Experience the Beauty of Turquoise

 

 

   
 
Browse our unbeatable collection of stunningly beautiful turquoise beads.
Never Dyed, Full Documentation — Your Satisfaction 100% GUARANTEED!
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New! Castle Dome Turquoise Beads
Available in several shades of blues and greens! Experience the Calm...

  


Turquoise Beads, Sterling Silver,
Shell, Coral, Heishi

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Why Our Turquoise Is Different 

 

Our turquoise is natural color, never dyed or enhanced. We process our own turquoise here in New Mexico, so we know what happens to it from the mine to you. We certify in writing the authenticity, quality and color of our beads. Plus, we offer a "no risk" buying guarantee. If you are not happy with your beads, we'll buy them back from you! Guaranteed! 

  

Turquoise Beads
on temporary wire

Accent & Small Beads

Rough Turquoise-
Turquoise Stone
 

About the Mines

Kinds of Turquoise

Blog Articles -  Turquoise Buying Guides

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Need Help or Have Questions?

     Wholesale
$500 minimum purchase,
Contact Us for wholesale pricing.

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 How To Book
for Successful Selling


This is a GREAT resource for people who sell their jewelry at shows, fairs, and festivals.

To Get Your Copy
Click Here!

 

Just wanted to tell you how much I like the BLUE Campo Frio turquoise! Received the strand yesterday & it's really gorgeous! So nice to find turquoise that looks blue on the computer screen and actually IS blue when you see it in person! Beautiful stones!  
~ Karen, NH 

The turquoise that you carry is the most beautiful turquoise
that I have ever seen. The quality is exceptional...the color is stunning! The turquoise is even more beautiful in person, than the images posted on the site (and the images are
beautiful) every time I receive an order my jaw literally drops
open. The customer service is like no other... helpful, knowledgeable and
courteous!
~ Sharon, CA 

I received my order of turquoise, silver & Heishi today, and am extremely pleased with your products and service! The Sleeping Beauty Turquoise is just gorgeous. I also appreciate the personal touches… 
~ Rick, NY  

 

 

 

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Sense the Spirit of the Pueblo - Made in America
Turquoise Jewelry Nation

Wear a wealth of culture inspired by traditional Pueblo design.

 

 

 

Turquoise Beads - Several New Styles
**
all beads are on 16" temporary string or wire except where noted otherwise


SMALL BEADS

Small and Large Styles Kingman Mine
See More Like This>>>

KINGMAN BOULDER TURQUOISE

Kingman Boulder is also available in Heishi and other styles too!
See More Like This>>

CAMPO FRIO

Blue & Green Styles Available 
See More Like This>>>

  Sleeping Beauty Turquoise  

Nugget Beads in 
Many Styles and Sizes
See More Like This>>>

Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Beads - Mini Nugget Style
Sleeping Beauty Turquoise
Flat Style Nugget Beads 
See More Like This>>>


20-30mm
Disc Style Beads
See More Like This>>>  

Green (Rare) Sleeping Beauty Turquoise 



7-12mm Flat Style Nugget 
See More Like This>>>

5-7mm Nugget Style
See More Like This>>>

8mm Nugget Style
See More Like This>>>

 

  Blue Kingman and Castle Dome Turquoise 

Kingman Blue  
Nugget Style Beads
See More Like This>>>

Kingman Blue  
10-15mm Long Drilled Nugget
See More Like This>>>

Castle Dome Turquoise  
Splinter and Nugget Styles 
See More Like This>>>

  Blue Campo Frio Turquoise
   Many Styles Also Available in Green Campo Frio Turquoise  

Campo Frio Blue  
7-10mm Freeform
Rugged
Bright Blue Nuggets w/Pyrite 
See More Like This>>>

Campo Frio Blue  
4-5mm Greenish-Blue Mini Liquid Stones™
See More Like This>>>

Campo Frio Nugget Style  
12-18mm Slightly Graduated 
Nugget Style Beads
See More Like This>>>

 

Chinese Turquoise Beads - Carefully Selected



8 mm Round Beads 
See More Like This>>>

10mm Blue-Green Nugget Style Beads
See More Like This>>>

 Chinese Turquoise Splinter Style Beads
See More Like This>>>

 

 Natural Jet - Most Popular Styles 

Button Style
Available in 2 Sizes
See More Like This>>>

Round Style
8mm
See More Like This>>>

Graduated Rondelle Style
 Available in 2 Sizes
See More Like This>>>

 

Small Round Accent Beads


SPONGE CORAL

See More Like This>>>

Coral Beads

See More Like This>>>

MOTHER OF PEARL 

See More Like This>>>

Heishi Bead Selections - Our Most Popular


Voluta Shell Heishi
Voluta Shell - Graduated Heishi
Natural Earth Colors
Voluta Shell
See More Heishi>>>
JET Heishi

Handcrafted Jet, Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico
See More Like This>>>
Turquoise Heishi

Blue and Green Campo Frio Turquoise Heishi
See More Heishi>>>

Sterling Silver Beads and Findings



Sterling Silver Beads
See More Like This>>>

Sterling Silver Neckchain
PLUS Hooks & Eyes, Necklace Cones and more!

See More Sterling Silver>>>

Sterling Silver Necklace Cones

Sterling Silver Necklace Cones 
finish off your designs 
like nothing else!
Available in 2 sizes.

See More Like This>>>

 

Wholesale  Rough Turquoise by the pound
(Click on the links below to contact us for quotes. 5 pound minimum.)


Rough Sleeping Beauty Turquoise
Rough Sleeping Beauty 
9-11mm, 12-15mm, 16-20mm
Rough Mexican Chip Beads - sold by the pound
2-4mm
Mexican Turquoise
Rough / Undrilled
$100 lb
Rough Sleeping Beauty Chip Beads - sold by the pound
1-2mm
Sleeping Beauty
Rough / Undrilled
$110 lb

 

White Turquoise... is it really turquoise?

White Turquoise!  Now there is a peculiar combination of words.

Take the word turquoise.  It has come to have two meanings, really.  One is the sky-blue stone used in jewelry, especially Native American jewelry artisans.  The other meaning is "turquoise" as in the color. 

Think of a sunflower and you think of yellow.  Think of a white sunflower ... the creator doesn't make that kind.  Although some plant geneticists might breed one some day.

Turquoise, a semi-precious stone, has an officially recognized chemical composition that mineralogists use in identifying what any stone is. That composition of turquoise includes aluminum and copper. It is copper that gives the varying shades of blue and greens.  

Technically there are other things the mineralogist looks at to classify a stone. These include hardness, specific gravity (which is the weight relative to size), a color scratch test on a mineralogist special scratch plate and, in more extensive tests, the color of the flame when burned.

Howlite is frequently dyed blue and passed off as turquoise. In a scratch test, Howlite might fool you as it is also a relatively soft stone (around 4 on the Mohs scale of hardness). Howlite has black veining or matrix similar to Turquoise. I have seen ordinary Howlite blatantly passed off as White Turquoise to the unsuspecting buyer. Howlite is also quite frequently sold in its natural form with misleading names like "white turquoise", "white buffalo turquoise" or "white buffalo stone”.

What is the chemical composition of the various rocks being promoted as White Turquoise?  I really haven't a clue.  What is important to you as a buyer is that for any stone to carry the label Turquoise it must contain some form of copper and aluminum. The blue and green colors which give Turquoise its distinctive appearance comes from the copper component, as mentioned above.   

Turquoise without the coloring is simply not Turquoise. Without the copper component those stones cannot lawfully be certified as Turquoise ... period.

An article written by the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources titled “The Non-Metallic Mineral Resources of New Mexico and Their Economic Features” states, “Turquoise is a complex hydrous phosphate of aluminum and copper. The color of good material ranges from sky-blue to apple-green, with a waxy luster that suggests translucency. It generally occurs in compact masses instead of in crystalline form and is frequently veined with impurities. This foreign material sometimes adds to, instead of detracting from, the desirability of the turquoise for gem purposes, as the rich brown iron stains are often distributed in patterns that are attractively brought out in polishing.” The paper further states, “Vein turquoise is often separated from the granite on one or both sides by quartz and also occurs in direct contact with the rock without quartz filling.”

What we know is that quartz is not part of the turquoise, but is sometimes found with the host rock. We don’t know if the white turquoise on the market is quartz, natural Howlite, or some other material, but found the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources information useful in our research to help explain the fact that turquoise is never absent of color.

In summary, there is not and there cannot be a stone called White Turquoise.  The words “White Turquoise” is an oxymoron.

Not only is White Turquoise rare, as the proponents of this turquoise will tell you, it is nonexistent! The very definition of Turquoise in all mineralogical books shows official Turquoise as having a copper component to provide the coloring.  White rocks coming from a mine that produces Turquoise are no more Turquoise than the black igneous rocks surrounding the Turquoise veins are called Black Turquoise. Now… if you ever start hearing about Black Turquoise, you’ll already know it is not turquoise.

If you click here you will see photos of beads currently labeled as "White Turquoise" on the market today.

Until next time... Rock on!

Lin Valentine
Turquoise Specialist

Copyright © 2010 Lin Valentine and The Turquoise Chick
This article may not be used without the express written permission of the
author.

References:
NEW MEXICO SCHOOL OF MINES
STATE BUREAU OF MINES AND MINERAL RESOURCES
E. H. Wells, President and Director
BULLETIN NO. 12
The Non-Metallic Mineral Resources of New Mexico and Their Economic Features  

Next Article... "To be or not to be... Stabilized turquoise is the question."

 

Thank you so much for visiting The Turquoise Chick, a division of Southwest Turquoise – your online source for Sleeping Beauty, Campo Frio, and Kingman turquoise beads, and your shopping destination for coral and Heishi beads, which beautifully accent turquoise when combined in a handcrafted jewelry piece.

We take special pride in offering our customers unique turquoise beads and fine sterling silver. We still hand select all of the beads that go in our store in order to maintain our high standard of quality. If you have any questions about your purchase or about our turquoise call or send us an e-mail at Customer Care
If you are not signed up for our free newsletter, but you wish to learn more about turquoise, head on over to my Blog for all the 'scoop'. Be sure to sign up for our special newsletters by filling in the form above. You will be notified of unadvertised sales and you'll get to see new items before they are made available on the website! 

We wish you great success in your jewelry designing and look forward to serving you often!

To your great success!

The Turquoise Chick

Lin Valentine
Turquoise Specialist
Southwest Turquoise

www.theturquoisechick.com  

 

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All of our turquoise beads are natural color

A Certificate of Authenticity Provided With Each Turquoise Purchase 

It's a privilege to serve you! 

www.theturquoisechick.com
Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Last modified: August 27, 2010

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