quality piece of Turquoise Jewelry we urge you to check out this publication Turquoise Unearthed. It covers everything from the history of the stone, to educated purchasing, and descriptions of all the domestic mines and their characteristics. We bring this book to every show we attend as an educational tool.

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